Pensole Explained

Pensole Footwear Design Academy
Established:2010
Type:Private
Head:D'Wayne Edwards
City:Portland
State:Oregon
Country:United States
Campus:Urban
Coor:45.5234°N -122.6751°W

Pensole Footwear Design Academy is a footwear design school based in Portland, Oregon.[1] Founded in 2010 by D’Wayne Edwards, the school has partnerships with institutions such as Parsons The New School for Design, Art Center College of Design, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as brands such as Foot Locker, Asics, and Adidas.[2] [3] [4] Founder Edwards is a former design director of Brand Jordan, a subsidiary of Oregon based Nike.[5] The school has also worked with Adidas, whose North American headquarters are in Portland,[6] and also hold a design competition called the Future of Footwear.[7]

History

Pensole was founded in 2010 and started by holding classes at a variety of venues, including the University of Oregon's Portland Center.[2] [8] The founder of the academy, D’Wayne Edwards, started in the industry without any formal training and worked for LA Gear, Skechers, and Sity before spending ten years at Nike with the Jordan Brand.[9] [10] Pensole began as a program partnered with the University of Oregon.[11] The school moved to Portland's Old Town neighborhood in the Northwest area in January 2012.[12] [13] In 2013, Pensole started classes for professionals in the shoe industry.[14] Pensole held a World Sneaker Championship in 2014.[15] The associated foundation began selling shares in the school in 2014 in an effort to raise up to $7.5 million for the school.[16] Pensole raised $4 million through a partnership with Rooy Inc. in 2015.[17]

Academics

The school offers introductory classes to college and high school students held on Saturdays.[18] Pensole also has classes for those in the design profession and middle school students.[14] [19] Students come from throughout the country, and also include some students from other countries such as Denmark and Israel.[20] Pensole also has a materials library (MLab) and has a class specifically for materials, colors, and finishing.[11]

In addition to the usual 11-week courses, there are also week-long courses held during spring break,[21] and other short-term courses.[22] The 11-week courses are equivalent to a full college semester.[11] Some programs also allow students to earn credit toward degrees in other colleges.[23] Instructors include people from Nike and other Oregon-based footwear companies.[18] Pensole is located at 10 Northwest Fifth Avenue along Burnside in the Old Town neighborhood.[18] Classes are also held in other cities, such as Las Vegas.[24] The school has partnered with Parsons The New School for Design to hold classes in New York City, with the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and with Massachusetts Institute of Technology for classes in Boston.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Segran . Elizabeth . Introducing The World's First Sneaker Design Academy . . September 8, 2016 . November 2, 2016.
  2. News: Kish. Matthew. The big vision for D'Wayne Edwards' Pensole (It's bigger than you thought). 15 February 2014. Portland Business Journal. February 14, 2014.
  3. News: Kish. Matthew. Pensole, MIT ramp up minorities in footwear focus. 15 February 2014. Portland Business Journal. July 26, 2013.
  4. Davis, Noah. "D’Wayne Edwards Is Teaching the Next Generation of Sneaker Designers." Racked. 06 February 2017.
  5. News: Siemers. Erik. Pensole footwear design class shows off the intentionally unorthodox. 15 February 2014. Portland Business Journal. May 10, 2012.
  6. News: Siemers. Erik. Adidas, Pensole partner on Portland footwear design program. 15 February 2014. Portland Business Journal. April 13, 2012.
  7. News: Siemers. Erik. Pensole's 'Future of Footwear' competition puts school on national stage. 15 February 2014. Portland Business Journal. July 2, 2012.
  8. News: Brettman. Allan. Veteran Nike/Jordan brand designer D'Wayne Edwards launches footwear design school. 17 February 2014. The Oregonian. August 19, 2011.
  9. Web site: Williams . Trey . Website lets sneakerheads design their own shoes . . March 10, 2015 . November 2, 2016.
  10. Williams. Brennan Hiro. Pensole Footwear Design Academy to Open in Downtown Portland . 20 February 2014. Sole Collector. Complex Media Inc.. January 26, 2012.
  11. Swantko. Kathlyn. The Pensole Footwear Design Academy. Textile Insight. January–February 2013. 35. 20 February 2014.
  12. News: Siemers. Erik. Pensole lands in Old Town. 15 February 2014. Portland Business Journal. December 23, 2011.
  13. News: Siemers. Erik. Pensole to open its footwear design showcase to the public Friday. 15 February 2014. Portland Business Journal. July 27, 2012.
  14. News: Siemers. Erik. Pensole launches footwear design courses for the pros. 15 February 2014. Portland Business Journal. January 29, 2013.
  15. News: Williams. Jared. Pensole's "World Sneaker Championship" Is Coming to NYC. 17 February 2014. Complex Sneakers. February 11, 2014.
  16. News: Kish. Matthew. Portland's shoe design academy readies expansion, seeks $7.5 million. 16 September 2014. Portland Business Journal. September 10, 2014.
  17. News: Kish. Matthew. Pensole teams with Rooy on $4 million investment round. 3 March 2015. Portland Business Journal. March 2, 2015.
  18. News: Brettman. Allan. Former Nike and Jordan Brand designer readies footwear design school. 17 February 2014. The Oregonian. January 20, 2012.
  19. News: Brettman. Allan. Younger-than-usual students venture to Pensole Footwear Design Academy. 17 February 2014. The Oregonian. June 20, 2013.
  20. Web site: Presenting PENSOLE's 'Future of Footwear' Master Class Scholarship Winners. Core77. 20 February 2014. core jr. June 26, 2013.
  21. News: Brettman. Allan. Pensole, the Portland footwear design school, offering 2 classes for Oregon students. 17 February 2014. The Oregonian. February 13, 2014.
  22. News: Brettman. Allan. Adidas, Portland footwear design school Pensole to offer class. 17 February 2014. The Oregonian. April 13, 2012.
  23. Keyser, Amber. Sneaker Century: A History of Athletic Shoes. Minneapolis: Twenty-First Century Books, 2015. Print. p.56
  24. News: Gokcen. Senay. Pensole Launches Special Footwear Master Class and Competition for Las Vegas Design Students. 20 February 2014. Dexigner. December 20, 2013.

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