Top 5 Interchangeable Heels brands worldwide
While high heels have been around for centuries, let’s face it, it is not the most comfortable footwear for your feet. We have heard stories of celebrities walking barefoot on the red carpet, heels causing ankle twists, toe join problems, backaches – heck, how many of us have rather walked barefoot after a long day of standing in heels?
In recent years, there has been growing footwear innovation especially interchangeable heels. Some are admirable, some pushing boundaries, and some unsuccessful.
Creating interchangeable heels is no easy task. Here are the top 5 interchangeable heels brand out there…
Mestrae
Mestrae started from humble beginnings in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, having its beta run in 2017 and officially launched in 2018. Mestrae’s founder Pam Chandrakasan comes from an engineering background and while trying to resolve her discomfort with heels, she started experimenting on her shoes. Every part required to construct a Mestrae Interchangeable Heels is custom-made. The robustness of heels is tested both in-house and via regulatory standards by Satra in the UK.
Mestrae leveraged both high quality through engineering expertise while maintaining low manufacturing costs in South East Asia. The heels range from flats to 3.5” with a mix of block heels and stilettos. They have both leather and vegan shoes (synthetic PU) as well as vegan heels bags via natural resources made from pineapple husks. They have the largest collection from sandal heels, d’Orsay, full pumps, boots, ankle wrap, gladiators with prices averaging from $100 for a pair of vegan shoes, flats, and heels, and $150 for a pair of leather shoes, flats, and heels. Mestrae raised $100k via reimbursement grant but unfortunately faced numerous challenges as the founder’s country of origins legally limits minorities from economic opportunities as well as corruption in the ecosystem which makes it difficult for Mestrae to grow. For this reason, Mestrae’s next move is to establish in-house manufacturing within South East Asia and relocate headquarters to a country that enables a more sustainable future.
Mestrae’s marketing strategy that stands out is high-quality and affordable handmade shoes, targeting early adopters. Its business strategy is via Direct to Consumer (D2C) and international retail sales. Mestrae’s growth focus is towards wearable technologies for women. Mestrae was heavily impacted by Covid-19 lockdowns as South East Asian countries faced long durations of lockdown till about August this year causing local suppliers and manufacturers’ businesses to be impacted. Mestrae is eager in rebuilding its supply chain, manufacturing, and distribution channel.
Mime Et Moi
3 men got together and decided to help their girlfriends with high heels problems after a night out and that sparked the journey of Mime Et Moi. Based in Munich, Germany, Oliver Barth, the managing partner, and his co-founders started their R&D started in 2013 and they went to market in 2016. Mime Et Moi stands out with its advanced and robust technology as well as its clear and consistent product messaging throughout. They have 3 heights which are 3cm (1.2”) for flats, 7cm (~2.8”), and 10cm (~4”), with heels shapes ranging from superblock heels, stiletto block, super stilettos, and curved stilettos. Mime Et Moi has both Vegan PU and Satin fabric in their designs of shoes for their D'Orsay, Sandal Heels, Boots, Sling Backs, Open Toe Heels. The price is slightly higher starting from €210 for a pair of shoes, heels, and flats.
Mime et Moi rose to fame not only for its beautiful campaign photographs but through its highest interchangeable heels Kickstarter achievement. The marketing strategy that stands out is that it is 100% made in Europe alongside no of heels it can be rotated with. Mime Et Moi’s business strategy is mostly through the D2C online sales channel but we observed possible brand collaboration or licensing with Versa RD of the Dominican Republic.
Mime Et Moi’s growth strategy is targeted towards lifestyle and comfort for women. The funding journey available online includes angel investors and up to €300k via Kickstarter. However, Mime Et Moi recently published on the possibility of filing for either insolvency or raising funds due to the challenges of Covid-19. They have worked hard to get to where they are and we hope they come out of this better and stronger.
Tanya Heath
Tanya Heath was the first interchangeable heels brand to successfully commercialize her invention and market it internationally. Establishing her namesake brand Tanya Heath in 2015 in Paris, France, she took on a more traditional route of brick and mortar setting up retail fronts in fashion capitals in Paris, Toronto, LA to name a few. There are 4 heights to the shoes, 4cm (~1.6 “), 6cm (~2.4”), 6.5cm (~2.6"), 8.5cm (~3.4"). Tanya Heath has both leather and vegan PU to her collection of boots, booties, calf boots, sandals, and pumps. Tanya Heath’s lowest heels don’t go all the way to flats but it is still low at 1.6”. To unlatch, you have to remove your shoes and press a hole in the insole. Tanya Heath price ranges from €230 to €330 for a pair of shoes, flats, and heels.
One of the things that stand out is that Tanya Heath footwear is more towards comfort-based designs and has a vast variety of options making it a fairly safe choice for various events. The marketing strategy that stands out is more founder-story and origin of business setup. Tanya Heath lost a potential deal of $1M in Dragon’s Den due to the business direction of physical retail which was said to limit customer growth geographically. However, her initial funding was for $143k via incubator Agranov and there were fundings after Dragon Den’s said to be closed but we do not have the details. At present, Tanya Heath is focusing on her online Direct to Consumer D2C sales and brand strengthening.
My Choupi Chouz
This is an adorable brand, simple and to the point from France. It is founded by Margaux Chérif-Cheikh, who comes with an engineering and business diploma and has also worked in several countries including China and the United Arab Emirates, and speaks in 4 languages! My Choupi Chouz went to market in 2018 and is manufactured in both France and Portugal. The variety of height is 4.5cm (~1.8”) follows by 6cm (~2.4”), 8cm (3.1") and 9cm (3.5"). My Choupi Chouz’s lowest heels don’t go all the way to flats but it is still low at 1.8”. The heels are mostly chunky heels and one with a hint of stilettos varied by color. The shoes come in leather, suede, and vegan PU and the designs vary through boots, pumps, and sandal heels The price of shoes, with a pair of flats and heels is €200 onwards.
My Choupi Chouz stands out especially in building a robust business, whereby cost is minimized through various means such as cutting out middlemen, and thanks to the founder’s expertise and experience in optimizing R&D and supply chain. Funding wise we can only find a crowdfunding campaign of about 15k Euro. The marketing strategy that stands out is community-focused engagement and social media campaigns that have been continuous throughout Covid-19. At present, My Choupi Chouz sells from its website.
Passion
We have been following Pashion’s journey from the time they started in 2019. Pashion was launched in 2019 by Haley Pavone in San Francisco, US, after going through an accelerator. Among all interchangeable heels brands, they raised the highest of $3.5M in the shortest time frame. They were also on Sharks Tanks but were not successful.
While we believe competition is healthy, one thing that makes us uncomfortable is their claim “The first fully interchangeable heels in the world”. Tanya Heath launched in 2013, Mime Et Moi in 2016, Mestrae’s beta in 2017 and a full launch in 2018, and My Choupi Chouz launched in 2018, all before Pashion and they are all interchangeable heels. Mestrae and Mime Et Moi go all the way to flats at 1” and 1.2”. Pashion’s claim need needs backing as otherwise, this might be a concern of ethical breach especially since it is recognized by US investors and US media.
That aside, Pashion has 3 heights of heels which are flats, 3” and 4” in both stilettos and block heels that come in the designs of sandal heels and D’Orsay using Vegan PU. The price range is between Mestrae and Mime Et Moi of $150 onwards. The removal of the shoes is slightly harder than Tanya Heath whereby unless you are very balanced on one foot, there is a need to take off the shoes completely, flip them over, twist them, and change the heels which might lead to hygiene concerns especially if you are on your heels walking everywhere in New York etc.
Pashion’s designs are elegant and minimalistic catering to both wider mass and long-term trends. With large fundings, Pashion has been able to penetrate a wider digital consumer market, which goes to show that women’s innovation with sufficient financial backings can go the extra mile.
Bonus
Other brands have a touch of convertible heels and unique innovation. They are not interchangeable heels in the sense of removing the heels and swapping with other heels of different heights and shapes, down to flats but it is functional and innovation
Gena Adjustable Heels – Gena, based out of Singapore has heels that can be folded in. Their website says they are struggling with Covid-19 and we hope they pull through.
Vice Versa – Born out of Spain, Vice Versa is a tuck-in heel with a bottom cover to protect it. Their current delivery is 7 months runway and we understand the challenges with Covid-19.
Kara Mac – Kara Mac out of New York carries a very fun heels wrap. Cute designs that you can wrap around your heels for a different look
There you go, your top 5 interchangeable heels brands and other innovations out there. For more reviews, we would also recommend Lucy Corsetry’s YT videos where she has done extensive product reviews for a lot of these interchangeable heels brands. If there are any information that needs to be updated on the brands above, please leave us an note at info@mestrae.com.
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