Shoe Design Process : The Modern Check

Feels like designing for Spring/Summer 2020 came and went so quickly. Last July, I designed a collection for Cupcakes and Cashmere. It was the last collection I designed but frankly my favorite. I felt it was creative, and playful. 

One of the inspirations for the collection was Checkerboard print. I was inspired by Paloma Wool’s fall collection which was filled with checkerboard print pants, skirts, and shirts. What I loved about this group were the strong bold colors. It had a fresh feeling than the traditional gingham we all have seen. 

Here is the inspiration board I created for the Cupcakes and Cashmere Spring 2020 collection. 

The inspiration from the shoes came from rusching and twisted textiles. I liked the feeling of folding the checker print. I thought it would add volume to the print. Here are some thumbnail sketches I did on my iPad. We explored different constructions and picked the patterns and construction we felt strong about.

After showing these to the client, the client loved the designs, and the checkerboard print idea. Instead of the bold colors, she opted to picking colors that fit her brand, which included more light tan, forest green, black and mustard. The result, came out great! Here are a few proto photos. 

I hope you enjoyed my process.  I will show more, and may even show you tech packs and spec sheets if you want to see them? Let me know in the comments.