Foot Locker and PENSOLE Collaborate to 'Fuel the Future of Footwear' Design

Foot Locker and PENSOLE announce new classes and competitions for aspiring sneaker designers

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Jan 11, 2016, 03:47 ET

Pensole Footwear Design Academy logo

NEW YORK, Jan. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Foot Locker, Inc. (NYSE: FL), the New York-based specialty athletic retailer, in collaboration with PENSOLE Footwear Design Academy, announced that it will continue its comprehensive partnership and education program; committing to foster innovation and creativity in the next generation of footwear designers through 2016.

As a part of its commitment to delivering the freshest most innovative sneakers, Foot Locker will help to grow and develop designers at PENSOLE through two new "Fueling the Future of Footwear" Master Classes and the World Sneaker Championships in 2016. Each program offers winning participants the opportunity to have their designs sold exclusively at Foot Locker stores.

The first "Fueling the Future of Footwear" Master Class of 2016, in partnership with Under Armour, kicks off today and runs through Jan. 29. In the Master Class, participants will be tasked to create a new Under Armour lifestyle sneaker design – from idea to finished concept. PENSOLE founder D'Wayne Edwards will lead the course, guiding students through PENSOLE's "learn by doing" footwear design process.

"We're excited to continue our partnership with PENSOLE Footwear Design Academy to encourage the next generation of sneaker designers and further advance innovation in the sneaker business," said Stacy Cunningham, Executive Vice President of Marketing for Foot Locker. "With this year's new courses, we hope to inspire footwear designers from across the globe to create some of the industry's most innovative sneakers, available exclusively at Foot Locker."

The second course with ASICS America will kick off later this spring. Applications for the ASICS course are available beginning Feb. 15. The winning sneaker from the very first Foot Locker and PENSOLE Master Class in 2015, featuring ASICS, will be sold at select Foot Locker stores later this year.

"PENSOLE is looking forward to another great year of working with Foot Locker to foster the future of footwear designers," said D'Wayne Edwards, PENSOLE founder. "This partnership offers these students the chance of a lifetime and the opportunity to fulfill every designer's dream – to create a new, innovative sneaker and have it sold at Foot Locker."

The World Sneaker Championships, kicking off on Feb. 5, invites designers from across the globe to enter their sneaker design into the bracket-style competition. Sixty-four designs will be selected and voted on by consumers. A panel of judges will select the final design that will be sold at select Foot Locker stores globally, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the PENSOLE Foundation.

For further information, opportunities and more, visit www.footlocker.com/pensole.

About Foot Locker:

Foot Locker is part of Foot Locker, Inc., a specialty athletic retailer that operates approximately 3, 400 stores in 23 countries in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Through its Foot Locker, Footaction, Lady Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports, SIX:02, Runners Point, and Sidestep retail stores, as well as its direct-to-customer channels, including footlocker.com, Eastbay.com and SIX02.com, the Company is a leading provider of athletic footwear and apparel.

About PENSOLE

PENSOLE's "learn by doing" curriculum teaches students the entire footwear design process: inspiration, concept-development, design process, problem solving, materials, business, networking, marketing, and branding. PENSOLE features the most sought after faculty in the footwear world, comprised of both young professional designers and established footwear design leaders from the top brands, with more than 100 years combined experience to guide students in their professional development.

D'Wayne Edwards, a celebrated member of the global footwear community for the last 26 years, founded PENSOLE to give talented young design students—regardless of socioeconomic background—an opportunity to learn from the industry's best, without financial barriers, and to provide the industry with a farm system for the next generation of footwear designers.

Since the first PENSOLE class in 2010, more than 100 Academy graduates have been placed professionally, full-time or as interns, for footwear companies worldwide, including Columbia Sportswear, The North Face, Timberland, Converse, New Balance, Cole Haan, Under Armour, Keen, Stride Rite, adidas, JORDAN, Kenneth Cole, ECCO, Reebok and Nike.

About Under Armour, Inc.

Under Armour (NYSE: UA), the originator of performance footwear, apparel and equipment, revolutionized how athletes across the world dress. Designed to make all athletes better, the brand's innovative products are sold worldwide to athletes at all levels. The Under Armour Connected Fitness™ platform powers the world's largest digital health and fitness community through a suite of applications: UA Record, MapMyFitness, Endomondo and MyFitnessPal. The Under Armour global headquarters is in Baltimore, Maryland. For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.uabiz.com.

SOURCE Foot Locker, Inc.