Danish Sargossa is bridging the gap between style and comfort
At some point in their lives most women have faced the question: should I go with the graceful high heels but have my legs and feet suffer almost unbearable pain at the end of the day OR choose the comfortable, practical but boring shoes? Based on a mission to terminate this dilemma once and for all Danish Nanna Liv has now designed a solution that will make wearing heels a walk in the park.
The dilemma is highly probable one that the shoe industry have tried to solve for years. Now, based on a background in industrial design, great knowledge regarding fashion and an even bigger portion of obstinacy the 27 year old Dane Nanna Liv have brought her solution to the dilemma to life.
The idea emerged as Nanna Liv was working for Pandora in Great Britain. In her job she often had to stand for hours in high heels during trade fairs.
“My feet were hurting a lot and I started thinking that it is actually weird that most heels are designed by men who are not going to wear them themselves.”
Perfection does the job
Almost three years went by from idea to satisfaction with the product.
“I might not be the first person ever to try to invent comfortable heels. But I am
a perfectionist and I kept going until I was fully satisfied with the result. I didn’t quit at any point, not even in severe times,” Nanna Liv explains
In her search for the perfect comfortable heel Nanna Liv bought no less than 76 different pairs of shoes from Amazon. She ripped apart the shoes in order to realise how they work and what makes them comfortable.
“I guess Amazon must have thought I was a strange customer. Why does one person buy 76 pairs of shoes?” Nanna Liv laughs
The next move for Nanna Liv was to contact all the leading podiatrists in Great Britain. She wanted to obtain a thorough understanding of the anatomy of the foot and use this as a base line for the design of the shoe.
After this Nanna Liv started designing the shoe herself and finding the right manufacturer. One and a half year ago the right shoes finally arrived from China, and Nanna Liv could start a patent application that covers the special sole. A sole which among other things is made of a fibre material also used by Nasa.
High heels and high ambitions
At last year’s London Fashion Week Sargossa Shoes was a one-woman show. Nonetheless it made the British fashion journalists enthuse and they termed it a revolution within womens shoes. The press coverage in the British media has helped ensuring that Sargossa is selling so well today, that the company has 8 employees including Nanna Liv.
Last week Nanna Liv was exhibiting at London Fashion Week for the second time. Most of the shoes from this years collection is already sold out even before they have left the factory in China.
“I’m super excited when I see that the customers are returning to the webshop and that they typically buy two pairs of shoes and not just one. This really makes me proud”
Nanna Liv’s ambitions for Sargossa does not end with a trade fair and a webshop however
“I still haven’t started negotiating with investors but my ambition is to open a Sargossa chain of stores,” Nanna Liv explains about the future
