Our Story

The Birth of an Idea

Penny Heels actually came into being, in my head, in 1999. I was at a wedding and I was watching the girls' heels sink into the grass and joking with them about how their heels were going to get ruined, how annoying it was and how life was much easier for men – yes, I'm a man!

I thought howgreat it would be if women could just attach something to the tips of their heels to stop them sinking and to protect their shoes. I couldn't believe that there was nothing on the market to combat this very real problem. I got thinking, but that's as far as things went, life got in the way...

From Idea to Product

Fast forward 4 years when my work situation changed. Suddenly, I was reminded of my idea and now I had the time to do something about it.

It took two years of trying out different ideas, materials and prototypes to finally settle on a design for production. Early prototypes consisted of metal discs and even buttons! Finally, we settled on polyethylene which, in its natural form, is a clear plastic. In fact, polyethylene is the material used for making heels of shoes, it's simply dyed to match the rest of the shoe!

The next stage was testing. Many experiments and tests were performed to find the right flexibility and diameter for the discs. Too rigid and they might break, too flexible and they might fold into the ground. Too big and they'd look ugly, too small and they would not protect the heel from sinking. Testing, and trial and error, took a considerable amount of time but not as long as the next stage...

How on earth was a woman supposed to attach the disc to her heel?

We tried many different adhesives before settling on a type of VHB (Very High Bonding) adhesive. We needed the discs to stick on the heels for long enough to be useful, but not to be permanent. Something to allow a woman to walk around and socialise, without sinking into the ground, but which she could take off when she needed to walk on concrete or gravel.

It was tricky to find the perfect solution, and many different adhesives were tested by my lovely partner, Rebecca (and her 1000 pairs of shoes!), in the parks and gardens of Windsor.

The Final Product

We now had a product and we'd found a good manufacturer, but the discs were missing a name. A brainstorming session came up with Anti-sinkers, Ladies' Friends, Heel Savers and many more truly awful names. Then, eureka, Penny Heels was mentioned! An obvious name for these penny sized discs.

After a design and branding phase, Penny Heels were ready to get out there and save the heels of the planet!

Taking the World by Storm

Penny Heels have gone from being an idea in 1999 to being sold for the first time through this website in March 2007.

Since then, Penny Heels have been:-

• Supplied through chains like Wallis
  ( a women's clothing store)
• Sold in independent bridal shops
• Sold to the National Trust in Scotland – to provide to wearers of high heels who visit the National Trust's historic houses and castles, and tread all over their lovely wooden floors.
• Featured on GMTV – Lorraine Kelly got very excited about Penny Heels!

OK, so we haven't taken over the world yet but we have made a difference to many women's lives and the state of their shoes!

No need to say ciao to your Choos or bye to your Blahniks!

PennyHeels are the perfect “must have” solution to your high heel worries.

It couldn't be easier to protect your glamorous designer high heels or your favourite stilettos from mud and water damage.

PennyHeels are barely visible and give you the confidence to wear that carefully planned outfit, whatever the weather, wherever you're going and whatever you're walking on.

When you're dressed to kill, don't murder your shoes

These penny-shaped transparent discs are made of high-quality, durable plastic and are simply stuck onto the bottom of a stiletto or kitten heel.

They will stay in place on grass for several hours, are water resistant, and you can barely see that they’re on – so even when the heavens open at your summer party, you know your heels will stay in one place!

If one is dislodged, no problem - there are two pairs in each pack ensuring you always have a spare.

Heely easy...

When the dancing is over at the wedding, or when the bets are all in after a day at the races, simply remove the PennyHeels by twisting off the transparent discs. They leave no marks or damage and keep your heels in tip-top condition.

PennyHeel Benefits

• Anti-slip – To add grip when you're walking on wooden floors
• Stop heels sinking in soft or damp ground
• Protect wooden floors
• Protect your high heels
• Disposable
• Stop stilettos getting caught in decking
• Allow you to stay in vogue

Don't leave your heels at home!

PennyHeels give you the freedom to wear your high heels whenever you want to.

Don't let the British weather, lawns or wooden floors limit your freedom!

Feel confident and look good

PennyHeels don't affect the look of your heels, unlike some heel protectors which wrap around your heel or fit over the end of your heel.

PennyHeels simply stick on the bottom of your heel AND they are transparent.

Whatever your style and shoe – Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin or chain store shoes –

PennyHeels keep them, and you, looking good.

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