Our Approach to Women's Footwear
Created in our Vienna workshop by Japanese-Austrian founders Simone Springer and Yuji Mizobuchi alongside a small team of artisans, each style reflects a cross-cultural design perspective that bridges Eastern and Western craft traditions—blending European and Asian influences. The collection spans sculptural wooden clogs, welted shoes and boots with natural linings, and open sandals—all constructed to develop character through wear rather than deteriorate with time.
Natural Materials
We build our women's collection around natural materials selected for how they age, perform, and feel against the skin:
● Italian leather—whether naturally tanned or vegetable-tanned—forms the foundation of our boots, sandals, and clogs, chosen for its ability to develop individual character through daily contact. These leathers age beautifully, developing rich patina over time.
● Shearling appears in varied textures: soft and smooth, tightly curled, or long-haired, each type bringing distinct visual weight and insulating properties to our handmade women’s footwear.
● Poplar wood, sourced from regional suppliers, is crafted into sculptural soles in our workshop, shaped in small batches and fitted with rubber inserts that transform what might seem rigid into something surprisingly flexible.
● Linings throughout the collection use either full leather or full shearling, prioritizing breathability and direct material contact over synthetic shortcuts
What distinguishes these materials isn't just their origin but their response to time and use. Leather darkens where your hands touch it most, wood develops a natural patina through wear, and shearling compresses and molds to your foot shape. Each pair records your particular pattern of movement and wear, becoming increasingly distinct from its original form—and from anyone else's.
Our Women’s Footwear Categories
Our handmade footwear for women is organized into three distinct categories, each reflecting our material-first approach and commitment to sculptural, wearable design.
● Shoes: Our women’s shoe collection ranges from classic clogs to loafers, ballerinas, and slip-ons. Clogs remain central to our design philosophy: wooden soles made from poplar wood and inset with rubber create unexpected flexibility and softness. Loafers combine welted construction with minimalist uppers for versatile wear, while lace-up shoes offer structured adjustability. Slip-ons provide effortless elegance without sacrificing presence. Ballerinas feature hand-painted finishes that make each pair unique. Crochet and woven shoes bring textile craft into the collection, their open structures offering breathability and visual texture.
● Boots: Our boot collection combines vegetable-tanned Italian leather with sturdy soles, crafted using traditional welting and stitching techniques. Welted construction—where upper, insole, and outsole are stitched together—creates boots that can be resoled and repaired across years of wear. Clog boots translate our wooden platform into ankle and mid-calf coverage, maintaining flexibility while adding warmth. Knee-high clog boots extend this approach further, creating dramatic silhouettes that balance visual impact with the breathability our wooden soles provide.
● Sandals: Our sandal collection explores open forms that emphasize natural materials while offering cushioned, breathable wear. Leather slides and wooden clog sandals each receive the same construction attention as our enclosed footwear. Leather slides reduce the design to essential components—vegetable-tanned Italian leather formed into straps that secure the foot with minimal hardware. Metallic finishes, hand-woven details, and varied strap configurations add surface interest. Though designed for warmer weather, these sandals carry the durability and material quality that characterize rosa mosa year-round.
Workshop Production & Construction
The majority of our handmade women's shoes are crafted entirely by hand in our Vienna workshop, where small production runs allow us to maintain direct oversight of each construction stage.
Construction methods remain visible throughout our women's collection. Stitching, leather edges, and surface treatments reveal—rather than conceal—how these shoes, boots, and sandals are actually made.
Women’s Shoes Across Seasons
Our women's footwear adapts naturally across seasons rather than confining itself to rigid categories. The same materials that provide warmth in winter—shearling linings, full leather uppers—also regulate temperature and breathe in milder weather, making many styles viable well beyond their expected season.
Our Design Philosophy for Women’s Footwear
Our handmade shoes for women embody a design sensibility that values restraint over excess, longevity over novelty, and material honesty as the foundation of sustainability. The shoes, boots, and sandals in this collection emerge from our Vienna workshop in limited quantities.
The result is women's footwear that occupies a space between contemporary aesthetics and traditional craft—pieces that acknowledge current design conversations without surrendering to seasonal pressures. Our shoes aren’t meant to align with this year's runway directions or next month's trend forecasts. Instead, they establish their own visual language, offering you footwear that matures alongside your evolving style while maintaining the structural integrity and crafted quality that allow it to remain relevant across years rather than months.
Footwear for Women: FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
How do rosa mosa women's shoes fit compared to conventional brands?
Our women's footwear often fits differently than mass-produced shoes because natural materials behave distinctly and our constructions prioritize long-term comfort over immediate ease. Leather clogs typically run half a size large, while shearling-lined styles tend to fit snugger initially. The materials adapt quickly—within days of regular wear, leather stretches at pressure points, and shearling compresses to match your foot shape. We recommend consulting our size guide and considering that a slightly snug start often yields the most personalized fit.
What makes rosa mosa women's footwear sustainable?
Sustainability in our women's collection begins with material selection and extends through construction methods that prioritize repairability and longevity. We produce in small batches in Vienna, avoiding overproduction and allowing us to refine designs based on direct feedback.
Are rosa mosa shoes, boots, and sandals suitable for wide or narrow feet?
Fit varies by construction. Welted boots with laces offer the most adjustability for different foot widths—you can control tightness through lacing. Leather clogs accommodate wider feet well since the open back removes width constraints, though the vamp still needs to hold your foot securely. Shearling compresses to fit various widths but may feel tight initially on wider feet. Sandals with adjustable straps work across different widths. For specific concerns, contact us before ordering—we can provide guidance based on the particular style you're considering.
How long does it take for women's footwear to break in?
Breaking-in time depends on construction and materials. Leather clogs often feel comfortable immediately and soften further within a week. Shearling-lined styles need several days as the shearling compresses to match your foot shape. Welted boots require the longest break-in period—typically two to four weeks of regular wear as the leather upper molds to your foot and ankle. This isn't discomfort but gradual adaptation. Wearing new boots for shorter periods initially, then gradually increasing wear time, allows the leather to adjust without causing blisters.
How should I store my rosa mosa women’s shoes when not in season?
Store women's footwear in a cool, dry space away from direct sunlight and heat sources. Stuff boots and closed shoes with tissue paper to maintain their shape—newspaper works but can transfer ink to light-colored linings over time. Allow leather to breathe by avoiding sealed plastic containers; cotton dust bags or open shelving work better. Clean off any dirt before storage and apply leather cream to prevent the material from drying out during extended periods without wear. Wooden soles should be completely dry before storing to prevent warping.
Can I wear rosa mosa women’s footwear in wet conditions?
Vegetable-tanned leather handles light moisture but shouldn't be soaked repeatedly. If your shoes or boots get wet, remove excess water with a soft cloth, stuff them with newspaper to absorb interior moisture, and allow them to dry slowly at room temperature—never near radiators or heat sources, which can crack both leather and wood. For heavy rain or snow, consider applying a protective treatment, though be aware this may slightly alter the leather's appearance and patina development. Wooden soles tolerate moisture but should be dried thoroughly after exposure.
What makes rosa mosa women's footwear different from other handmade shoe brands?
Our approach combines Japanese-Austrian design perspectives with Viennese workshop production, creating footwear that doesn't fit neatly into existing categories—neither purely minimalist nor overtly decorative, neither strictly traditional nor aggressively contemporary. We prioritize sculptural wooden soles that challenge expectations about comfort and flexibility, work extensively with natural shearling in varied textures, and maintain small production runs that allow continuous refinement. Most significantly, we design across gender categories rather than creating separate "women's" and "men's" aesthetics—many styles are truly unisex, reflecting our belief that good design and quality construction transcend conventional fashion divisions.
