Pensole Footwear Design Academy has teamed up with cocreation company Rooy to create an online platform that's being touted as the 'Quirky for sneakers.' Quirky is a successful product company that lets inventors submit ideas for potential development, production and marketing. After securing $4 million, Pensole Footwear Design Academy aims to help designers launch designs while also getting free education.
D'Wayne Edwards, founder of Pensole Footwear Design Academy, says, "We will work with them to redesign their design to make it manufacturable. We will also conduct online classes that are competitions, leading to designs being made which will increase the quality of the products generated from Rooy Inc." The platform will also serve as an admission tool for the academy, which is a practical step for all involved.
Shoe Designer Platforms
Pensole Footwear Design Academy is Creating a 'Quirky for Sneakers'
Trend Themes
1. Online Co-creation Platforms - The emergence of online co-creation platforms like Rooy presents disruptive innovation opportunities for product development, manufacturing, and marketing.
2. Crowdsourced Design Education - The integration of online classes and competitions into design education offers disruptive innovation opportunities for accessible and practical learning experiences.
3. Design for Manufacturability - The focus on designing products that are manufacturable opens up disruptive innovation opportunities for improved production processes and efficiency.
Industry Implications
1. Footwear Design - The footwear design industry can leverage online co-creation platforms to democratize innovation, enhance collaboration, and accelerate the development of new shoe designs.
2. E-learning - The e-learning industry can embrace crowdsourced design education to revolutionize traditional learning models, enabling aspiring designers to gain practical skills and industry recognition.
3. Product Development - The product development industry can adopt the concept of design for manufacturability to streamline the design process, reduce costs, and optimize the quality of manufactured products.