When it comes to the world of sports clothing, there is no bigger name on Earth than Nike, and one De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) student has landed himself a placement that ticks all the boxes for helping him on his way to becoming a designer of sneakers.
Andrew Gibson, a Footwear Design student, is spending the third year of his studies on a six-month placement as a designer for Nike at their European hub in Hilversum, the Netherlands.
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The placement is a fantastic opportunity for Andrew, who is a self-confessed sneaker enthusiast, to put into practice all the skills he has learnt from his studies at one of the biggest brands in the world.
Andrew is the first DMU student to benefit from a newly-formed relationship with Nike after Footwear Design course leader, Kevin Guildford, forged a deal for Nike to provide work placement opportunities to DMU students.
Following Kevin’s visit, Andrew and two other students were invited for an interview with Nike before Andrew discovered he had been selected to undertake the placement of a lifetime.
He said: “The opportunity to get the chance to work at Nike is amazing, I am all about sneakers and to work here is just a dream come true. To be able to learn the Nike way at this point in my career is incredible, and it will hopefully set me up for a great and successful career.
“I think the Footwear Design course has already helped me to prepare for the future, by firstly getting me this amazing opportunity to work for the biggest sneaker company in the world but also by giving me a taster of what the real world of footwear design is all about.
“I am working on lots of different things here like developing new colourways, deciding on materials and generating packs for specific stores.”
Kevin Guildford added: “We’ve had connections with Nike for a number of years now but I felt it was the right time to get something more concrete in place.
“Andrew’s very happy, he feels he’s benefitting from working there and Nike are delighted with what he’s producing. They’ve been very professional and generally brilliant partners to work with.
“This sort of opportunity is massively impressive, applicants who come to open days see what we produce here but they obviously have their own aspirations so to see we’re associated with companies like Nike, an iconic name, shows that they too could be involved in things like this if they choose to come here.”
For Andrew, working with Nike is just his latest accomplishment. He has already created his own clothing brand, Biggi, and designed and made a shoe for Vice-Chancellor Professor Dominic Shellard based on his beloved Queens Park Rangers FC.
As well as Andrew’s QPR shoe, Professor Shellard took pairs of navy patent and black brogues by fellow Footwear Design students Victoria Thornes and Bethany Charlotte Roberts out to Shanghai to display at the GREAT Festival, a showcase of British talent and creativity.
Posted on Thursday 2 April 2015