Sole Design Academy

Welcome to the only sole design education channel in the world!

I am Defne Yalkut,  technical footwear designer, sole expert, and founder of Sole Design Academy. I spent 12 years at Vibram, the world's leading sole brand, learning sole design the hard way. In 2015 I started teaching it at IED Milano. In 2020 I built the online school  I wish had existed when I started.

Sole design is the part of footwear nobody teaches. I am changing that!
I cover:
— Technical sole design: materials, moulding, manufacturing
— Outdoor and athletic segments sole analyses
— Sketching sessions: how to design a sole from a blank page
— Techpack making, lug design
— Live student feedback: real projects, real corrections, real learning

Based in Milan. Teaching the world.
👉 Explore the Sole Design Academy: www.soledesignacademy.com