Lifestyle & Accessory Design
Bags, Jewellery, Footwear, Eyewear & Small Accessories
Foundations of Lifestyle & Accessory Design
Small objects, worn or carried, that shape how people present themselves.
Bag & Luggage Design
Structure, straps, and capacity that survive daily carrying.
Jewellery & Personal Accessory Design
The smallest objects, held to the highest scrutiny.
Footwear Design I: Foundations & Construction
The object that carries the full weight of the human body, every step.
Footwear Design II: Materials & Manufacturing
From upper material to sole compound, at production scale.
Eyewear & Small Accessory Design
Objects worn on the face, held to a uniquely personal standard.
Materials for Accessory Design
Leather, textile, and hardware, chosen for daily bodily wear.
Lifestyle Accessory Design Studio (Capstone)
One accessory, resolved from concept to production sample.
About the Lifestyle and Accessory Design silo
The Lifestyle and Accessory Design silo covers objects that are worn and carried: bags and luggage, jewellery, footwear, eyewear and small accessories. These products sit between fashion and product design, combining trend and identity with structure and materials.
Because accessories touch the body for long periods, fit, weight and comfort matter as much as appearance. The courses cover construction methods, materials such as leather, textile and hardware, production considerations and a capstone in which you resolve one accessory from concept to sample. Footwear has two dedicated courses.
Suggested learning path
- Foundations of Lifestyle & Accessory Design. Lifestyle and accessory design covers bags, jewellery, footwear, and small personal objects that are carried or worn daily. Covers what unites accessory design, accessory design vs. apparel & product design, the accessory sub-categories ahead and more.
- Bag & Luggage Design. Bag and luggage design resolves capacity, structure, and carrying comfort under real daily use and travel stress. Covers soft vs. structured construction, strap & handle ergonomics, capacity & internal organisation and more.
- Jewellery & Personal Accessory Design. Jewellery and small personal accessories are viewed and handled up close, at a level of scrutiny few other design categories face. Covers scale & proportion at miniature size, materials & finishing techniques, designing for close-range scrutiny and more.
- Footwear Design I: Foundations & Construction. Footwear design must resolve fit, structure, and biomechanics under continuous body-weight load. Covers foot anatomy for footwear designers, the last: footwear's foundational form, major construction methods and more.
- Footwear Design II: Materials & Manufacturing. This second footwear course covers material selection for uppers, soles, and linings, and the manufacturing processes that turn a construction method into a consistent, scalable production line. Covers upper & lining materials, sole compounds: durability, grip & comfort, manufacturing processes at scale and more.
- Eyewear & Small Accessory Design. Eyewear and small accessories like belts, watches, and hair accessories must fit precisely and comfortably against the body while carrying real personal identity meaning. Covers eyewear fit considerations, small accessory construction, objects as identity signals and more.
- Materials for Accessory Design. Accessory materials must withstand daily bodily contact, flexing, and environmental exposure while maintaining appearance. Covers leather types & grades, textiles for flex & wear, hardware quality & accessory longevity and more.
- Lifestyle Accessory Design Studio (Capstone). This capstone studio applies every prior course in the specialization to a single, complete accessory brief, chosen from bags, jewellery, footwear, or small accessories, carried from concept through a production-ready sample and a critical review. Covers choosing & scoping the capstone brief, integrating construction & material decisions, fit & wearability testing and more.
What you will be able to do
- Design bags with structure and carrying comfort
- Understand footwear lasts and construction
- Select leather, textile and hardware
- Develop a production-ready sample
How to study this
Read the foundations course, then choose one category, such as bags or footwear, and study its courses in order. Read Materials for Accessory Design alongside.
Who it is for
Fashion and accessory design students, craft entrepreneurs, and product designers extending into wearable objects.
Frequently asked questions
- Why are there two footwear courses?
- Footwear involves anatomy, lasts and construction, and also materials and manufacturing. Splitting them keeps each course focused.
- Does it cover jewellery making?
- It covers design principles, materials, finishing and production methods, and not detailed bench techniques.
- Is sustainability included?
- Material sourcing and durability are covered in the materials course and the capstone.