Pentland wins the first London College of Fashion Cordwainers Award

The chance to take a look behind the scenes at a successful company is something that generally proves to be a very valuable experience for students. That is exactly why non-profit organisation ´The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers’ supports fashion students who are specialised in footwear and accessories by hosting lectures as well as giving them the opportunity to visit companies and factories. In order to thank the companies that have helped students by sharing their knowledge, the London College of Fashion (LCF) annually rewards the Cordwainers Award. This year´s winner was Pentland Brands Plc, which owns brands such as Kickers, Speedo and Ted Baker Footwear.

“It is a great honour for Pentland to win this award as it truly has been a real pleasure to work alongside the students, graduates and staff at LCF,” said Pentland spokeswoman Katie Greenyer. “The infectious enthusiasm for design makes the university a wonderful place for me to visit and be inspired. Working with graduates is always a mutually beneficial experience: it is not just about supporting young talent and offering placements but also for us to learn from them.”

In addition to lecturing students at LCF, Pentland has also invited a number of students from the BA Cordwainers Footwear and BA Fashion Sportswear programmes to visit their headquarter. During the day, numerous Pentland employees took the time to talk to the students and offer them advice. Amongst them were Paul Bodill, Design Manager for Lacoste, and Ted Baker Footwear Senior Designer Rachel Kelly.

BA Footwear student Victoria Andre afterwards said the trip was “enlightening”, as it gave them insight into the workings of high-street brands. Furthermore, it gave her an idea of the types of jobs that companies from the industry offer. Her classmate Flower Perdew also considered the trip to be very useful: “I adored every speaker and felt that they had such a genuine quality about them. I learned a lot from each of them, how to further push the quality of my work.”

Runners-up for the Cordwainers Award were Kurt Geiger and The Dune Group. The prize is awarded as part of the Industry Partner Awards (IPA) from LCF. It is the first time that this award is included in the IPA.