For over 25 years, Sara Blakely has been advocating for women through product by putting comfort at the epicenter of design and development. First with Spanx and now with Sneex. Once a door-to-door salesperson who started Spanx with $5000 of savings, the successful billionaire is back on a new mission – to address the agony that women often feel when they wear high heels.
Sneex founder follows on from her success with Spanx
Sara Blakely is a superwoman phenomenon. A well known inventor, category creator and an industry disruptor who asks for signs from the Universe. She is described as an intuitive brand expert who can embody the heart and mind of the consumer by putting herself in their shoes
A seeker of ideas who has spent her life building the courage and mindset to pursue them. Blakely was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the world and was featured on the cover of Forbes Magazine as the youngest self-made female billionaire. When she’s not disrupting industries, setting world records, or making pancakes in crazy shapes for her four small kids… she dreams of a world where the feminine and masculine energy is more balanced. She is committed to women’s empowerment and has donated millions of dollars to support and elevate women and girls around the world through her foundation, and in 2012, she signed The Giving Pledge, committing half her life’s wealth to philanthropy.
Committed to making women’s lives better
Spanx was an incredible success for Sara Blakely. Will Sneex be the same?
Blakely has told media, “We’ve been fed the line that beauty is pain… but does it have to be? When people ask me, why shoes, why now? I say, “have you ever worn high heels!?” I’ve been dreaming of inventing comfortable high heels since I started wearing them. But I was bored with the other options in my closet. I craved a completely new kind of shoe, something that sparked playfulness and made me excited to get dressed again.”
So Blakely has designed a shoe that combines the style of a traditional high heel with the performance and comfort of a sneaker, which gives women more freedom to wear heels than ever before. Sneakers on heels are not new. We have seen variations before. “Sneex is more than just a sneaker with a heel. It’s been years of innovation and iteration.”
Blakely is clearly passionate about her latest invention. On the Sneex website, she wrote.
“We broke the mold while creating a new mold, one that addresses all of our major pain points in high heels. I hope Sneex encourages women to reach new heights, to push the envelope and to never settle. Not in life… or in fashion. Sneex are my love letter to every woman who has taken her shoes off at a party, who wears flats to work with heels in her bag, who thought her days of wearing heels were over. I hope Sneex gives women that extra inch (or 3 ) to chase their dreams. After all, it’s hard to change the world when your feet hurt. “
The Sneex innovation insight
With the invention of Sneex, Blakely has focussed on solving three key pain points that are typical in high heel construction. First, the lack of support between the foot and the sole of the shoe, causing discomfort and wobbly heels. Second, the crushing feeling on the ball of the foot caused by unequal weight distribution. Thirdly, the squeezing of the toes. A patent-pending design solves these three issues, giving women comfort and walkability without compromising style.
“Men invented the high heel centuries ago, and its basic construction hasn’t really changed,” Blakely said. “There has been a void in comfortable footwear, and women deserve a new option. I wanted to create a luxury high heel that prioritizes how women feel, not just how we look. We are fed the line that ‘beauty is pain’… but I don’t believe it has to be. As a consumer, I have wanted to solve this problem for years.”
With Sneex, Blakely also felt she was providing something missing from the elevated comfort trend. “Consumers are dressing much more casually now,” Blakely said. “While sneakers have been embraced as an option, there have been many times I’ve put on clothes and still want the height and look of a heel with the vibe of a sneaker. There was an opportunity there.”
Sneex, The Tepper
You can run on Sneex
Blakely told Vogue US (who have incidentally given the brand a lukewarm review) that she has gotten positive reactions from people who have tested out the shoes. “The women that have put them on, they almost all immediately start dancing—like spontaneously bust out into dance—and then they take off running,” she says. “And then I’ve had several women actually cry. I have footage of them crying.”
Endnote
Blakely changed women’s lives when she invented Spanx. But then again, Spanx were invisible, a hidden woman’s secret. Will this very visible hybrid heel be as successful?
Eva Thomas writing for InStyle suggests they may well be, “While Sneex is certain to draw some opinions—the internet will absolutely be divided on this sneaker-heel hybrid—I can’t help but mention a few things. Fashion is about sparking emotions. It’s about conversations! And these sneaker-heels are certain to stop people in their tracks, spark up a conversation or two, and really make wearing shoes fun again.
Plus, given fashion’s appreciation for the “ugly” (which doesn’t mean “ugly” in the traditional sense, but rather some a bit more outside-the-box), Sneex’s styles fit right in.”
Before the internet breaks, you may want to give them a spin yourself, Longevity will do too.
Technical references
Sneex are handcrafted in Spain from napa leather and suede. Prices range from $395 to $595 in whole sizes ranging from $5-11.
