Hardware Podcasts

026: Developing Shoes with Removable Heels, Tanya Heath of Tanya Heath Paris

Product Startup · 8 Nov 2016 · 50m

What this episode covers

Tanya Heath, founder of Tanya Heath Paris, explains how she engineered a multi-height shoe with removable heels, a process that took four years of R&D and 14 engineers to solve the mechanical and aesthetic challenges. She details her strategy of selling directly through department store concessions and boutiques in Paris to gather real-time feedback, which helped refine the product's design and robustness. Heath also discusses the financial hurdles of bootstrapping the company, her recent acquisition of a heel factory to control quality, and the ongoing battle against counterfeiters who have copied her design.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Tanya Heath Paris, Mako Design + Invent, Hermes
Also
FM Academy, Institue Francaise de la Maud

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