About a decade ago, I broke a pair of high heels as they caught between cobblestone. After wobbling home, I threw my shoes on my desk and went straight to bed. I woke up in the morning to find the heel was torn off but still attached to the outer sole and just kinda folded under the arch of the shoe and that is when the idea hit me. What if we could create a folding heel that allows you go to from low to high heel?
Fast forward 5 years later and several designs later, I got myself a patent on a high heel shoe which I re-engineered it from the inside out. The patented heel adjusts from ¾ inch wedge to a 4-inch heel with the push of a button.
Then a few more years after that and observations of competitors’ attempts to bring this to market, I learned many lessons. Between cost to manufacturing to facing competition in an already heavily saturated space, I realised creating my own line of convertibles wouldn’t work. To read more about the experience click here (coming soon).
I wanted to create a solution to my problems. Breaking Heels seeks to eliminate the need to carry two pairs of shoes by developing a two-in-one shoe – a shoe that can serve as both a flat and a heel, when needed, without compromising style, fashion, or comfort. However I also wanted this solution to be cost effective and minimise waste. That is how I came to create a different kind of convertible heel, a detachable structure that allows you to swap heels, but the best part is you can retrofit your favourite pair of shoes to make them into a convertible.
This solution allowed me to hold on to my favourite shoes and minimise waste. The heels are also made out of recycled plastics so it is sustainably-sourced. However, this solution does not work on all shoes; some designs of shoes cannot be retrofitted, such as platform shoes, or shoes over 4 inches or certain heels made of stiffer fabrics and materials. Below are a few that can and can’t be retrofitted.
Retrofit Ready
- 4 inches or less
- Semi-flex insole
- Upper elements form to foot in a low and high heel
No Go
- Any shoe over 4.5 inches
- Platform heels
- Most closed toe pumps (as they will not form well to foot when curvature/pitch is modified by heel height)
I’m a bit delayed in my debut and of course C19 hasn’t helped. Stay tuned or contact me directly via blog or IG to learn more!