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

- Show: [Product Startup](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup)
- Published: 2016-11-08
- Length: 50m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-11-08-026-developing-shoes-with-removable-heels-tanya-heath-of-tanya-heath-paris
- Listen: http://theproductstartup.com/tps026-shoes-with-removable-heels-with-tanya-heath-of-tanya-heath-paris/

## Summary

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.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-11-08-026-developing-shoes-with-removable-heels-tanya-heath-of-tanya-heath-paris#t=0) Introduction: Tanya Heath and the removable heel concept
- [3:56](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-11-08-026-developing-shoes-with-removable-heels-tanya-heath-of-tanya-heath-paris#t=236) Engineering challenges and the 4-year R&D process
- [5:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-11-08-026-developing-shoes-with-removable-heels-tanya-heath-of-tanya-heath-paris#t=324) Testing with Parisian women and breaking prototypes
- [11:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-11-08-026-developing-shoes-with-removable-heels-tanya-heath-of-tanya-heath-paris#t=707) Selling through department store concessions and boutiques
- [15:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-11-08-026-developing-shoes-with-removable-heels-tanya-heath-of-tanya-heath-paris#t=923) Pricing, luxury materials, and buying a heel factory
- [22:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-11-08-026-developing-shoes-with-removable-heels-tanya-heath-of-tanya-heath-paris#t=1377) Bootstrapping, debt, and reaching profitability
- [32:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-11-08-026-developing-shoes-with-removable-heels-tanya-heath-of-tanya-heath-paris#t=1979) Intellectual property issues and counterfeiters
- [38:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-11-08-026-developing-shoes-with-removable-heels-tanya-heath-of-tanya-heath-paris#t=2287) Founder wellbeing, family support, and work-life balance
- [46:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-11-08-026-developing-shoes-with-removable-heels-tanya-heath-of-tanya-heath-paris#t=2773) Advice on conviction and handling failure

## Topics

- [Mechanical engineering](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/mechanical-engineering)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Intellectual property](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/intellectual-property)
- [Founder wellbeing](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/founder-wellbeing)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Tanya Heath Paris (company)
- Mako Design + Invent (company)
- FM Academy (other)
- Institue Francaise de la Maud (other)
- Hermes (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [HOKA: Jean-Luc Diard and Nicolas Mermoud. The “Clown Shoe” That Became a $2B Bonanza](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-02-02-hoka-jean-luc-diard-and-nicolas-mermoud-the-clown-shoe-that-became-a-2b-bonanza) (How I Built This)
- [On athletic shoes: Olivier Bernhard and Caspar Coppetti](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-07-22-on-athletic-shoes-olivier-bernhard-and-caspar-coppetti) (How I Built This)
- [Designing shoes for women's feet with Wes and Allyson Felix of Saysh (2023)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-01-11-designing-shoes-for-womens-feet-with-wes-and-allyson-felix-of-saysh-2023) (How I Built This)
- [Steve Madden: Steve Madden (2018)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-12-23-steve-madden-steve-madden-2018) (How I Built This)
- [Aviator Nation: Paige Mycoskie](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-01-01-aviator-nation-paige-mycoskie) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

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