Footwearology is made by The Footwearists
Real innovation can only come from collaboration! We are not an average education institute; we are a network of professionals - from inside and outside the footwear industry - that are aiming to create and embrace a better future, both for footwear and through footwear.
Below you find our core team. Each member has their own business or employment, but also works for The Footwearists as a teacher, researcher or consultant. Because of this we are ultra flexible and can assemble the best team for any innovation project or course, wherever you need us to be.
Do you feel you have something to contribute? Would you like to teach a course or do you have another idea? Then contact us! We are always open to ideas, as long as they center around meaningful innovation.
our core network
Meet The Footwearists
Nicoline van Enter
Role: founder of The Footwearists, spider in the web
Experience: world-renowned footwear fashion and technology forecaster, lecturer, super networker, specialist in new (local) manufacturing (bio)technologies
Passion: accelerating innovations that bring serious improvements, Asian food, art by The London Police, raising foster kids
Place: wherever you like. Now: 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
Lorenzo Masini
Role: Rhino and Grasshopper expert
Experience: lecturer in digitization, 3D product and interior design, master in advanced robotics, politically engaged rapper for Cronofillers
Passion: learning Python, combining craft and high-tech to revive production in Italy, especially for ceramics
Place: Florence, Italy
Jordi Montaner
Role: senior consultant, specialized in knitting
Experience: head of innovation for K-tech in China, currently owner of Kinno Design, a consulting firm specialized in knitting
Passion: professional dancer, motorcycling, virtual reality, traveling
Place: wherever you like. Now: Barcelona, Spain
Andy Polk
Role: senior advisor
Experience: Senior Policy Advisor for the US House of Representatives, currently Senior Vice President at FDRA (Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America) and Board Member of Material Exchange
Passion: spreading the word on footwear innovation, both to companies as well as government, traveling, especially to France for some good wine
Place: Washington, Washington D.C., USA
Ridhwana Schaik
Role: research assistant for The Footwearists
Experience: previously owner of Save Our Soles Footwear, studied footwear design and innovation at SLEM and Pensole, currently independent sustainability consultant with my own company Ray of Green.
Passion: setting up footwear education on the African continent, stimulating local manufacturing
Place: Johannesburg, South-Africa
Eva Klabalova
Role: senior consultant, instructor for pattern making
Experience: grew up in footwear factories in Zlín, studied footwear in Czech Republic, Israel, The Netherlands, Italy and China, currently owner of KAVE footwear, a brand that makes new sneakers using only existing (waste) materials and tooling
Passion: reviving local manufacturing, not producing any waste, traveling off the beaten path and drinking Becherovka
Place: Zlín, Czech Republic
Troy Nachtigall
Role: senior consultant on new digital technologies and generative design
Experience: designing apparel, footwear and wearable technologies for several brands, from Apple to Fendi, instructor and lecturer at universities around the world, currently professor of Fashion Research and Technology at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
Passion: materializing data in ultra personalized products, automating stuff, good food and wine
Place: Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Yassine Salihine
Role: senior consultant
Experience: deep thinker that is always able to see things from all angles, including the ones you do not expect, consulting for footwear and car companies around the world, lecturer in critical thinking and design research, currently tutor Critical Design and Avans University of Applied Sciences
Passion: rethinking how the world should work in the future, spoken word artist
Place: Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Juraj Suska
Role: instructor Digital Footwear Design in Blender
Experience: 3D footwear designer and lecturer for Tomas Bata Academy in Zlín, senior design engineer for Honeywell Safety and Productivity Solutions
Passion: making design easier and more fun using digital tools, running ultra marathons
Place: Czech Republic
Kostika Spaho
Role: senior consultant digital technologies and 3D printing
Experience: Digital Transformation Lead for KEEN, co-founder and owner of Ica and Kostika, independent consultant for digital transformation in design
Passion: living as a digital nomad in Middle America, 3D printing shoes and other designs that nobody thought possible, creating TikToks from the future
Place: Playa del Carmen, Mexico (soon)
Philippe Holthuizen
Role: instructor and senior consultant in 3D printing
Experience: 3D designer for footwear and industrial design in China (United Nude) and Singapore, currently head honcho at Fused Footwear, the only fully 3D printed sneaker brand
Passion: traveling with my factory in my suitcase, having one really good meal per day
Place: Hong Kong
Aniela Hoitink
Role: senior consultant biotechnology
Experience: designer menswear for large commercial apparel brands, then shifted to drastically innovate clothing by making it custom, seamless and in 3D using mycelium and other compostable biomaterials for my company Mycotex
Passion: recreating the entire fashion supply chain in such a way that local manufacturing becomes competitive, yoga, learning Arabic
Place: Soest, The Netherlands
Kathleen Grevers
Role: connecting The Footwearists with international universities and non-profits
Experience: adjunct professor for Rhode Island School of Design, responsible for domestic and international competitions and organizing many international educational excursions and experiences, currently Director of Education for Fashion Revolution USA and founder of Seemore Global, organizing international educational programs
Passion: providing access to fashion and design education for everyone, including people from developing countries, running, yoga and cars
Place: Milford, Massachusetts, USA
Footwearology is the only academy for footwear professionals. We enable you to gain the knowledge that will get you, and the companies you work for, ready to create and embrace a better future. All our courses take place online and/or in our LAB in Barcelona, Spain.
Besides teaching, we do research and consulting, focusing on redesigning the entire footwear supply chain by directly connecting technology suppliers, creatives and social media platforms.
Besides teaching, we do research and consulting, focusing on redesigning the entire footwear supply chain by directly connecting technology suppliers, creatives and social media platforms.
