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Â鶹ƵµÀ Leicester (DMU) has welcomed experts from adidas and on campus, to kickstart an exciting live project with its Footwear Design students.

DMU Footwear Design students with reps from adidas, Gravity Sketch and their tutors

In a prestigious partnership between the world-famous sports apparel brand and industry-leading 3D design platform, 25 second and third-year students have started a two-month challenge to reinterpret a shoe design from the adidas Originals archive.

Utilising Gravity Sketch’s software, the students have been tasked with producing six product designs that consider current trends and proportions to modernise the original shoe designs, with their final idea 3D modelled and ready for an augmented reality (AR) presentation.

Gravity Sketch has provided each participating student with a Meta Quest 3 VR headset to use for this project, as well as initial training. Over the coming weeks, students will receive in-depth sessions to master the platform, alongside regular feedback from their adidas mentors.

Students used adidas shoe boxes to recreate the classic Superstar

At the end of June, five finalists will be selected to present their work at the adidas headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany. During the visit, the students will also tour the vast sports facilities on the adidas campus, have the rare chance to explore the company archive and get insights from the marketing team.

The visiting adidas team - who flew in from Germany - included Ilka Leibmann, VP of Footwear Design, and DMU Footwear Design graduates Edina McClelland, Senior Colour and Material Designer, and Dimitri Gabellier, Footwear Product Designer, as well as Robbie Whitfield, Senior Design Recruiter.

Ilka, who has worked at adidas for 20 years, said: “I’m really excited to see how the students interpret the brief and it’s inspiring for us to share our experience with the next generation. I believe that studies really pay off when students have a vision and passion for what their job could look like once they graduate.

“There’s definitely something special about DMU graduates thanks to their industry-standard skills - Edina and Dimitri are a great example as they are two of the best designers I’ve ever worked with.”

Also present to kickstart the project were Gravity Sketch’s Account Executive, Max McCreery and Susan Rhoden, Education Account Manager, who worked tirelessly to coordinate the brief between all three parties.

Max said: “We work with a lot of leading design brands and they all tell us that they look for graduates who are skilled in using Gravity Sketch, so this project is a great way to help set DMU students up for success. Working with students is also a key way for us to keep improving our tool.”

Following a morning of presentations, students got stuck into the fun and creative task of reinterpreting the iconic 1970s Superstar trainer using predominantly adidas shoe boxes. Three winners were announced at the end of the day and were gifted a pair of adidas trainers each.

Final-year student Joe Muir said: “This brief is a great way for us to learn the skills that we want and need to, and it’s really nice to see the team at adidas as excited about it as we are. I think the experience will help to put me ahead of other people when I start looking for jobs.”

adidas' Robbie and Ilka disussing the students' designs

Second-year student Skye Wicks said: “We’ve worked on lots of live briefs with brands before, but nothing on this incredible scale, so I’m looking forward to refining my concept. I’m definitely in it for the competition, but even if I don’t win, I’ll be taking so many new skills into my final year with me.”

On the second and final day of their visit, the adidas team ran a recruitment workshop for students, sharing tips and advice on everything from what to include in their portfolios and how to present themselves in interviews, to the different pathways available outside of product design.

Edina, who first worked at FitFlop and then New Balance before joining adidas, said: “Knowing how to use Gravity Sketch is a real game-changer for graduates, and definitely something we look for when recruiting.

“When I graduated from DMU six years ago, I could make shoes well enough, but I didn’t love it as much as exploring things like colour and material choices. So, I’m really keen for students to realise there are lots of possibilities for them within the industry, from marketing roles to research.”

The top three student designs, picked by the adidas team

After graduating from DMU five years ago, Dimitri worked for Givenchy before joining adidas. “Working in fashion was stimulating and a good learning curve, but I’ve always wanted to design trainers so I’m really happy to be part of the Originals team,” he said.

“I miss DMU so much, especially all the workshops we had access to, like woodwork and metalwork, which I took full advantage of. My tutor at the time was a huge role model for me, so I’m really happy to be back to where I spent the best years of my life, giving back to current students.”

Nanette Westberg-Brown, programme leader for Footwear Design at DMU, said: “This project is monumental. We’re thrilled to be working with both adidas and Gravity Sketch to nurture the next generation of footwear designers and future industry innovators.”

Senior lecturer in Footwear Design at DMU, Jonathan Morss, added: “It’s an exceptional project for these students, and not just valuable for all, but life-changing for some. We all really appreciate the work that is going into it from both adidas and Gravity Sketch - the students are really motivated, so I know we'll see some amazing results.”