After a fabulous evening of dancing in her stilettos, Hailey Coleman trudged home barefoot, hobbling on cobblestone streets in South Bank, London. Nursing her poor, blistered feet, she realized this could be, should be been prevented.

“I kept telling my friends: I want to make something that would save women from their beloved damn heels,” said Coleman, 22.

In March 2009, two years after that European vacation, Coleman started to turn that memory of bare feet and dirty streets into a business.

The result? She launched Damn Heels in December, selling black, fold-up ballerina flats tucked into a pouch that’s small enough to pop into a clutch purse. The pouch, 18 centimetres long, turns into a bag big enough to hold your heels on the way home.

“So many women have sworn off their heels when they have to walk home, late at night. I know I have,” Coleman said, laughing. “Now women have a way to go home in comfort.”

Dorotea Mutabdzic, 25, met Coleman in February at a charity event where Damn Heels was giving away samples. Now, she packs the ballet slippers whenever she goes out for a night of fun.

“It’s such a simple, amazing product and all I could think is, ‘How come nobody came up with this idea before?’ ” said the med school student.

Jessica Merolli, 26, picked up a pair of the shoes at the charity event, too, and wears them almost every weekend when she comes to Toronto from her home in Hamilton.

“By the end of night, all I can think is, ugh, my 5-inch heels are killing me,” she said. “And before, I would have to carry my runners in a huge bag, which is so not cool. These flats are way more comfortable.”

Coleman, a recent graduate of Ryerson’s marketing program, spent nearly a year working on Damn Heels before she sold her first shoe in December 2009. She hired a shoe designer through Craigslist, consulted a PR agency and web designers, investigated shipping and, finally, financed the project with student loans and lines of credit.

“I knew what I wanted it to look like, and then my designer brought in her expertise on shoes and materials,” she said. “I’ve learned so many things about shoes since we started last March, from materials to quality control to bringing in a manufacturer from China.”

Damn Heels are made of high-quality polyurethane material with a soft, leather lining. The flats have a two-millimeter-thick sole that is bendable and has tread.

“I really like the sole, because you don’t feel the pavement when you walk in those flats,” Merolli said.

Coleman has sold more than 250 pairs of the flats. They’re available in her e-shop and at several salons and restaurants in Toronto, including Blo Blow Dry Bars, Madison Nails and Le Papillon on the Park.

And her business plan has won several prizes: $7,000 from the Ontario Partnership for Innovation and Commercialization in December, and $25,000 from Ryerson’s Slaight Communications Business Plan Competition.

Coleman is confident Damn Heels will turn a profit this year. “I think it’s a problem every women can relate to. That’s why the response has been so amazing.”

She plans to expand the line, introducing flats in red, gold, beige and brown, and extending sales to the U.S.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Merolli wants that to happen soon.

“More colours would be awesome and they would also make great gifts,” Merolli said. “My mum keeps trying to steal my shoes, so I think I might just have to get some for her.”

Damn Heels come in three sizes: small (size 5/6), medium (size 7/8) and large (size 9/10), and retail for $20. www.damnheels.com