Meet Birgit Sas-sundquest | Founder of Empress of Heels

We had the good fortune of connecting with Birgit Sas-sundquest and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Birgit, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
In 2018 I quit my corporate job to finally pursue my dream of owning a webshop with high heels only. I started with selling other brands. In 2019 my webshop started to thrive, but unfortunately Covid hit hard! No-one was going out any more and nobody went into the office. So there was no need for high heels as almost everyone shifted to comfortable footwear like sneakers.

I started walking a lot, thinking about my future and my dream of having my own high heels shoe brand. During those walks I noticed how nature was thriving as humans slowed down. I have always been an animal lover and a great believer in the fact that animals should not suffer for our fashion choices. Combined with the thriving of nature I decided that my shoe brand would not only be vegan but also as sustainable as possible.

And that’s how my brand Empress of Heels came to life! Vegan heels, handmade for comfort and only using vegan leathers made from apple waste, corn fiber and recycled materials like plastic bottles. Besides that all our materials are sourced within Europe and the shoes are made within Europe. This way I can ensure short transport routes resulting in less carbon monoxide and I can ensure safe work environments throughout the chain of suppliers. Not only that: the workers all get paid a fair wage.

With Empress of Heels I also want to give back, that’s why with every purchase a donation is made to the Gouves Animal Shelter on the island of Crete.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Empress of Heels has one of the most comfortable vegan heels in the world. Not only do we use the best plant based vegan leathers available, but we also have a special moist absorbing lining, a soft-step insole and a flexible outsole. This means that our heels are comfortable throughout the day. And we have them in 3 different heel heights, so even if you are not a fan of really high heels, we got you covered.

The road to success wasn’t easy and still isn’t. I had some major set backs in production, quality of materials and I had to start from scratch. I did not have knowledge of building websites, marketing or social media platforms. I am still learning every day, but that’s what I love.

What I learned is that what matters most is that you keep a clear vision in your mind of what you want, where you want to go. Everyday I work towards that goal and I also learned to accept bad days. Because not every day is a good day, but there is something good in every day!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
As my company is based in The Netherlands I would show people around here. We have so many cool cities, but the place I love is Maastricht. A wonderful old city, located in the south of The Netherlands. There is a place to stay for every budget and lots of small cafes, restaurants and boutiques.

When my friends come to visit me in Dreumel I love to show them the nature around here. We live in between 2 major rivers and nature around those rivers is amazing and peaceful. You might even see a beaver swimming!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Without the ongoing support of my husband and family I wouldn’t be where I am now. Also my shoemaker in Poland is very important to me. He believed in my concept and was willing to make changes in the production process in order to make cruelty free vegan heels.

And of course a major shoutout to all customers world wide who decided to support a small business by buying my heels. The feedback from my customers is what keeps me going every day. I want to give the world a cruel free choice when it comes to fabulous heels and I cannot do it without customers.

Website: https://www.empressofheels.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empress_of_heels/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empress-of-heels/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empressofheels

Image Credits
Last pictures are made by Gregory Toplis