Haley Pavone Reinvents the Heel: Fashion is an Ethics and Equity Issue

When Haley Pavone proposed a convertible high heel to flat shoe, industry experts told her it was impossible. When she successfully engineered a shoe that could convert from a flat to a heel, venture capitalists often couldn't see the value--or even the problem. Fashion footwear for women is an industry-developed by and run by men. In the episode, Haley talks about equity and inclusion in fashion and explains how she engineered the first convertible flat to heel shoe. We talk about empathic and humane design, feminism and entrepreneurship, and why ethical technology requires us to think about how we'd walk a mile in someone else's shoes.

Haley Pavone is the Founder & CEO of Pashion Footwear. She is a Cal Poly graduate in Business and Entrepreneurship, and an alumnus of the University's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She has appeared been profiled by Forbes, Businesswire, and she recently appeared on the critically acclaimed and multi-Emmy® Award-winning entrepreneurial-themed ABC reality show “Shark Tank.” She’s passionate about empathic and humane design, and building collectively and collaboratively, with insight, inclusion, and compassion.

Art by Desi Aleman
Produced by Matt Perry