The Parsons Undergraduate Admissions Blog recently interviewed Product Design graduate and winner of the 2013 Pensole Future of Footwear Award in the Kid’s Category, Muan On-Sri.

Muan first participated in a master class at the Pensole Design Academy and was then chosen to continue on to present her design at a trade show in Las Vegas as a finalist in the competition. A panel of designers, developers, and engineers of top shoe brands then judged the designs. Muan’s design won for her category and Zappos.com will consider Muan’s design to be sold across the United States.

The master class allowed Muan to gain experience in a more professional environment. “We have briefs in the morning about what is expected to be done each day and we go on, schedule ourselves and manage our own time to make sure that the work is done, just like how people work in real life.”

Muan wanted to create a shoe that was functional, but also educational. The design incorporates shapes and color, both of which are learned before pre-school.  The straps are connected to the soles with different shapes and children will need to match the shapes when they put their shoes on.  “I hope that these very simple shoes can make a huge impacts on kids—not just learning about shapes and colors, but to also develop motor skills while playing, expand their creativity, and learn to make their own decisions when choosing what colored straps they want to put on each day.” The soles of the shoes also expand to accommodate the fast pace at which children grow.

“Through this project, I’ve learned so much more about myself, and winning this award proves to myself that your mentality can really change struggles into strength. And the best part of it all is having so many people looking at my project and really appreciate what I do!”

Click here to view the interview with Muan On-Sri on iheartparsons.com.