No sinking experience for Dragon slayer Clean Heels as Meaden and Hoppen get stuck in
A gadget that helps prevent females in substantial heels from sinking in grass has received £50,000 investment decision on this evening’s episode of Dragons’ Den 
Photograph: GLENN GRATTON
Thoroughly clean Heels, the maker of a new accent that guards stiletto heels from filth and dress in, has turn out to be the very first organization to secure funding on the new series of Dragons’ Den.
Started by Ally Stevenson, from Stubbington in Hampshire, Heel Stoppers manufactures a patented “heel stopper”, which stops ladies from sinking into comfortable ground when they stroll in heels outdoor.
The solution combines a round disk, which distributes the bodyweight over a massive surface spot, with a gentle plastic tube that can slip on to any condition or size of heel.
Dragons Deborah Meaden and Kelly Hoppen had been immediately intrigued by the solution.
“I brought some grass with me and Deborah came up and tried them out,” Stevenson tells the News Company. “She said that they ended up remarkable, and did just what I stated they would.
“They don’t just quit you sinking, they make you glide across the grass and assist with equilibrium.”
Hoppen and Meaden were each keen to make investments, and agreed to stump up the £50,000 investment, each getting a twelve.5pc share in the organization.
“I arrived on the demonstrate since I really need to have the Dragons’ aid to get into the big suppliers,” says Stevenson, who at present materials large avenue shops such as BHS. “It’s challenging growing a enterprise when you run it all by your self.”
Stevenson is now operating with the Dragons to protected offers with high stop shoe brand names. “Imagine getting a pair of new Jimmy Choos or Louboutins and getting a merchandise to defend the heels at the same time,” she claims.
Cleanse Heels’ heel stoppers come in a selection of colours but the most popular model is the transparent stopper, which turns into almost invisible when worn on grass.
Stevenson came up with the concept for the gadget although attending a family members wedding ceremony in 2005. “All of us have been sinking into the grass so I popped a couple of beer bottle tops under my heels to preserve my stunning sneakers,” she clarifies.
“That’s when I imagined, ‘Why hasn’t anybody invented something to fix this dilemma. I had my Eureka! minute.”
To date, Stevenson has bought three hundred,000 models, equally by means of retail and direct from her internet site . She has also introduced a additional solution in the variety, the heel sleeve, which can be utilized to safeguard footwear all yr round.
Stevenson is anticipating a flurry of orders subsequent her Dragons’ Den physical appearance, and is offering new clients a “buy one particular get one free” deal to take edge of the publicity.
“I want our consumers to give a pair to their buddies,” she claims. “I believe it is a item that each female who likes wearing heels ought to keep in her handbag.”
Stevenson released the company at the end of 2006 but was forced to get a two-12 months crack from her begin-up when she was diagnosed with breast most cancers. “The orders stored pouring in although I was unwell, which gave me the strength to keep going,” she states.
Amongst 2010 and 2014, the business turned in excess of £380,000. Pursuing the Dragons’ Den investment decision, she is hoping to enhance turnover to £3m in the next two to three a long time.
Cleanse Heels have applications outside of outside wear. They are utilized by film manufacturing firms to silence heels on set, and had been worn by Jennifer Really like Hewitt in the 2011 launch Dropped Valentine.
The Countrywide Have confidence in also buys in heel stoppers for a number of its heritage internet sites. Visitors are asked to put on the merchandise to preserve the flooring scuff-free of charge. The Cutty Sark also employs heel stoppers to safeguard the ship’s decking.
“Women need a solution like this at the very least two times a yr, whether or not it’s to go to a funeral or on a boat,” states Stevenson, “We also get a great deal of orders from ladies who struggle to dress in heels, and older women, since they assist so significantly with balance.
“I truly hope that Thoroughly clean Heels will become a family name now. You’ll go to a wedding and every single lady will be putting on them – and standing tall for the team image!”