EXPLORE Our History

UNÜTZER was founded in 1947 by Fritz Unützer. Based in Munich, the shoe and accessory brand focuses on craftsmanship, durability, and uncompromising quality. All collections are handcrafted in their own production facility in Veneto, Italy, using excellent know-how in up to 160 steps.

"Shoes can transform a woman," said Fritz Unützer Senior. Ever since the Munich native completed his apprenticeship at Burberry, Church's, and John Lobb in London, his passion for shoes never left him. Building on the heritage and know-how of his father's company and the experience he had gathered since 1947, he founded his eponymous shoe and accessory brand, UNÜTZER, in 1989.

"A shoe is like a sculpture. It comes down to the right craftsmanship, comfort and style – without compromise." - Fritz Unützer

  • 1947
    The story of UNÜTZER begins in 1947, when Fritz Unützer Senior and his wife Maria Unützer, a trained master tailor, founded the fashion store U-Sportmoden. The business quickly developed into one of the leading addresses for exclusive sports and leisure fashion in post-war Germany. Fritz Unützer Senior was a cousin of Willy Bogner. As a result, there was early and close contact with the Munich-based Bogner ski and sports fashion family. U-Sportmoden was among the first stores to sell high-quality Bogner sports fashion as well as British sports and outdoor clothing, thereby bringing the emerging luxury skiing culture of the 1950s to Munich.
  • 1960
    After stays in London and Paris, Peter and Fritz Unützer followed in their father's footsteps and continued the family business and fashion house "U-Sportmoden GmbH & Co KG," which had existed since 1947, on Munich's most beautiful shopping street. In the late 1960s, they opened the high-end fashion boutique "The English House" at Maximilianstraße 32.
  • 1989
    Building on the heritage and expertise of his father's company and his own accumulated experience, Fritz Unützer Senior acquired the shoe factory in the Veneto region, near Venice, which still exists today. In the same year, he founded his eponymous shoe and accessory brand, UNÜTZER.
  • 2023
    Since 2023, Fritz Unützer Junior has been leading the family business in the third generation with new innovative ideas and launched the first men's capsule collection.
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