Meet Your Instructor:

Defne Yalkut comes from a fashion design background and has entered the footwear world by being hired by VIBRAM, the world leader brand of outsoles where she worked as senior designer for 12 years. She designed soles for a vast number brands on outdoor like Merrell, Hi-Tec, Scarpa, as well as for fashion brands like Hugo Boss, Visvim, Paul Smith, Armani, Extralight and many others. Since 2017 she owns her own design studio based in Milan, Italy giving design services and consultancy on soles and footwear, mostly on performance and outdoor segments for different brands all over the world. She constantly seeks growth and her passion for design is the heart of her profession. She has been teaching Sole Design since 2015 at Istituto Europeo del Design-Milan and Arsutoria.

"As a designer, I believe that every sole tells a story. Over the years, I’ve realized that designing soles is more than just crafting something functional—it’s about shaping confidence, identity, and personal expression. I’m passionate about helping others discover this same sense of purpose in their work. My goal is to guide them in bringing their vision to life, offering insights, techniques, very niche information and encouragement to let their creativity soar."