Born in Belgrade, Katarina started her fashion training in 1991 at the Marangoni Institute in Milan. In 1997, Katarina continued her studies in London at Cordwainers College, which is the training ground for many of the UK’s top names in footwear design. Mootich launched her eponymous footwear line in 2000.
The first three Mootich collections won a New Generation Award (LFW). In February 2004, Mootich was nominated for a Fashion Break Through by Style Award (ELLE UK). Katarina has been commissioned to design collections for high end fashion companies such as Lanvin and Vanessa Bruno in Paris and a number of break-through designers: Robert Carrey-Williams , Duro Olowu, Yes Master, MOU (London), JNBY (China), Andrew Majtenyi (Toronto). This wide variety of work helped to enrich and deepen her knowledge of shoemaking across various fields, which is not limited only to the high-end market.
In May 2005 Mootich opened her flagship store in Elizabeth Street (Belgravia). While fitting her clients in Elizabeth Street, Katarina realised that there is a greater need for a personalised approach to the making of shoes than a ready-to-wear collection could offer. She devised her own bespoke procedure that combines traditional bespoke measurement with 3D castings, so as to create a foot Identity that is unique for each client. The most important part of the process of mapping foot Identity is to listen carefully to the client during the fitting.
The result of this labour-intensive craft is a shoe that works like a second self, or better! A product that is light in weight, meticulously constructed and close in fit. The shoe moves in harmony with the wearer and contributes subtly to facilitate the smooth transition of weight and the variable pressures of graceful motion.
Katarina keeps looking for even better ways to wrap the foot, and hopes to make many more fortunate discoveries in the years to come – both from her academic research and from the precious wealth of information given to her in feedback from her clients.
