Cordwainers College was founded in 1887 and became part of London College of Fashion in 2000. This gives our Footwear and Accessories courses an unrivalled global reputation, but also allows students access to the extensive Cordwainers archive and invaluable support of the Cordwainers Advisory Board.
History
Cordwainers at London College of Fashion, UAL, originated as an independent Trade School. Founded in Bethnal Green in 1887, it was a joint project between the Worshipful Companies of Corwainers and Leathersellers, the City and Guilds of London Institute and the Boot and Shoe Manufacturers’ Association. It became Cordwainers Technical College in 1913 and in 2000 it merged with London College of Fashion, moving from Mare Street to Golden Lane.
Tap to explore
Leather stock room at Golden Lane, London College of Fashion
MA Footwear (November 2015) by LCFLondon College of Fashion
Discover MA Footwear at LCF
Dai Rees, Creative Director of Postgraduate Communities and former Course Director of MA Fashion Artefact.
Concept
Concepts take shape and craft becomes the mechanism to turn design into reality.
Henriette Sveen, MA Fashion Artefact 2016
Material
From cement to silk, leather to latex made from coffee grounds, Cordwainers shoes and accessories students blend old and new to innovative ends.
BA16 lookbook Zaiga Brutane, Tsun Cheung, Caroline Klemp and Joseph Mangan, LCF BA16 (2016) by Zaiga Brutane/Joseph Mangan/Tsun Cheung Lai/Caroline Klemp/LCFLondon College of Fashion
Caroline Kemp
"The shoes are cement construction with an EVA platform buildup. Our shoes are the pedestals upon which we stand and therefore ought to be the most amazing foundation possible."
Find out about Caroline Kemp's graduate collection on LCF News
BA16 lookbook Min Heo, LCF BA16 Cordwainers (2016) by Min Heo/LCFLondon College of Fashion
Min Heo
"The upper is made out of soft materials such as sheepskin and fabric. The designs involve a lot of quilting, and details such as lacing and taping, inspired by Korean traditional craft and modern lingerie. For the heels and platforms, I used 3D printed nylon and highly compressed paper blocks cut by CNC milling."
Find out about Min Heo's graduate collection on LCF News
Process
"I’m trying to figure out how to make footwear sustainable while still using everyday materials. I have a coffee every morning to start my day, and the project I’m working on focuses on latex. I incorporated this into my work and have been using coffee latex, with saw dust and a removable insole." - Mfundo Mahlanghu
BA (Hons) Cordwainers Footwear: Product Design and Development, 2016 (2016) by LCFLondon College of Fashion
Jessie White, MA Fashion Artefact 2016
The finished product...
Discover some of the innovative and beautifully crafted footwear and accessories made by London College of Fashion students from across BA Cordwainers and MA Fashion Artefact.
LCF BA14 Design Exhibition, June 2014 at Factory 7, Shoreditch Cordwainers Footwear, BA14 LCF (2014) by LCFLondon College of Fashion
LCF BA14 Design Exhibition, June 2014 at Factory 7, Shoreditch Carl Blanche, BA14 Cordwainers Footwear, LCF (2014) by Carl Blanche/LCFLondon College of Fashion
LCF BA14 Design Exhibition, June 2014 at Factory 7, Shoreditch Jasmine Ellis, BA14 Cordwainers Footwear, LCF (2014) by Jasmine Ellis/LCFLondon College of Fashion
LCF BA14 Design Exhibition, June 2014 at Factory 7, Shoreditch BA14 Cordwainers Footwear, LCF (2014) by LCFLondon College of Fashion
LCF BA14 Design Exhibition, June 2014 at Factory 7, Shoreditch School of Design and Technology, BA14 LCF (2014) by LCFLondon College of Fashion
LCF BA14 Design Exhibition, June 2014 at Factory 7, Shoreditch HeeSue Seo, BA14 Cordwainers Footwear, LCF (2014) by HeeSue Seo/LCFLondon College of Fashion
LCF BA14 Design Exhibition, June 2014 at Factory 7, Shoreditch Yena Ahn, BA14 Cordwainers Footwear, LCF (2014) by Yena Ahn/LCFLondon College of Fashion
LCF BA14 Design Exhibition, June 2014 at Factory 7, Shoreditch Sofie Birkin, BA14 Cordwainers Footwear, LCF (2014) by Sophie Birkin/LCFLondon College of Fashion
BA16 lookbook Minhee Jung, LCF BA16 Cordwainers (2016) by Minhee Jung/LCFLondon College of Fashion
BA16 lookbook Minhee Jung, LCF BA16 Cordwainers (2016) by Minhee Jung/LCFLondon College of Fashion
LCF BA14 Design Exhibition, June 2014 at Factory 7, Shoreditch Eunsun Park, BA14 Cordwainers Fashion Bags and Accessories, LCF (2014) by Eunsun Park/LCFLondon College of Fashion
Alumni
Cordwainers at London College of Fashion, UAL, has produced world class footwear and accessories designers including Sophia Webster, Camilla Elphick, Una Burke and Dorateymur.
Camilla Elphick (2015) by Camilla ElphickLondon College of Fashion
Camilla Elphick's Pez shoe shot her to fame in 2013 and was featured in LCF's College Shop initiative. Camilla was a student on BA (Hons) Cordwainers Footwear: Product Design and Innovation and upon graduating went onto set up her own label.
Una Birke by Brian GallagherLondon College of Fashion
Una Burke studied MA Fashion Artefact at LCF, and went on to create leatherwear sported by celebritites and used in films.
Find out more about Una.
Una Birke by Brian GallagherLondon College of Fashion
"There have been so many highlights in the various areas of the business, from my WGSN Global Fashion Awards nomination to selection for the ITS#8 Competition, to making costumes for Lady Gaga’s world tour, Taylor Swift’s Bad Blood music video and for The Hunger Games movies."
Una Burke, Alumna - MA Fashion Artefact
BA (Hons) Cordwainers Fashion Bags and Accessories: Product Design and Innovation
BA (Hons) Cordwainers Footwear: Product Design and Innovation
