About the Origin
Mojari Shoes or Desi Jutti is a style of handcrafted traditional footwear produced in North India and neighboring regions. They are traditionally made by artisans mostly using tanned leather with extensive embroidery in real gold and silver thread as inspired by Indian royalty over 400 years ago. The uppers are made of one piece of leather or textile embroidered and embellished with brass nails, cowry shells, mirrors, bells and ceramic beads. Even the bonding from the upper to the sole is done by cotton thread that is not only eco-friendly, but also enmeshes the leather fibers with great strength.
The History
Mojari shoes originated under the Mughal Empire, where they were decorated with colors, gems, and other ornaments. They are said to have been popularized under the Mughal King Saleem Shah and are often referred to as “Saleem Shahis” as a result. Although leather shoes have been worn for over 5,000 years by various civilizations, they should not be confused with Mojaris, because Mojaris are unique in their ornamental style, shape, and appearance.
Later, these ethnic shoes were worn by wealthy zamindaars, nawaabs, Maharajas and Maharanis of India with the design& styles inspired from the Mughal era. All these traditional shoes were handmade by skilled artisans in remote corners of India. After the rule of Kings was gone, jutti remained popular in North India, especially Rajasthan & Punjab and most of the skilled artisans settled in these parts, from where they passed on the art to the next generation, with each generation contributing some variation to it. Even with changing times, juttis have remained part of ceremonial attire, especially at weddings. The unembellished juttis are used in everyday routine by both men and women in most of Rajasthan & Punjab along with traditional dresses like Sherwani or Kurta Paijama or Salwaar Kameez where they form the quintessential accessory.
As Mojaris have evolved through the centuries and are being produced by individual artisans, products vary in designs and colors. They encapsulate cultural diversity, local ethos and ethnicity within each pair of footwear. By large, they have no left or right distinction, and over time take the shape of the foot. They usually have flat sole, and are similar in design for both women and men. In some mojaris for men, they have a sharp extended tip — “nok” — curved upwards like traditional mustaches (also called Khussa), while in some juttis for women, there is no back part near the ankle.
Beauty, vibrant color and utility are combined in these juttis of India. Rich golden threads and colorful beads are used to craft exquisite motifs in order to impart a royal touch on these juttis made of different shades of leather. Juttis are slip-on in style and are characterized by rising high to the Achilles' tendon in the back and covering the toes with a round or M-shaped heavily-embroidered upper shoe and leaving the top of the foot nearly bare. Apart from Jaipur & Jodhpur in Rajasthan, Amritsar & Patiala in Punjab are important trade centers for handcrafted traditional juttis, from where they are exported all over the world.
