在在證明台灣的創作實力。
最近有兩位來自台彎的新銳設計師嶄露頭角，女鞋品牌Heavy Machine在紐約舉辦的新銳設計師展中，贏得Teen Vogue總編輯等流行時裝界指標人士的肯定。這是由兩位71年次的台灣設計師打造的品牌，從澳洲服裝設計系畢業的Yoyo （潘國瑤），回台遇到從美國紐約服裝設計系畢業的Michelle （吳怡慧），兩人都是學設計出身，ㄧ拍即合結為好友。她們在台灣遍尋不著ㄧ雙好穿的鞋，又覺得高跟鞋市場樣式太過單ㄧ乏味，突發奇想：“我們自已來做女鞋好了！”就此踏上女鞋設計之路。

台中鞋技中心 從頭拜師學藝

品牌取名為Heavy Machine（重機器），設計樣式也真的很 “工業”，顛覆傅統女生高根鞋柔美的印象，HM鞋跟的厚實結構有如機械，但穿起來卻很輕盈; 而鞋面配色又如糖一般多彩繽紛，造型多變，展現獨一無二的個性。“好穿的高跟鞋不ㄧ定很醜; 漂亮的高跟鞋不一定難穿”，HM重新定義高跟鞋。
然而，起初她們拿設計草稿給製鞋師傅時，老師傅也傻眼，當時她們只有創意卻不懂鞋子結講，所畫的設計圖完全不能用。兩人決定從頭學起，Yoyo特地到台中鞋技中心學製鞋，一整年的課程，從最基本的結講，材料選擇，製作流程學起，“鞋子和服裝不一樣，服裝不會傷害人體，但是鞋子要考慮承重性等問題，一個小細節不對，就會讓客戶受傷。如果客人穿上了你的鞋子跌倒，她們是可以告你的！”Yoyo解釋。

勇赴國外參展 品牌知名度大開

學成之後，2008年兩人籌了30萬台幣，整式展開創業。不過由於HM鞋子的造型獨樹一格，她們很清楚，台彎的市場規模不足以支撐品牌，剛好有朋友在美國紐約開鞋店，她們請教朋友“鞋店進貨時怎麼挑選鞋子？”朋友表示，鞋店會參觀 展覽和發表會，從中找尋有銷售潛的鞋，因為展場單位會先就參展廠商的設計和財務進行篩選，因此買家比較有信心。
聽了朋友的建議，兩人決定先到國外參展打響品牌。剛好網路上有trade show徵求展覽廠商的資訊，因此兩個小女生大膽勇闖美國新銳設計師展。參觀著看到他們的鞋，都發出“哇！”的 讚嘆聲，表示“妳們的鞋看起來好像要800美金 （約合台幣2.5萬元）; 有學生因為喜歡這樣的設計，直接問她們“HM有沒有實習的機會？”初出茅廬的兩人，還有眼不識泰山，直到 “Teen Vogue” 總編輯拿出名片，才知道大人物也來參觀。
“這場展覽讓我們直接面對買家，買家提出很多我們之前沒想過的問題，這給我們很多思考反省的機會。”國外的展覽，讓她們知名度大開，吸引許多客家自動上門，現在台北和新竹都有門市販售，紐約和荷蘭也有營業點，因為國外的物價比較高，因此更能接受HM的女鞋。

對自己的作品有強烈信仰

HM原本設定每雙6， 7千元，但因為數量不多且全手工製作成本壓不下來，因此後來每雙鞋幾乎都訂價上萬元。由於售價較高，原先設定的年輕消費族群無力購買，反倒是貴婦顧客比較多，還有許多服裝造型師會替藝人買鞋搭配，像是主持人藍心湄，歌手戴佩妮，亞太影后張榕容都是她們的客戶，現在每一個月可賣出上百雙。
目前HM 仍積極參加國外展覽打響品牌。作為台灣少見的女鞋設計師，兩人認為要從事這行，“製鞋”的基本功當然要懂，而“熱情”和“臉皮厚”也不可少，起初製鞋師傅無法理解她們的設計，還調侃問： “這是幼稚園同學畫的嗎？”客人則質疑：“這鞋子怎麼這麼怪？”但她們並不以為意。因為，設計師要喜歡自己的作品，人家才會欣賞你，很多東西是因為客人“沒看過不習慣”，而不是“不喜歡”，最近紅遍全球的Lady Gaga（女神卡卡），就是因創意和搞怪受到粉絲喜愛，“或許對Lady Gaga的角度來看，我們的東西還不夠怪呢！”

High Heels Can Be Comfortable AND Beautiful!

Taiwan has consistently shined in terms of their innovations in fashion and design. From Jason Wu to Johan Ku, Taiwanese designers have been able to demonstrate their creative abilities to the international fashion community.

Recently, two new designers who hail from Taiwan have been catching public attention with their brand, Heavy Machine, a line of footwear that even caught the eye of Teen Vogue’s chief editor at a recent New York City New Designer Exhibition. It was the work of two 27 year old designers-Yoyo Pan (who studied at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) and Michelle Wu (who hails from New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology) who met each other while both were in Taiwan. Coming from similar backgrounds in fashion design, the two became fast friends. They both sought a high heel that was also comfortable but their search did not bear fruit. They also felt that the high heel market was full of the same designs and was missing something. That’s when they had an idea-they would create the high heel they wanted themselves, and they took off “running” with it.

Starting from Scratch at the Research Institute

They named their brand “Heavy Machine” and indeed their designs appear very industrial and have solid structures like a machine. Yet when you put them on they feel lightweight, and they come in all sort of sugar-coated candy colors, that truly make them a unique design. “Comfortable high heels don’t have to be ugly; Beautiful high heels don’t have to be uncomfortable , Heavy Machine is redefining the concept of high-heels.
However, when Michelle and Yoyo first presented their sketches to a veteran shoe designer, his eyes grew wide. The two women had ideas but as they had studied apparel design, they did not understand the technical aspects of making shoes: thus, their ideas could not be used. They decided to learn the craft from scratch- Yoyo especially traveled to Taichung’s Footwear and Recreation Technology Research Institute and for a whole year studied the basics such as material selection, shoe production, etc. “[Designing] shoes and clothing is different. Clothes don’t harm the human body, but with shoe design you have to consider consequences-if one little detail is wrong, you could potentially injure your customers. If a client trips and falls while wearing your shoes, they could sue you!” explains Yoyo.

Bravely Setting Foot at an Exhibition Creates Mass Popularity

After setting their foundation, in 2008 the two took 300,000 NT and began their business. However, though Michelle and Yoyo knew how unique their design was, the Taiwanese shoe market was simply too small to promote their high fashion brand. It just so happens that the pair knew friends that owned shoe boutiques in New York and they asked them, “How do shoe stores select the brands they want to sell?” Their friends explained that shoe boutiques often held exhibitions and selected potential brands from there. Because exhibitions select units based on design and financial factors, sellers could have confidence in selling that product.
After listening to their friends’ advice, Michelle and Yoyo decided to find exhibitions outside of Taiwan to showcase their products. Luckily, there were online ads that asked for vendor information for an American trade show. The two women were about to take a leap of faith into the American footwear market! At the exhibition, passer-bys would exclaim “Wow!” and remark “your shoes look like they cost $800!” while students would ask if Heavy Machine was offering internships. It was not until the Chief Editor of Teen Vogue offered his business card did the pair realize that even big companies in the industry visited shoe exhibitions.
“At the exhibition we were able to directly meet buyers, and the buyers brought up a lot of important points and questions we hadn’t considered before, this gave us a lot of opportunity for self-reflection and improvement.” The exhibition also boosted their popularity, and several buyers indeed knocked on their door. Now Heavy Machine is sold in stores in Taipei and Hsingchu in Taiwan, New York, and the Netherlands. Because New York and Netherlands were hot spots for fashion, they were able to appeal to customers more accustomed to the high-fashion look of Heavy Machine shoes.

Strong Faith in Their Own Product

The price for a pair of Heavy Machine shoes was originally supposed to be capped at around $200, but because of production costs and the high quality materials used, they had no choice but to raise prices to over $300 in order to ensure profit. This of course turned away the younger consumers such as teenagers who could not afford them, but on the flip side enticed older, self-sufficient working women. Additionally, stylists began to purchase Heavy Machine shoes to accessorize their celebrity clients, notably Taiwanese host Pauline Lan, singer Penny Tai, actress Sandrine Pinna, and many others. As a result, Heavy Machine manages to sell a couple hundred pairs each month.
Currently Heavy Machine is still actively participating in international exhibitions in order to attract more potential buyers. Both women believe in order to survive in the footwear industry basic knowledge of shoe design is needed, along with thick-skinned determination and passion. When the two had first presented their drawings to the veteran shoe designer, he asked them, “Were these drawn by kindergarten students?”and similarly, customers at exhibitions would sometimes wonder, “Why are your shoes so strange looking?” However, Michelle and Yoyo are not worried. To them, the designer must like their own product in order for others to appreciate it as well; oftentimes, people are turned away by something because it is unfamiliar and not because they don’t like it. They cite Lady Gaga as an example of how innovation and wackiness can earn worldwide popularity. They joke, “If you look at our shoes from Lady Gaga’s perspective, maybe they are not weird enough!”