Ever since I started my career in the corporate world 10 years ago, one major issue has always been shoe selection to remain professional while being fashionable at work. As a #SexandtheCity fan, I watched the countless episodes of #CarrieBradshaw walking down the streets of Manhattan in her Louboutin stilettos on her way to her job looking comfortable. So naturally on my first day to the office, I wore my high heels. My journey started from Hoboken NJ on my way to Wall Street NY, via the Path Train... THIS WAS #THEWORSTDECISIONEVER! Who wears heels on the train? NO ONE!!! It was then I realized that most women go to their #ninetofive wearing sneakers or flats while carrying their business shoes in a separate bag.
As the years went by, I started accumulating a series of must have shoes in my office: the cute flats, the nude pumps, and the black stilettos. Why carry my shoes when I can leave them at work. With these three shoes, I was able to go to the important stakeholders meetings, while being able to get comfortable when I was back at my desk. As seasons changed, so did my shoes and over time they started piling up around my desk, my filing cabinet and in a second bag in my locker. I knew I was not the only one with this problem, so I started to look online for a solution and all I could find were other people complaining about the same issue, people bringing in full shoe racks under their desk or worse just letting them lay around the desk or in filing cabinets. I’m sure there’s a slip hazard there somewhere! That’s why if you look under my desk or in my filing cabinet, there are at least three pairs of meeting ready shoes waiting to be called for duty.
Check out some of the Google images (from blogs, twitter, pinterest, etc...)
So, I took matters into my own hands and started thinking of ways to organize my shoes at my desk. First, I was thinking I need something fashionable like a tray, not some bulky shoe rack that would stick out like a sore thumb. Then, I said to myself, there is no way I am going to bring tool to work to install a shoe tray, so we needed something that would easily attach to a surface. Finally, working at open workplace, I needed something I can easily move around with me if I had to change desk. So I called my brother Jerry and we immediately started working on sketches. This is how the #DeskChic Shoe Tray story started.
So we started thinking about where and how we can easily attach a shoe tray at work, we did not want to just have a tray on the floor. See our sketches below, it took us some time to finally come to our final design but the process was worth it.
I would not say shoes are people too but they need to be treated with respect (not suffocating in a filing cabinet). Although we had many beautiful designs, we selected this sleek, highly fashionable design that makes it socially acceptable to display your shoes with pride at your #workplace. I am proud of the picture below which is our final prototype: a magnetic shoe tray in every sense, easy to install and does not require any tool. I present to you our #DeskChic #ShoeTray, so you have a fashionable way to #organize your shoes at work. #OfficeSwag, #DeskChic
So at #Trenzformers, we have a challenge for all reading this blog. After you purchase your #DeskChic Shoe Tray, show us how you use it at work, at home or anywhere.
#DeskChicChallenge: Pre-order your shoe tray now and in June post pictures of Before and After on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to win a free #DeskChic #ShoeTray. The person with the most likes on social media platform will be selected in July.
See links to blogs showing where people currently leave their shoes at work:
If you have any ideas worth pursuing, please leave us a message in our contact form and we can turn your IDEA into a BUSINESS VENTURE.
