As of 2019, the footwear market amounted to over $91 billion, and the market is expected to grow annually 6.65% by 2025 in the United States, according to Statista. In a recent Allied Market Research report, the global market size was valued at $365.5 billion in 2020, and is estimated to reach $530.3 billion by 2027. Footwear is a major market and, as of recently, the market has shifted. There is now a focus on increased health awareness, as well as the demand for shoes that are comfortable, long-lasting and fashionable.
Enrico Cuini and Taryn Rose are revolutionizing the high heel industry with their innovative technology and shoe fitting experience with the brand Enrico Cuini. Cuini has created a cutting-edge shoe technology company that designs and creates footwear for men and women. Having been granted 26 patents around the world for their high heel technology, the pair has created shoes that are the first of their kind.
Cuini says that his love of shoes began with a pair of red stilettos that his mother wore when he was a young boy. After growing up in one of the top shoemaking regions in Italy, he worked in Rome, Italy; Paris, France and Prague, Czech Republic as an architect and industrial designer. In 2014, Cuini decided to return to his first love of shoes and began his research on how to revolutionize footwear.
Born in Vietnam to a family of refugees, Rose and her family fled Vietnam three days before the end of the war. When they arrived in the United States, they were sponsored by a doctor and his family in Arkansas, which eventually led Rose to the medical field.
Cuini and Rose’s partnership began in 1997, when Rose decided to take a hiatus from her work as an orthopedic surgeon to start a shoe company. In Italy, she and Cuini connected immediately, though they did not start working together until 2014 after Rose sold her eponymous footwear company for $40 million. Cuini showed Rose some of his newly-de- signed shoe samples, and Rose said, “Enrico cracked the code on how to support the tensegrity of the foot.”
Most shoe designs use foam cushioning which only support compression forces; to manage tensegrity, which refers to the strength of a structure based on the balance of tension and compression, one has to deal with the tension forces of the foot, the duo said. This butterfly-shaped technology is called Active Lift in Alignment (ALIA).
ALIA is the first support system that has a dynamic response to every move, increasing energy return and optimizing alignment. The brand has observed that after two months of using ALIA-powered sneakers, pressure points have been alleviated, showing that ALIA may possibly have restorative effects due to realignment of the joints in optimal positions. Cuini and Rose currently have 26 patents around the world for this high heel technology.
Like many great partnerships, Cuini and Rose found love along the way, and are currently engaged. The pair said that though one may think that running a business together would be complicated, but they said that their commitment to the success of Enrico Cuini has kept them strong.
Enrico Cuini shoes are designed to enable the wearer to wear their shoes for long hours without pain. The shoe industry has notably trained people to believe that a size eight for one person is a size eight for everyone, but Cuini and Rose both say that this is misleading and not accurate, and that what most people don’t realize is that each individual has a differently shaped foot and walks differently. The pair uses their expertise and technology to create bespoke shoes that are designed specifically for the wearer. Their bespoke approach has made Enrico Cuini a favorite shoe brand for many, including celebrities such as Carrie Underwood, Tyra Banks and more.
With designs made to order, Enrico Cuini shoes are sold exclusively online, where every customer goes through a personalized virtual fitting consultation with a team of designers to create the best design fit for the wearer. The virtual experience helps the brand to maintain a loyal customer base, especially during the pandemic, when Enrico Cuini was able to grow 50% in 2020, said the brand.
With the world beginning to reopen and more socialization occurring, the demand for shoes is rising. Cuini and Rose are currently working on developing a unique variety of flat sandals for their clientele who have a need for vacation shoes as well as shoes for work and social events.
