From Bunions to Crowdfunding Success – and Beyond

Yamina developed bunions (hallux valgus) and it got so bad that it was even painful for her to walk just a couple of steps. The cause behind the trouble? All of her shoes she has ever worn squeezed the toes and the balls of her feet.

It was 2014 back then, when she heard the first time about "barefoot shoes", also called "minimal shoes". So Yamina got some of these barefoot shoes and they were an instant relief for her feet. She gained her mobility back and after a short while and some foot training, she could walk and even run without problems.

Being Painless and Moving Freely was Priceless

Naturally, there was no going back, but she also wanted to have some nice looking sandals to wear with a dress. But there were only running shoes, sneakers, or outdoor-ish looking sandals and boots on the market.

Ergo she started to tinker with parachute cord and leather scraps to make her own minimalist sandals. Those worked quite well, but still looked a bit rough and also didn't last very long. But they were the most decent shoes to wear with a dress. And also, we were about to go travel the world, and those sandals were lightweight and small. So she made three pairs of them and off we went to Mexico.

Inventing the Perfect Travel Shoes – Inspired by the Caribbean, Melding German Engineering & Spanish Shoemaking Artistry

A couple of months later, in Santa Marta (Colombia), Yamina's last pair of DIY sandals died, when a tropical rain storm surprised us. We were on a hike and she had to walk back home barefoot.

The timing couldn’t have been better, because we had a great opportunity to get a replacement: In Mexico and Colombia, artisan shoe makers are a big part of the everyday street scene. They have their stalls in public areas where they make and sell their traditional sandals, which are usually artful and quite fancy.

Click the picture: Original Spot Where the First HIGH FEELS Prototype Was Made

It happened that Yamina convinced one of the artisan shoemakers on the beach of Santa Marta to custom make her a simple pair of sandals, according to her own design: Toering, strap over the instep, laces to tie around the ankle, and of course a thin sole without a heel. They were just finished in the morning of departure!

There it is – Our Very First Protoype

Yamina posted the picture on her Instagram and people got pretty excited about the sandals. From this moment onwards, the idea to get them somehow manufactured was a constant companion.

Becoming Professional

At first, I wasn't very fond of the idea to build a physical product involving sourcing, factories and logistics, since I had only experience with digital products. Old-school manufacturing bore many unknowns for me and it felt like such a huge mountain to climb.

But eventually I was sold on the idea, because I knew we were going to build something amazing that really empowers people (especially women, who we believed needed a chic alternative to high heels). Hence the name "HIGH FEELS".

HIGH FEELS is All About Empowerment

It’s about feeling free, moving with ease and looking stunning while doing it. The connection to the ground is where it all begins – if you are a dancer or martial artist, you know what I mean.

For us, barefoot shoes felt like unlocking a new superpower. We wanted others to experience what we felt: the ability to stand tall and grounded, secure and ready for whatever life brings.

But we do not want the freedom of the one to the burden of another: Yamina and I care deeply about animals – and we refuse to be part of the exploitation chain. That’s why all our shoes are 100% vegan.

Crowdfunding Success on Kickstarter

In 2016, after months refining the design and meeting with potential manufacturers in Asia and Europe, we went public and launched our crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. We've been funded with over 100,000.00 € by 1200 backers and we were ready to run our first production in Portugal.

Oh, and What About the Bunions?

Well, they haven't completely disappeared, but they are hardly visible any more and no longer cause any discomfort.