AMM to Add Footwear Minor

It’s gotta be da shoes, as Mars Blackmon used to say in the old Nike commercials.

The Department of Apparel Merchandising and Management is expanding its academic offerings by offering a new minor in footwear design and merchandising.

The minor, which will be offered starting this fall, will provide students a strong technical foundation in product design, product development, and manufacturing, exposing them to new technologies such as 3D scanning and printing.

Jill Mazur, a footwear apparel industry consultant and Apparel Merchandising and Management industry advisory board member, was the catalyst behind the minor.

“In speaking with many of my footwear clients, the big thing I hear from them is how difficult it is to find entry-level employees with knowledge of footwear,” Mazur said. “Footwear companies aren't necessarily looking for footwear designers, they're looking for people who can understand materials, product development, construction and more.”

Cal Poly Pomona’s Department of Apparel Merchandising and Management already had the foundational building blocks for a footwear program, making it the perfect opportunity to establish the new minor with the addition of specialized footwear courses, she said.

It took about two years of planning to create the minor, which is intended for students seeking careers in the footwear and accessories sector.

Students in the minor must take at least 24 units, including courses introducing them to the fashion industry, digital illustration, footwear and accessories materials, footwear design and manufacturing, marketing, retailing, digital commerce, and supply chain management.

Assistant Professor Helen Trejo will teach the first course this fall, Footwear & Accessories Materials lecture and lab.