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Reinventing the high heel
16 Oct '15
2 min read
There is good news for women who love high heels but can’t wear them because they cause pain. A rocket scientist, an astronaut and an orthopedist are reinventing the high heel in the US, according to media reports.
Thesis Couture, a Los Angeles-based start-up is creating a high heel made from high-grade polymer specifically designed to be much more comfortable than any other contemporary high heel.
Thesis Couture is the brainchild of Founder and CEO Dolly Singh who was fed up with uncomfortable heels while she worked as the head of talent acquisition at SpaceX, the aerospace manufacturer.
Worried that heels would damage her feet, she applied her start-up know-how and hired a team of designers, techies and engineering whiz kids to improve high-heel science. Her logic: If we can build rockets, we can make better shoes too.
The structure of a high heel relies on a single metal shank running along the sole of the shoe providing a very stiff and uncomfortable platform that puts 75 per cent of the pressure on the ball of the foot.
Dolly Singh and her team are trying to adjust the distribution of load so that the ball of the foot carries 50 per cent of the weight and the heel carries the other 50 per cent such that the impact and the pain is lessened.
The new design is created from ballistic-grade polymer and black thermoplastic polyurethane, which cushion the foot. A platform section is made from aerospace-grade foam.
The prototypes are printed on 3D computers and then Singh duct-tapes them to her feet so she can walk around and test their comfort.
Thesis Couture shoes won’t come cheap. A limited edition of 1,500 shoes, priced at $925, will be released later this year, and two small collections will be released priced between $300-$900 in 2016. (SH)
Thesis Couture, a Los Angeles-based start-up is creating a high heel made from high-grade polymer specifically designed to be much more comfortable than any other contemporary high heel.
Thesis Couture is the brainchild of Founder and CEO Dolly Singh who was fed up with uncomfortable heels while she worked as the head of talent acquisition at SpaceX, the aerospace manufacturer.
Worried that heels would damage her feet, she applied her start-up know-how and hired a team of designers, techies and engineering whiz kids to improve high-heel science. Her logic: If we can build rockets, we can make better shoes too.
The structure of a high heel relies on a single metal shank running along the sole of the shoe providing a very stiff and uncomfortable platform that puts 75 per cent of the pressure on the ball of the foot.
Dolly Singh and her team are trying to adjust the distribution of load so that the ball of the foot carries 50 per cent of the weight and the heel carries the other 50 per cent such that the impact and the pain is lessened.
The new design is created from ballistic-grade polymer and black thermoplastic polyurethane, which cushion the foot. A platform section is made from aerospace-grade foam.
The prototypes are printed on 3D computers and then Singh duct-tapes them to her feet so she can walk around and test their comfort.
Thesis Couture shoes won’t come cheap. A limited edition of 1,500 shoes, priced at $925, will be released later this year, and two small collections will be released priced between $300-$900 in 2016. (SH)
Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India
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