As we find ourselves launching Spring Summer 2021 in midst of lockdown 3.0, limiting our ability to meet and shoot our wonderful Rogue girls, we thought it would be a good time to shine the spotlight on our founder, Katie Cary, to talk you through the collection.
Colour enthusiast Katie is a firm believer that what you wear should be an expression of your personality, and her colourful home seems to echo the same philosophy. On a dreary January day it proves a treasure trove of objects which all have a story to tell and have been carefully curated over the years or made herself. Having cut her cloth in the advertising industry and as a womenswear buyer, Katie launched Rogue Matilda following her inability to find beautifully made, characterful flats for women that won't break the bank.
What do you love most about your job?
I love that no two days are the same and I meet lots of really interesting people, but ultimately for me I just adore product and creating something physical. Nothing makes me happier than receiving samples in the post from the factory which I've drawn out and designed weeks before and there's something fantastic about the craftsmanship that goes into footwear like brogues. Most the time you're working with very physical raw materials, which hold real weight in your hand and become sculptural pieces of art themselves.
Where's your favourite hangout?
Our local pub when it's full of friends.
What's top of your playlist right now?
I'm an Indie Cindy at heart and working from home lately I've rediscovered all my past loves: Jamie T, the Arctic Monkeys, Foals etc. But more recently the albums I've enjoyed have been Taylor Swift 'Folklore', Haim 'Women in Music Pt. III' and the Strokes 'The New Abnormal'.
What's your most loved piece in your wardrobe?
I've never been a high street clothing fan as I've always valued quality. This meant at school that I spent my life in this little vintage shop in Oxford called Unicorn which was run by the most eccentrically amazing French woman who would hunt out pieces for you. My most loved piece would therefore have to be one with a story rather than something new. One of the first weekends away my husband and I went on after university was to Amsterdam, and I picked up the most amazing angora emerald green cardigan there which I have treasured since. Green is such a timeless colour for clothing and it's surprisingly versatile.
How many pairs of shoes do you own?
'Own' is a loose term (!). I get all the samples made in my size so I can properly test them, so I suppose if you look at it that way I might have the biggest shoe collection in Britain (!). However in reality I actually tend to live in 2 or 3 styles each season.
What do your Rogues say about you?
I love the SS21 collection: it's got the perfect balance of wearability and quirk. But I'm most excited to wear the Ditsy penny loafers which are a new style for us and they're beautifully hand crafted. I feel a real connection to this collection as it was dreamt up in the first lockdown when my husband and I were out in the countryside. Having lived in London for so long I forgot what an amazing time of the year Spring is, and amid all the uncertainty of COVID it seemed fitting to draw inspiration from flowers and nature.