RMIT: Anuko Fashion the perfect fit for custom footwear graduates
The RMIT connection runs deep at Anuko Fashion.
The custom-designed footwear company based in Abbotsford owns popular Australian female footwear brands Nude Footwear, Skin Footwear and A:LIST Footwear.
It’s also home to a number of RMIT alumni from the Certificate IV in Custom-Made Footwear, the only dedicated footwear design course in the southern hemisphere.
Ashlea Grisold (Head of Creative), Kirsten Anderton (Designer and Product Developer) and Sonja Jovanovska (Design Intern) all graduated from the Cert IV and are working for the label.
The 12-month program focuses on design, pattern making, manufacturing, CAD and technical drawings.
Anderton graduated from the Certificate IV in 2018, before launching into an internship with Anuko Fashion.
Now a footwear product designer and developer, Anderton said the practical experience from the course, along with support from the teaching staff, set her up for her career.
“The course gave me the hands-on and technical experience, as well as skills in footwear design and technical specification packaging,” Anderton said.
“No two days were the same and I always felt supported and welcomed by my teacher, Andrew Robinson, and our tight-knit cohort.
“It gave me the confidence to produce footwear that is not only on-trend and commercially viable, but also functional and allows the wearer to go about their day comfortably and confidently.”
Grisold is head of creative at Anuko and studied at RMIT between 2009 and 2011 under the tutelage of Robinson.
In 2018, Anuko Fashion started their own in-house label ‘A:LIST’ – a vegan-friendly, ethically-made footwear brand.
The brand was the brainchild of Grisold, who said making sustainable fashion affordable was always her biggest dream.
“There are so many brands out there doing amazing things in the sustainability front, but these are not always accessible to the everyday consumer,” she said.
“A:LIST Footwear products are developed to remain on trend for seasons to come, in the finest vegan friendly materials we can get our hands on.
“Giving you that statement heel or standout boot doesn’t have to hurt the planet.”
Jovanovska started interning at the company in May this year, working on material swatches, marketing, sorting, trend forecasting and general tasks around the office.
She said working with fellow RMIT alumni was particularly special.
“I’m so grateful for the position – I’ve learnt a lot and it’s great to work with Ashlea [Grisold] and Kristen [Anderton] who studied the same course as me,” she said.