Function-First Footwear
Design & Development
Engineering shoes for demanding environments.
Engineering shoes for demanding
environments.
Safety // PPE // Workwear // Cold weather // Specialized Gear
About Me
Hi, I’m Kata — a footwear design & development lead supporting brands where durability and protection come first.
You know your customers' grit best. They rely on your gear, and your brand’s credibility is built on delivering the right performance.
That's why your products' engineering matters.
Whether you’re expanding into footwear, rebuilding your range, or developing a specialist category, I bring your brand DNA and technical standards into footwear — without the overhead of building an in-house team.
With over a decade in footwear design and as a SATRA Accredited Technologist, I work alongside your team through range planning, design, manufacturing, compliance testing, and launch.
About Me
Hi, I’m Kata — a footwear design & development lead supporting brands where durability and protection come first.
You know your customers' grit best. They rely on your gear, and your brand’s credibility is built on delivering the right performance.
That's why your products' engineering matters.
Whether you’re expanding into footwear, rebuilding your range, or developing a specialist category, I bring your brand DNA and technical standards into footwear — without the overhead of building an in-house team.
With over a decade in footwear design and as a SATRA Accredited Technologist, I work alongside your team through range planning, design, manufacturing, compliance testing, and launch.
Expertise
Safety shoes
Safety shoes
Safety shoes
PPE
PPE
PPE
Workwear & uniform
Workwear & uniform
Workwear & uniform
Specialized gear
Specialized gear
Specialized gear
Have a footwear project in mind?
Book a free call to discuss what you’re building and how I can help.
The process
01 — Product range definition
When ranges start with assumptions, they end up generic. I define yours from the ground up—rooted in real market gaps, competitor blind spots, and a sharp understanding of your brand DNA, so every product has a clear role and reason to exist.
Category strategy
Brand aligment
Market research
01 — Product range definition
When ranges start with assumptions, they end up generic. I define yours from the ground up—rooted in real market gaps, competitor blind spots, and a sharp understanding of your brand DNA, so every product has a clear role and reason to exist.
Category strategy
Brand aligment
Market research
02 — Design for use
Products fall short when design is treated as visual only — without enough thought for function, protection, and how the product holds up in use. I design from real-world input — studying wear patterns, QC data, and failure points so the product performs where it matters.
User insight translation
Certification scope
Last&tooling selection
02 — Design for use
Products fall short when design is treated as visual only — without enough thought for function, protection, and how the product holds up in use. I design from real-world input — studying wear patterns, QC data, and failure points so the product performs where it matters.
User insight translation
Certification scope
Last&tooling selection
03 — 3D Design
I model the product in 3D — outsole, injected parts, and upper proportions on the last. So you get a clear visual, factories get exact proportions — reducing the work and corrections in sampling stage
KPU injection desing
3d pattern validation
Hardware modeling
03 — 3D Design
I model the product in 3D — outsole, injected parts, and upper proportions on the last. So you get a clear visual, factories get exact proportions — reducing the work and corrections in sampling stage
KPU injection desing
3d pattern validation
Hardware modeling
04 — Product development
Projects stall when technical decisions are left too late — leading to rework, delays, or failure in testing. I design with certification, construction, and factory capabilities in mind from the start.
Factory sourcing
Sample comments
Fit refinement
04 — Product development
Projects stall when technical decisions are left too late — leading to rework, delays, or failure in testing. I design with certification, construction, and factory capabilities in mind from the start.
Factory sourcing
Sample comments
Fit refinement
05 — Production & compliance
Managing footwear production takes time and expertise that your team may not have. I take full ownership — from costing to overseeing certification — so the product gets to market without overloading your team.
Costing review
Critical path managment
Lab coordination
05 — Production & compliance
Managing footwear production takes time and expertise that your team may not have. I take full ownership — from costing to overseeing certification — so the product gets to market without overloading your team.
Costing review
Critical path managment
Lab coordination
06 — Iterations & improvement
Technical products need to keep earning trust in use, season after season. I stay involved beyond launch — using user feedback, QC reports, and warranty claims to strengthen the next iteration and keep the category improving.
QC review
Analysing user feedback
Product iteration
06 — Iterations & improvement
Technical products need to keep earning trust in use, season after season. I stay involved beyond launch — using user feedback, QC reports, and warranty claims to strengthen the next iteration and keep the category improving.
QC review
Analysing user feedback
Product iteration
Why me?
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Years of experience
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Brands I supported
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Projects I worked on
Featuerd clients
What clients say
The boots are truly beautiful and were very well received by our entire team. Working with you feels like just the beginning of our collaboration, and we look forward to future projects together.
Gianluca Barbirato
CEO, EVA injection boots factory
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