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For Women, By Women
Chapman House
With Pashion Footwear

Welcome

Pashion Footwear is a start-up company based out of San Luis Obispo, CA. With the idea of taking practical fashion on the go, this women-powered team takes daily strides of success with goals of empowering women. For Pashion Footwear's offical site click here.

Women Creating for Women

“Hot House, San Luis Obispo | January 30 | Haley Pavone |Your shoes should adapt to your day as epicly as you do,” said business senior and Pashion Footwear CEO Haley Pavone. What once started as a dream drawn down on a napkin has turned into a $250,000 start-up just two years later that’s both practical and fashionable: Pashion Footwear. Hot House, San Luis Obispo | January 26 | Pashion Footwear is a line of fashionable heels that can be broken down into flats. Pavone said the inspiration for the product came from her sorority’s spring formal after being struck by another woman’s heel as she danced barefoot. She decided women needed shoes that were both trendy and practical. Hot House, San Luis Obispo | January 26 | Tyler Unbehand | Industrial technology and packaging junior Tyler Unbehand was sold to the idea after Pavone drew it out on a paper napkin. As Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Co-Founder, Unbehand oversees prototyping, product design and development. “Choosing to wear heels can be a much more emotional choice than many realize and we hope to make that choice easier and let woman be who they want, when they want,” said Unbehand. Higuera Street, San Luis Obispo | January 30 | Pavone and Unbehand applied to the Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship’s (CIE) Hatchery Program to begin working on their company. After claiming first place prizes at both CIE’s Elevator Pitch Competition and Innovation Quest Competition, they believed their next best step would be to apply to the Hot House. It is here that the Pashion Footwear office has set up shop Hot House, San Luis Obispo | January 26 | left to right: Madi Krasny, Haley Pavone, Tyler Unbehand, Skylar Crumbley and Seiji van Bronkhorst | Since then, the team has grown from two to 12. Some of these additions include graphic communication sophomore Madi Kransy as Director of Social Media, business senior Skylar Crumbley as Marketing Lead and mechanical engineering junior Seiji van Bronkhorst as Footwear Design Director. The team considers each other not only co-workers but friends. Hot House, San Luis Obispo | January 26 | Pavone believes her secret ingredient to making a successful shoe is her female perspective. Collapsable shoes have been attempted before but only by men. “Men can make a really damn good working shoe, but they didn’t pay attention to what women actually look for in their footwear,” said Pavone. By understanding the pain and issues women go through while wearing heels, Pavone thinks she can develop the best solution. Hot House, San Luis Obispo | January 30 | Pashion Footwear will first release their line with three different shoe styles “Goddess”, “Girl Boss” and “Pashionista”. Each style was based off of the wants and needs of the company’s three main target audiences: college students, young working women and the “cool mom”. Hot House, San Luis Obispo | January 30 | “Goddess” is made for the college student who mainly wears heels when going out on the weekends. “Girl Boss” has a closed-toe look and is meant for working women who wear heels five days a week. “Pashionista” is meant for the more mature audience who like how they look in heels but can’t always physically handle it. Hot House, San Luis Obispo | January 30 | “What our product gives them is the ability to still make their grand entrance in their heels, take pictures in their heels, show up, they’re living life. But, if it becomes too much, they can easily go to a flat that matches their outfit and they still feel trendy,” said Pavone. Once the company is able to expand, they hope to release full annual lines of different colors and styles. Hot House, San Luis Obispo | January 26 | left to right: Haley Pavone and Madi Krasny | Pashion Footwear also hopes to break down societal expectations by encouraging women to work hard and look good while doing it. “Yes, we want to sell the amazing idea of a convertible high heel, but we also want to spread strong female empowerment and a girl-boss mentality,” said graphic communication sophomore and Director of Social Media Madi Krasny. Hot House, San Luis Obispo | January 26 | Pavone said her overall hope for the brand is to create a shoe that doesn’t stop women from living their life. “Look, you can be that fashionable girl but you can also go get shit done and there’s no reason why you can’t do both,” said Pavone.

Women Working with Women

Click on each image to hear what it means to Pashion Footwear's staff to be able to work for a women-powered team.

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Women Giving Back to Women

Pashion Footwear will unveil a philanthropic initiative with their third wave of shoes. Learn more about how they hope their customers will "Get Pashionate" in order to give back to the women in their community.

By the numbers

Women in Entrepreneurship
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