Course Tutors

Please click a tutor's name to read their biography.

Melissa Needham

Melissa is founder of Prescott & Mackay and originally trained as a costume maker at Wimbledon School of Art before specialising in footwear at Cordwainers College.

She first established the P&M shoemaking course in 1997 and has gone on to develop further classes in related design and making in both the UK and USA.

In 2003 Melissa launched the Black Truffle boutique in London specialising in niche collections by shoe and accessory designers.

Lesley Taylor

Lesley originally trained at Cordwainers, one of the worlds most renowned institutions in the field of accessory design and leather work and has since been involved as a maker/designer with a variety of commissions for some of the country's leading producers of leather goods. Projects have included extensive work for Mullbery and more recently the complete luxury refitting in leather of a private yacht. Lesley has also taught bag making to HND students at the London College of Fashion.

Prudence

Prudence is considerably experienced having been a milliner of note for several years. She trained with some of the worlds most eminent hat makers and her work is widely regarded for its standard of quality and design. Prudence splits her time between Paris and London where she works respectively with both Yves Saint Laurent on the Rive Gauche collections and with Vivian Westwood. She also lecturers regularly, particularly in Japan.

Chau Har Lee

Chau graduated from Cordwainers College in London with a degree in Footwear in 2002 and has since worked as a freelance footwear and accessory designer as well as lecturer at P&M. Chau has her own label of ladies shoes and bags which shows during Paris Fashion Week and has collaborated with several fashion and footwear designers including the Black Truffle boutique.

Aki Choklat

Aki holds an MA in Footwear from the Royal College of Art and has produced his own footwear label for several years under Jubaki selling in Europe and the US.

He recently launched a concept range of men's shoes and bags under his own name - Aki Choklat. He lectures regularly in Footwear Design at De Montfort University in Leicester and acts as a consultant on trend predictions and design development strategy for forerunners in the global footwear market.

Sebastian Tarek

Sebastian developed his craft in his native Australia where he studied traditional shoemaking and leather-craft techniques. He specialises in bespoke and made-to-order footwear for men and women which requires a high level of craftsmanship, materials of superior quality and painstaking attention to detail. Sebastian works with some of the most renowned names in footwear including James Taylor Bespoke Shoemakers and Georgian Goodman Couture.

TBA