ALL SMILES (From left): One of UCSI University's DIAND students receiving her prize from Malaysian Footwear Manufacturers Association (MFMA) president Mr Tony Ting.

BUDDING DESIGNERS: UCSI University students posing with their winning prototypes during the MISF prize presentation ceremony.

KUALA LUMPUR: 12 of UCSI University's (UCSI) De Institute of Art and Design (DIAND) students bagged third place and three consolation prizes ¨C in the 'Miniature Design' and 'Creative Arts' categories - at the recent Malaysian International Shoe Festival (MISF) prize presentation ceremony. 

Themed 'Seven Deadly Sins', the students' well-crafted shoe designs easily captured the hearts of the judges, seven of whom were selected as finalists in the ongoing Malaysia Footwear Design Competition. 

All student designs were showcased at the International Shoe Festival in Guangzhou in early June this year. 

The ceremony was attended by prominent industry leaders including UCSI Group founder and chairman Dato' Peter Ng; renowned designer Mr Bill Keith; and Malaysian Footwear Manufacturers Association (MFMA) president Mr Tony Ting. 

"We have been very aggressively promoting Malaysian-made shoes and participate in a lot of shoe exhibitions around the world," said Mr Tony Ting, adding that MFMA tries to provide students with a good platform so that they can get a good feel of the industry. 

Dato' Peter also highlighted that it was important for budding designers to put to practice what they had learned in class, pointing out that "Malaysia is not short of world-class talent and craftsmanship when it comes to shoes and fashion". 

According to the Tourism Ministry, he said, our country is ranked 19th worldwide in terms of shoe exports, garnering a total of USD200mil from markets like Brazil, Mexico and Asean countries. 

Undeniably, the shoe industry is still growing on the local front. 

But with international events like MISF that enable homegrown designers to hone their talent, it is certain that Malaysia will soon be on par with other world-class footwear exporters.