This thesis studies what kind of is a footwear designer’s communal work space. The results from the research can be adapted by other fields although the thesis was executed from a footwear designer’s point of view. The study dealt with the following themes: communality in coworking environment, community and organization, services produced by the studio and elements influencing the studios operation. The demand for this study comes from the weak employment situation within the footwear field in Finland. Being a private entrepreneur is the only option for many footwear designers. The coworking operating model could be suggested as a solution for the challenges met by the private entrepreneurs. The entrepreneur is able to share their everyday work and experiences with other professionals by belonging to a coworking space.

The thesis’ themes are studied through literature about coworking field and organization management. Interviews, polls and observation have also been used as a source material. The interviews and polls were directed to entrepreneurs in footwear design field, The Finnish Association of Designers Ornamo, Mushrooming association and footwear design students. The source literature was used to create the background and theory for the study. Blogs written by coworking professionals and interviews made for the study gave both global and domestic aspect about how the coworking spaces are operating. The demand for coworking space and its functions from footwear fields’ point of view were determined using the answers gained from the interviews made for the footwear entrepreneurs.

The basis and actualization of footwear designers' collective studios are displayed visually as the result. The presented operating models are proposals derived from the study and have not been tested in practice.