Forecasting, design, technology, and business are the four pillars that make SLEM an exceptional school for footwear innovation. Founded just four years ago by renowned trend-forecaster Nicoline van Enter, the name SLEM stands for Shoes, Leather, Education, and Museum. The international school is based in the southern village of Waalwijk, Netherlands, with additional branches in New York, China, and Italy, where students have the opportunity to travel and study.
At SLEM, a small class of graduate students works closely with master craftsman, trend experts, and creative visionaries to explore innovation in footwear. The mindset shared between students, professors, and guests of SLEM is that shoes can be, and are, more than just fashion statements. As a bridge between the fashion industry and industrial design, shoe design encompasses the technological innovation, material sustainability, and expanding biophysical boundaries of the modern day. 3D printing directly on textiles with flexible filament, growing leather alternatives in a BioLab, and rendering custom shoe soles are just a few examples of the intensive experimentation sought at SLEM.
