CAMiLEON Heels: Interview with CEO Lauren Handel

“Our shoes have been developed to provide women with maximal comfort, wear, stability, function and performance. We are certain that our shoes will exceed women’s’ expectations in all of these areas,” says Lauren Handel, half of the brother-and-sister team that created and launched CAMiLEON Heels.

What is it about the design that makes these sexy shoes comfortable, practical, and extraordinary?

• You can take them from 3 1/4” down to 1 1/2” depending on what you need.

• There are locking mechanisms in the heel to protect the wearer—for both heights. That means they won’t fold or collapse accidentally while you’re wearing them, causing an injury.

• The portion of the heel stowed beneath the arch of the shoe is made of aluminum, so that makes the heel stronger AND less likely to become scratched or damaged. They’re resistant to wear-and-tear, and have a high-gloss finish (the result of six coats of paint!).

• These heels are connected to the shoe with screws—not nails or glue. That means they’re less likely to detach. There’s nothing like a broken heel to ruin your day!

• CAMiLEON Heels are a combination of a unique foot form (“last”), supple Italian leathers, and flexible leather soles. That mix keeps the arch support intact and ensures a higher level of comfort than most shoes with a similar heel height. Shoes feel great on, whether they’re in the high or low heel position.

• You don’t even have to take the shoe off to adjust the heel height, so whether you’re sitting at your desk, propping up against the wall—it doesn’t matter. You don’t even need any tools to switch from one height to the other. With the ability to switch to a lower heel height when you need it, you reap so many benefits.

For a closer look at CAMiLEON Heels, LoveToKnow went to Lauren Handel, CEO of CAMiLEON Heels, to get more information:

Tell me about your experience in fashion and how you got the idea to create the CAMiLEON Heels.

I have no formal education, training or work experience in the field of fashion. My only claim to “fashion” is my long-standing appreciation and value I place on exceptional design, construction, intrinsic beauty, uniqueness and quality in any form of apparel or accessory.

The genesis for CAMiLEON Heels came from inside a New York City taxi cab one sunny day in 1989. As my brother, David, rode down Manhattan's 5th Avenue, he couldn't help but notice that many of the beautifully dressed women walking to and from work along the city sidewalk wore sneakers on their feet. At the time, David's two young sons enjoyed playing with "Transformers - Robots in Disguise." As he watched these fashionable women walk, David wondered, "If they can turn robots into high-performance vehicles, surely there must be a way to transform a high heel into a low-heeled, comfort version of the very same shoe."

David's innovative mind went into overdrive and his vision for this new concept in footwear took hold. As a practicing diagnostic radiologist with a special interest in musculoskeletal problems, years of medical training, and a keen understanding of the human anatomy, he set out to develop the first of many designs that ultimately would lead to a fully functioning, adjustable-height shoe. The process took more than a decade.

I joined my brother in 2004 to help further develop the technology and incorporate footwear designs that would enable stable and durable adjustable-height capabilities in women's high heel footwear.

Our passion and vision for creating a solution for women and the many problems associated with wearing high heels (along with my own long-standing passion for footwear) and the result of our prolonged research and testing led us to CAMiLEON Heels - the first fully-functioning, adjustable height high heel shoe for women. The ability to vary heel height according to need or desire clearly provides substantial positive effects for women who choose to wear high-heeled shoes.

These are some sexy shoes, whether they're high or low. How do they shift from the tallest heel height to the lowest and back again? What's the technology like behind the shoes?

Adjusting CAMiLEON Heels from high-to-low heel positions is accomplished in three easy steps:

Step 1 Wrap one hand around the top of the heel, and pull down on the lower half with the other hand to take it from the upright locked position.

Step 2 Now that the heel is no longer locked, push forward on the lower section until it is directly under the arch in the shoe.

Step 3 Push the tip of the stowed heel backward until it is locked into position in the upper heel cavity.

Done!

Once you’ve made the adjustment from a high-to-low heel position, you should no longer be able to see the upper edge of the stowed heel. Reverse the previous steps to go from a low-to-high heel position.

All of the CAMiLEON heels are so classic and beautiful, but do you have a favorite?

With respect to our current styles, the sand-colored Alessia is my favorite. Its simplicity, elegance, and design lines make this shoe an incredibly flattering, sexy and versatile shoe. It looks fabulous and feels great with either work or casual attire.

I will tell you, though, that I have developed several other designs for fall 2007 and spring 2008. I’d be really hard-pressed to have to choose a favorite out of our upcoming styles, as there are four different shoes that I love!

How easy is it to switch from high heels to low? Could I wear these in the low heel form on a daily commute to work, for example, and then switch to the higher form when I got to the office without too much fuss?

There’s no fuss at all with CAMiLEON Heels. Adjusting from high-to-low heel positions literally takes seconds and is accomplished in three simple steps--tug, tuck, click! Heel height can be adjusted anytime, anywhere, standing or seated, although I’d always recommend it’s best to make adjustments while seated.

How often, on average, does a customer need to order replacement heel tips for CAMiLEON heels?

Our heel tips are made of a highly durable rubber. They certainly will wear over time. I would imagine that heel tips would need to be replaced once, maybe twice, over the life of the shoe. Just as with any other heel tip on any other brand shoe, it really depends how often the shoes are being worn and what kinds of surfaces the shoes are worn on. Worn heel tips on the high heel portion of the heel are standard heel tips and can be replaced by any shoe repair person. Our low heel tips are unique to the design of our shoes and, once worn, can be replaced by simply purchasing a pair of replacement tips on our website, at cost, and taking them along with their shoes to any shoe repair person to be replaced.

Would you say CAMiLEON heels are more comfortable than the average high heel shoe? If so, what is it about the design that makes them that way?

Absolutely, CAMiLEON Heels are more comfortable than the average high heel. I can say that with confidence, not only from my own personal experience but from the consistent feedback I’ve received from women who have worn our shoes. This is one of the things that I have been most pleased about. Literally, with the exception of one woman who almost constantly wear Birkenstock’s, every other woman who has tried on a pair of CAMiLEON Heels in my presence says one of two things immediately: she either exclaims, “I can’t believe how comfortable this shoe is!” or, “This is the most comfortable high heel I’ve ever tried on!”

As we began our research and development, our goal was to develop and bring to market the world’s first adjustable-height high heel shoes; it was not to create the world’s most comfortable high heel shoe. Inadvertently, though, because of our unique last design, in addition to making heel height adjustments possible we also created an extremely comfortable high heel. I could get more technical and explain why that is, but then I’d be divulging one of the secrets to our sauce!

Additionally, there are so many other aspects of our shoes that provide comfort to the wearer. Soft and supple Italian leathers, flexible leather outsoles, lightly padded foot beds are just some of the other reasons why CAMiLEON Heels are so comfortable. All a woman has to do is try on a pair and she’ll immediately experience for herself how amazingly comfortable they are.

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