Wenzhou recently launched the first "Red Boots Award" - China International Footwear Design Competition. It’s reported that this competition will enhance the mechanism of "introducing, cultivating, and selecting talents by holding competitions", accelerating the gathering of a group of excellent design talents at home and abroad, and facilitating the wonderful transformation of Wenzhou shoe industry from "manufacturing capital" to "fashion capital" .
The aerial picture of Wenzhou City. Photo by Su Qiaojiang
"This competition is committed to creating the 'Red Dot Award' in China’s footwear design field. We are aimed at establishing the most authoritative and influential top competition in China's footwear industry." The head of relevant department of Wenzhou Municipal People’s Government introduced that the competition, which takes nearly half a year from June to December, is divided into 4 stages, including advance publicity, collection of works, review of works, and display in final. There are 6 major awards, including the “Red Boots Supreme Honor Award”, the “Red Boots Supreme Nobility Award” , the “Red Boots Supreme Beauty Award”, the “Red Boots New Talent Award”, the “Red Boots Nomination Award”, and the “Red Boots Organization Award”, set up for the 2 categories of men's footwear and women's footwear.The highest prize for a single award will reach 500,000 yuan, and all the winning works will be exhibited in the "Famous Products Hall of Red Boots Award".
According to introduction, in order to make the "Red Boost Award" China International Footwear Design Competition a top-level one with the highest value, the best rewards, and the most complete supporting policies, Wenzhou Municipal Party Committee and Wenzhou Municipal People’s Government have formulated and issued special policies for introduction and training of footwear design talents, attracting more outstanding talents and excellent projects in the shoe design industry to come to Wenzhou.
After starting working in Wenzhou, the prize-winners can be reviewed and identified as "outstanding talents", "design masters" or "outstanding engineers", enjoying the treatment of talents (Category C, D or E) respectively, according to Wenzhou Municipal People’s Government's Special Support Plan. At the same time, the design talents including the prize-winners will be given a maximum of 2 million yuan as individual reward and a maximum of 3 million yuan in salary subsidy after they are selected into the "Talents Introduction Plan" at or above the provincial level, a maximum of 1 million yuan will be given as individual reward after they are selected into the "Ten Thousand Talents Plan" at or above the provincial level. And anyone who is selected as design masters in Wenzhou's "Ouyue Special Support Plan" will be given a 200,000 yuan as individual reward.
Lucheng Shoe Art Town. Photo by the Publicity Department of CPC Lucheng District Committee
It is understood that the "Red Boots Award" China International Footwear Design Competition, which is planned to be held in December, will also invite big names in the international fashion field, international experts in shoe & leather industries, managers of famous brands, fashion media practitioners, fashionistas, entrepreneurs, fashion buyers, etc.to participate in a series of activities related to the award ceremony. Through the gathering and promotion of elites in related fields, this competition will be made into a top fashion show and the first top fashion ceremony in China's footwear industry.
"This competition will not only become a grand event in international footwear design industry, but also further polish the golden business card of Wenzhou's shoe industry." Xu Haiyan, deputy secretary-general of Wenzhou Municipal People's Government, said that the competition can be a great opportunity for us to facilitate the wonderful transformation of Wenzhou shoe industry from "manufacturing capital" to "fashion capital", boosting Wenzhou's leap from "China Shoe Capital" to "Global Shoe Capital".
