Ladies, have you ever found yourself near tears at the end of a long evening because your shoes are killing you? It’s called shoeicide, meaning you are literally ready to throw those beautiful Jimmy Choos in the trash. Well cry no more, Flat Out has a quick remedy; a super sleek ballet flat that easily rolls up or lays completely flat tand actually fits inside a small clutch.
Dawn W. Dickson, part-time Miami Beach resident, Creator, President and CEO of Flat Out of Heels, LLC. , knew she needed to provide women with a stylish quick solution to sore feet. Which explains why she strategically designed and launched the product in August 2011. Since then, celebs including Kelly Rowland, Adrienne Maloof and Nancy O’Dell amongst other fabulous women have been rescued by the rollable flats. After an exclusive interview with the CEO herself we discovered what makes these slip-ons fashionably priceless.
1. What inspired your idea and helped you to actually execute it? I was inspired to launch Flat Out of Heels after a long night in heels and I needed relief. It was my 'ah-ha' moment, I was literally standing in heels for 8 hours in Miami and I wanted to take off my shoes so bad but I was in a professional environment and I am too classy to walk barefoot. I remember my feet hurt so badly and there was nowhere to get some shoes at that hour. That is when I got the idea for the vending machine, I started to research to see if the concept existed in the U.S. and it did not. I saw it a great opportunity so I jumped on it. I wrote a business plan and had some great friends invest in me and things took off.
2. Did you have a background in fashion or more of a passion for fashion? Neither really! My background is in marketing and event planning, I realized from coordinating many events and seeing women leave barefoot, that after hours in heels almost every woman needs relief. I have a passion for comfort and I would like to be comfortable and cute at the same time. I have never been into brand names or designer labels, but I don't like cheap looking products. That is why I decided to create a fashionable product that is reasonably priced but not 'cheap' in appearance. Flat Out of Heels are more durable than competing brands while maintaining a sold in vending machine price point of $19.99 for our signature style.
3. Do you plan on adding new designs, colors each season? Yes, Flat Out of Heels will introduce new styles and colors each season. In August 2012 we debuted our Spring/Summer 2013 collections at the Atlanta Shoe Market and the MAGIC show in Las Vegas. We did a limited release of new spring styles and sold out quickly in December and January, the collection will launch next month. We have some exciting new styles planned for next season, I love to play around with different fabrics and textures and see how they look on a rollable flat.
4. How long should one expect them to last? I wear my Flat Outs everyday, they can last a very long time under normal wear, however, like with any shoe; extreme wear and tear can shorten the life span. I say at least 6 months without needing a replacement. Flat Outs are machine washable.
You never know when you could end up with a broken-shoe, blister or just plain tired feet. Thus, cry no more, hide a pair in your handbag, car, travel bag or office desk. You can purchase your emergency pairs at www.flatoutofheels.com for only $12.99. Trust that you won’t be Flat out of luck again as these are genius a la mode!
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