Women’s feet are unique! A fact that is often overlooked by the footwear industry. While men’s feet tend to be wider and flatter, women’s feet have a different structure, with higher arches and narrower heels. This anatomical difference means that traditional women’s trainers are often simply scaled-down versions of men’s shoes, leading to discomfort and potential foot problems.

This issue is just one example of the wider gender gap in product design. Research has also shown that gym equipment is also predominantly designed with men in mind, and even safety features like seat belts are primarily tested on male bodies.

A dad who was tired of his daughters destroying expensive trainers by standing on the backs to take them off launches the world’s first lace-free performance slipper – engineered specifically for women’s feet, to solve this gender gap in footwear design.

Fourth-generation shoemaker Martin Dean, 46, spent five years perfecting the eco-friendly QLVR (pronounced Clever) athletic slip-ons, which use a ‘fast-fit’ system to ‘hug’ the foot – after being fascinated since childhood by the hands-free shoes featured in the film Back To The Future.

Martin, from St Albans, Hertfordshire, got the idea for the slippers’ 360-degree locked-in fit – offering better support and more natural movement than laces – from the mechanism of a dog ball thrower. 

And they promise to shave at least 30 seconds off a runner’s getting ready time thanks to QLVR’s slip-on style, which takes just one second per foot to put on, and removes the hassles of having to stop a workout when a lace comes undone.

‘We’ve been lacing our shoes since the Stone Age. It’s time to evolve!’ Footwear designer who was tired of his daughters ruining trainers by standing on the backs to take them off launches the world’s first running ‘slipper’ – built for WOMEN’S feet (and they take just two seconds to slip on)

Martin, who is married to Nicolle, said: “Like most children, my two daughters, Chloe, 18, and Yasmin, 14, were always stepping on the backs of their expensive trainers to take them off.

“I’ve been designing shoes for 30 years and have always been a fan of slip-ons, so when lockdown gave me more time to dedicate to this long-standing pet project, the ideas all started to come together quite quickly.

“The majority of all athletic footwear is made to fit a man’s foot shape, then downscaled to women’s sizes on that same tooling to save on production costs. The use of the lace allows this to work to a degree because the laces can take up the slack.

“But women’s feet are anatomically shaped differently to men’s; they are narrower at the heel, have a higher instep and a wider toe box, so the majority of women’s training shoes are just small men’s shoes. 

“They do not fit correctly and this can cause too much sliding forward of the foot, rubbing, blisters, instability and ultimately injuries. I’ve always questioned this, and it’s just not being prioritised in other brands, so we’re using our new technology to make better-fitting trainers, starting with women first.”

Martin, who has spent 30 years designing footwear for global brands, became obsessed with the idea of hands-free performance trainers around 2017. He was baffled by the fact that despite the amount of innovation in sports footwear in the past 50 years, designers were still relying on a piece of string to fasten them.

“We’ve been lacing our shoes since the Stone Age,” Martin said. “The world’s oldest shoes are from 3500BC, and they have a lace. It’s time to evolve! 

“We are forever looking at ways to streamline our lives, with gadgets invented for our convenience, instant communications, entertainment, computerised cars, making a phone call through our watch! Why has lacing up performance shoes not been challenged? I wanted to challenge the status quo.

“We have reimagined what the construction of athletic footwear can be, streamlining the construction and delivering better performance and convenience. 

Nicolle, co-founder of QLVR adds “Trying on the shoe for the first time is a surprisingly satisfying feeling, it’s unexpected to feel such a supported fit all around your foot without first doing laces up. The shoe looks a bit quirky and different but once you try it on, you get why it has to be different.”

Martin worked on a number of prototypes alongside his day job. But it wasn’t until 2020 that he had a breakthrough. During lockdown, he became tired of slipping off his lace-up shoes each time he came back into the house from the studio in the garden carrying stuff – and he wondered why there wasn’t a shoe that could slip on and off, without losing its structure.

Then in August 2020, while on a beach in Kent, Martin watched as a friend launched a ball for his dog using a thrower and, inspired by its expanding and contracting motion, had the initial idea for the now patented QLVR wing.

Martin said: “I was looking at the way the pre-moulded cup at the end of the stick mirrors the ball form and it’s in a closed position, to expand and contract to hold the ball in place, but with enough elasticity to hold the ball firmly until launch. I thought we could turn that upside down as a closure system for a shoe. That was the inspiration then came the eureka moment.

“I was doing design research online and was looking at animal bone structure and the way a bird’s wing can expand and contract. Applying the zig-zag formation to the cup idea meant we had something with the ability to move and support the foot in place of the regular army of components that are required to construct a traditional lace up performance shoe.

“I built a basic prototype sample in a much simpler design to see if the zig-zag collar would work. I wore and tested this model for a year and went through different variations and realised it would. Throughout that time around 2021 we showed it to various friends who experienced it and tried it on, and they kept having the same reaction: ‘that’s clever!’. So it started off as the Clever project, and became QLVR (pronounced Clever).”

Martin and Nicolle decided to focus on women’s feet as it’s not “being prioritised” by other brands. And making the Running Slippers as eco-friendly was also a priority. Martin wanted to make the best performance shoes possible, with the least amount of damage to the environment.

As a result, QLVR trainers – a versatile training shoe that’s ideal for 5km runs and cross training – are made using dandelion rubber-based foam, which is lightweight, and also contains sugarcane and plant fibres. The upper fabric is two-way stretch tencel yarn derived from sustainably grown eucalyptus wood. The wing is made from polymer derived from castor beans.

Martin said: “From a sustainability perspective, it’s important to point out that our objective is to build the best performance products but at the same time do the least amount of harm to the environment. So with every component we are looking at alternative materials which can deliver the best performance while being kinder to the planet. We don’t have all the answers but there are lots of amazing new materials coming to market all the time and part of our commitment as a brand is to continue to evolve and learn to find better solutions.”

After extensive testing, Martin has now launched QLVR trainers for pre-sale before his fundraising campaign kicks off on Kickstarter, to raise enough funds to cover manufacturing tooling and the first production – and eventually getting the QLVR shoes in stores.

During the Kickstarter campaign, the first customers will have a chance to get their name printed on the inside of the QLVR shoebox, be able to purchase a limited edition QLVR colour, and be able to enjoy bonus merchandise items. 

Martin said: “With QLVR Running Slippers, we have solved a problem everyone faces with their footwear – it puts an end to backs of shoes being squished down, to having to bend down to put on your trainers, and having to stop to keep tying your laces. This is the evolution of the athletic shoe!

“Our aim is to grow the brand by selling directly to customers globally – and then eventually through select retail. We’re really excited to see where this may lead – and to see customers experience for themselves the benefits of QLVR slippers!”

“The QLVR Running Slipper is unlike any other slip-on shoe. QLVR is designed for performance activities. Thanks to our women’s specific shape and our patented 360 ‘QLVR wing’ fit system, your feet will be greeted with a reassuring hug the second you step in. Providing that instant laced-up feeling without the need for laces. Superior comfort, stability and support at every step.”