London Sneaker School launches a footwear design platform

London Sneaker School, which has taught more than 200 people the art of shoemaking, is launching a new footwear platform designed to enable creators and communities to bring their ideas to life.

The ‘Kickback’ platform aims to empower anyone to design a shoe, launch it and sell it, as the educational institution looks to continue its commitment to making sneaker design more accessible and transparent.

Jase Cooper, chief executive of Kickback, said in a statement: “As AI accelerates design, development, and production at an unprecedented rate, it’s more important than ever that we build systems that foster fashion companies born out of creativity and culture.

“The tools are already there for a radical alternative approach, and Kickback will connect the dots.”

Kickback introduces a new model of footwear creation where early adopters become “Kickbackers,” explains the London Sneaker School. By backing a shoe, supporters earn Kickbacks, such as lifetime rewards that include financial Kickbacks, early access to drops, and a voice in shaping the evolution of products.

“Instead of passively consuming, Kickbackers become active stakeholders in the success of the shoes they help bring to life,” added the platform.

New footwear platform launched to democratise footwear design and production

During its Alpha stage, Kickback will partner with established creators and communities to explore “what brand ownership looks like when it truly belongs to the culture”. These collaborations will test new modes of collective design, storytelling, and shared brand success, while also challenging traditional industry structures with a model built on co-creation and distributed ownership.

This includes the launch of Kickback’s debut release, SKL, a footwear collection born out of the London Sneaker School, which has been engineered as both a product and a teaching tool to teach the craft of shoemaking. Each silhouette represents a classic construction, stripped back to its core elements and made open-source, with the patterns available to download, remix, and make, “allowing anyone to learn and create”.

Kickback adds that the first collection sets the tone of vision, as it looks to “democratise footwear design and production, and to connect culture directly with ownership”.

To celebrate its launch, Kickback and London Sneaker School will host a series of events during London Fashion Week, sponsored by Base, the blockchain platform from Coinbase, and Monster Energy, which will include a panel talk on decentralising fashion, dye workshops, and a launch party for the debut footwear collection.