Our History
In 2015, Mercedes Berberian, a devoted mother, wife, and college student at Washington State University, came up with the innovative concept of convertible footwear. Motivated by her research into women’s challenges and environmental issues, she set out to create a groundbreaking solution.
Her goal is to improve women’s lives by offering practical and comfortable footwear, while also promoting environmental sustainability through resource optimization.
Using her own resources, including screws from her ceiling light, she created her first prototype at home. This resourceful approach reflects her dedication to making a positive impact on women's lives and the environment.
In 2016, she delved deeper into researching traditional manufacturing methods, raw material usage, and the environmental impact of these processes.
After graduating with a BA and achieving fluency in English, alongside her native Spanish, she established her brand name and designed an icon that serves as an abbreviation for the product's unique selling point:
"It can convert from High to Low" heels. These are referred to as HI•LO, with the icon symbolizing the heel as a potent emblem of women's empowerment.
In 2017, she traveled extensively across the USA and internationally, actively engaging with engineering companies to enable large-scale product manufacturing. Her careful selection of a reputable company located in Silicon Valley, California, marked the beginning of the initial phase of design for manufacturing and prototyping.
In 2018, Mercedes successfully obtained her patents and finalized the second phase product development agreement to bring her innovative product to the market. This phase was crucial for gaining invaluable product development insights.
Furthermore, she completed an intensive sustainable business strategy program at Harvard Business School, equipping herself with practical tools to empower business leaders in buildinga more sustainable world.
During her college years, she delved into the history of women around the world, igniting her passion to allocate a portion of her sales to underprivileged women and to champion organizations focused on “women helping women”. Mercedes firmly believes that empowering women enriches society as a whole, as women are inclined to reinvest in their families and communities.
Notably, during this time, the #MeToo Movement achieved global recognition, and the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize was rightfully bestowed upon women survivors for their relentless efforts to eradicate sexual violence as a weapon in times of war and conflict.
Founder & CEO History
In 2019, the initial manufacturing designs were excellent, but she and her engineering team were not satisfied with settling. Their goal was to take the product to new heights. This required a strong commitment to continuous improvement, rigorous analysis, extensive prototyping, and thorough testing throughout the year.
She began a global quest to identify superior manufacturing techniques and processes. Meanwhile, Mercedes developed a pioneering dual locking system intended for future incorporation into the footwear.
In the 2020-2022 period, footwear samples were finally ready for inspection. However, the materials felt as if the engineering company was starting to disengage from finalizing the product. Meanwhile, Mercedes fell seriously ill with COVID and pneumonia, and the engineering company abandoned her project, breaching the contract.
She struggled to find affordable legal help, as attorney fees were exorbitant, and her budget was limited while she was still weak and recovering.
In 2023-2024, despite facing challenges, Mercedes persevered and found alternative engineers to help her complete the project. We are continually refining our products and conducting rigorous quality assurance inspections as we prepare to begin the production of samples!
Creating Positive Change
Sustainability is in our DNA, achieving a new level of an intelligent design and manufacturing process, that optimizes the use of our resources minimizing the environmental footprint impact.
