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Taking a course in Footwear design from some of the top design universities in India often provides candidates with Footwear design career opportunities in India that can ensure a sustainable career. Candidates can check out some of the top footwear design colleges in India to improve their chances of finding the best Footwear industry recruiters in India. Based on the Footwear design career scope, candidates who have completed a B.Des or M.Des in a Footwear Design course can look forward to working with several top recruiters in footwear design, as is listed in the article below.
The list of top footwear design recruiters mentioned below includes the names of companies, the potential salary that they can earn while in the workforce, as well as the numerous roles that they can take up at the organization. Read the article below to learn more.
Candidates need to know that the recruiters for Footwear Design in India will look for individuals who can work alongside other departments like Product Development, Merchandising / Product Planning, Product Design, Quality Control, and more.
Candidates who get into footwear design can expect to receive roles such as Fashion footwear designer, Sports or Performance footwear designer, or Orthopaedic footwear designer. The key responsibilities are usually in Concept & Design Development, Materials & Technical Specification, Prototyping & Sampling, among others.
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Bata India is one of the country’s largest and oldest footwear brands, known for its extensive retail network and wide product range. The company produces school shoes, formals, casuals, and lifestyle sneakers under multiple sub-brands like Hush Puppies, North Star among others. Its footwear design models focus on comfort, durability, and everyday wear, catering to all age groups. Bata frequently updates designs to match modern lifestyle and fashion needs.
Job Roles:
Footwear Designer
Pattern Maker
Footwear Designer – Retail / Casual / Mass-market
Expected Salary:
Rs. 5-6 LPA (Entry/Mid-level)
Rs. 12.6 LPA for Senior Footwear Designers
Relaxo is a leading mass-market footwear manufacturer, well known for economical, high-volume products under brands like Sparx, Flite, and Bahamas. Their design models emphasize affordability, comfort, and practicality, making them popular across semi-urban and rural markets. They offer casual shoes, sports-inspired footwear, sandals, and slippers with simple, functional styling. Relaxo focuses on ease of use and everyday utility.
Job Roles:
Footwear Designer (casual / budget / mass-market footwear)
Product / Design Development roles
Expected Roles:
Between Rs. 1.5 LPA - Rs. 6 LPA (Entry to Mid-level)
Rs. 12.5 LPA for Senior Designers
Liberty Shoes is a major Indian footwear brand offering formal, casual, sports, and lifestyle footwear for men, women, and children. Their design philosophy blends comfort with accessible fashion, supported by strong manufacturing capacity. Liberty releases frequent style updates across various categories, including leather formals and athleisure models. The brand caters to both domestic and international markets.
Job Roles:
Footwear Designer
Leather Footwear Designer
Technical Designer
Product Developer
Expected Salary: Average Range from Rs. 2.4 to Rs. 5 LPA
Paragon is a long-established footwear manufacturer known for durable and affordable rubber, EVA, PU, and PVC footwear. Initially popular for Hawai slippers, the brand now also designs casual shoes and sandals for all age groups. Their design models prioritize long-lasting materials, simple styling, and mass-market appeal. Paragon maintains high-volume production while regularly refreshing collections.
Job Roles:
Design Merchandiser
Senior Designer
Retail Sales & Operations Manager
Expected Salary: Average Salary from Rs. 3.5 LPA to Rs. 6 LPA
Metro Brands operates retail chains like Metro, Mochi, and Walkway, focusing on fashion-forward and lifestyle-oriented footwear. They offer trend-driven designs across formals, ethnic wear, casual shoes, and statement styles. Their footwear models are frequently updated to follow urban fashion trends and seasonal aesthetics. Metro caters largely to mid-market and premium consumers seeking stylish options.
Job Roles:
Footwear Designer (casual / fashion / mid-market)
Product Development
Design & Merchandising
Expected Salary: Average salary Rs. 4.3 LPA to Rs. 6 LPA
Mirza International specializes in leather footwear manufacturing and exports, with a strong presence in premium formal and lifestyle categories. Their designs emphasize craftsmanship, high-quality leather, and refined styling suited to global markets. The company offers a mix of classic formals, boots, and semi-casual leather shoes. It is an ideal environment for designers interested in leather-based and export-quality footwear.
Job Roles:
Footwear Designer (mass-market / manufacturing-oriented)
Technical Designer
Product Developer
Expected Salary: Average Rs. 3 LPA to Rs. 5.9 LPA
Walkaroo focuses mainly on affordable and youthful casual footwear, especially in the slippers, sandals, and comfort-wear categories. Their products often feature EVA, PU, and lightweight materials catering to wide consumer segments. Walkaroo’s design models emphasize comfort, color variety, and modern casual aesthetics. They are known for rapid style updates suited to everyday wear.
Job Roles:
Manual Designer
Merchandiser
Creative Designer
PVC (North) Professional
Expected Salary: Average Rs. 4 LPA - Rs. 4.7 LPA
Leiner Shoes is a fashion-focused footwear manufacturer specializing in women’s categories such as heels, sandals, boots, and wedges. Their designs blend Indian styles with international fashion sensibilities through collaborations with designers from India and Europe. The company emphasizes stylish silhouettes, contemporary materials, and export-level finishing. It is well suited for designers interested in women’s fashion footwear.
Job Roles:
Retail Merchandiser
Merchandiser
Footwear Designer
Footwear Planning Executive
Expected Salary:
Average: Rs. 5.4 LPA to Rs. 6.9 LPA
Rs. 18 to Rs. 20.7 LPA for Senior Footwear Designers
Purple United Sales Limited is a lesser-known footwear manufacturer with limited public information but is understood to operate in budget and mid-range categories. Their design models typically focus on mass-market styles such as sandals, slippers, and casual footwear. The emphasis is likely on affordability, simple construction, and high-volume production. They cater primarily to cost-sensitive consumer groups.
Job Roles:
Fashion Designer
Senior Designer
Senior Merchandiser
Area Sales Manager and Sales Executive
Expected Salary: Average: Rs. 2.6 LPA - Rs. 4.2 LPA
Woodland is known for rugged, outdoor, and adventure footwear, especially boots and trek-friendly models. Their design focus revolves around durability, heavy-duty materials, and outdoor-performance styling. The brand offers robust shoes, sandals, and lifestyle outdoor wear that appeal to adventure-oriented users. Woodland’s footwear models often feature thicker soles, strong leather, and technical design elements.
Job Roles:
Visual Merchandiser
Sr. Graphic Designer
Expected Salary: Average: Rs. 2 LPA to Rs. 5.8 LPA
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Footwear design careers in India involve various roles such as Footwear Designer, Developer, Merchandiser, and Production Manager, with opportunities in fashion brands, manufacturers, and retail companies.
Freelance footwear designers in India can set up their profile on platforms like Upwork, LinkedIn, Creativepool and Behance to create a network for design assignments.
The starting salary range for a footwear designer in India in a reputable firm can be between Rs. 3,00,000 to Rs. 5,00,000 per annum.
Designers can work with brands like Adidas, Nike or Reebok that are multi-national or Indian organisations like Bata, Liberty, Woodland etc. Reliance Retail and Metro Brands are actively hiring for footwear design roles as well.
Some footwear design and manufacturing companies in Hyderabad include Leela Leather, Anand Leathers, Mdr Industries Pvt Ltd, and Hy Trendz. While some are listed as manufacturers or leather works, they often provide design services as well.
On Question asked by student community
Hello,
Getting admission in IITs or NID for BDes depends on a few things: your entrance exam score, portfolio, and sometimes your interview performance.
IITs (for BDes) : Admission is mainly through UCEED . You need a good rank in UCEED to get in.
NID : Admission is through NID DAT (Design Aptitude Test) . Your portfolio and DAT score matter a lot.
If your preparation and scores are strong, you have a chance. You can check previous years’ cut-offs to see where you stand.
Hope it helps !
Here are top BDes (Fashion Design) colleges in Bangalore:
National Institute of Fashion Technology , Bangalore – Top choice
JD Institute of Fashion Technology
Vogue Institute of Art and Design
IIFA Multimedia
Army Institute of Fashion and Design
Taking a second drop is not an issue if you clear the required entrance exams or meet the eligibility criteria.
FLAME University Pune is a good option for B.Des if you’re looking for a creative and interdisciplinary learning environment . The university offers a well-structured design program combined with liberal arts, allowing students to explore multiple interests It has a beautiful and modern campus with strong academic support and personalized attention due to smaller batch sizes. However, it is more know liberal arts and business programs, so if you want a purely design-focused education, you might also consider institutes like MIT-WPU or Shiv Nadar University. Overall, FLAME is suitable for students who want a broad, flexible design education and can afford the higher fees.
CUET qualifies BDes Fashion Designing students.
The basis for admission is the CUET score.
yes, Indeed, CUET qualifies BDes Fashion Designing students.
Admission CUET score is very important.
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