HS Accessories Design Course Descriptions

Are you passionate about bags? Belts? What about shoes? Learn about styling, design, product development, leather, accessories, and patternmaking careers—the hottest markets in the fashion industry.

Please note: Not all courses are offered each semester


HLD 030 Intro to Handbags and Small Leather Accessories Design 
This course introduces the you to the FIT Accessories Design program. 
You will learn basic patternmaking skills and industrial machine  sewing skills for handbags and small leather accessories. Become familiar with  professional materials used in the accessories industry and  utilize professional hand tools used for finishing and decorative  ornamentation. You will also discover industry resources used for color  and accessories trend forecasting. D esign and create a tote bag and several small leather accessories throughout your experience.  

HLD 031 Sneaker and Performance Footwear Design
What is the difference between sneakers and trainers? This class will walk you through the differences as you learn professional guidelines in developing sketches for your own footwear design. Learn the language of footwear and how to combine looks and performance, or evolve your fashion sneaker designs. You will also learn basic sketching and presentation techniques required for your portfolio. Whether you're a collector, an athlete, or both, this course will walk you through influences and trends in footwear design specific to this ever-growing market.   

HLD 037 Introduction to Footwear: Design and Construction Basics
Is footwear design a career for you? Explore footwear design and fabrication while you develop your own prototype. You will learn about different shoe styles, materials, and shoe components as you create your design on both flat paper and dimensional pattern pieces. You will then modify your prototypes to construct your own original shoes utilizing leather and basic stitching techniques. Gallery 

HLD 101  Accessories Design: Designing Sneakers
Performance footwear is one of the most exciting areas of accessories design. Learn how to design sneakers using professional guidelines for your own unique concepts. Explore the multifaceted opportunities in the footwear industry. (You can skip this summer class if you've already taken HLD 031)

HLD 102 Accessories Design: Basic Footwear Construction
Make your own shoes! Explore footwear fabrication tools while utilizing professional techniques to create a pair of shoes from pattern to completion. Choose your shoe material and customize and embellish as time permits. Note: The projects and class schedule may be adjusted to reflect the abilities and pace of the students in the course.  (You can skip this summer class if you've already taken HLD 037)