When painful heels kept slowing down her fast-paced Wall Street career, Sandra Powers Murphy didn’t just look for a better shoe—she built one. In 2023, after five years of research and development, she launched Scarlett Chase, a luxury footwear brand that pairs Italian craftsmanship with sneaker-level support. Designed for long days, high-pressure meetings, and fast-paced lives, the shoes prioritize comfort without compromising elegance.

Sandra shares how she turned a personal frustration into a high-growth brand, enlisted industry experts to create a technically superior product, and stayed laser-focused on serving a specific customer—offering valuable takeaways for any founder developing something new in a saturated market.

   

Addressing a problem you personally understand

Sandra had been a lifelong lover of heels, appreciating how they could elevate not just an outfit, but confidence, too. But after years of wearing them through a demanding finance and consulting career, she started to question why beauty had to come at such a cost. Her frustration wasn’t unique—colleagues and friends echoed the same sentiment. They shared stories of bunion surgery, aching feet, and cutting evenings short because their shoes simply couldn’t keep up.

That shared experience hit a breaking point for Sandra one rainy night in New York. After running barefoot through Penn Station to catch a train, she told her assistant she wanted to solve this problem once and for all. “We need to be thinking about something other than our feet,” she says. “There’s gotta be a way to build beautiful, gorgeous, handmade shoes and still have them feel and be good for your feet.”

The name “Scarlett Chase” came shortly after, inspired by her daughter, and she began sketching a solution that would integrate performance and style. From the start, the brand’s focus was clear: beautiful, handcrafted heels that also support the body.

For founders, Sandra’s story is a reminder that the best products often start with a problem you know intimately—and that conviction fuels the patience and persistence it takes to fix it.

Developing a differentiated product with expert support

Sandra didn’t want just a prettier heel. She wanted to solve the technical and ergonomic failures baked into most women’s footwear. She spent five years in R&D refining the pitch, outsole, arch contour, and fit of the shoe. Every detail—from the heel thickness to the foam density—was considered with long-term comfort in mind.

Early on, she brought in a designer who had previously worked at Nike and Aetrex. Their technical expertise helped translate Sandra’s vision into biomechanical solutions. Together, they created Scarlett Chase’s patented SC360™ system: a combination of orthotic-grade insoles, forefoot lift, hidden platforms, and rubber traction.

Convincing luxury factories in Italy and Portugal to integrate performance features into traditionally sleek designs wasn’t easy. One factory response summed it up: “What do you mean you want to put this bulky orthotic and rubber bottom on our gorgeous luxury shoe?”

“As the entrepreneur, you’re always the one saying, ‘We could do better,’” Sandra says. “But I think having people around you with technical expertise and being willing to learn from them … is really valuable.”

Serving the right customers—not every customer

Scarlett Chase shoes range from $400 to $925. They’re handcrafted in Europe and built to last. Sandra knew from the beginning that she wasn’t designing for everyone—she was designing for busy, discerning professionals who value quality, comfort, and longevity.

“One of the first things you have to shed is the notion that you can help everybody,” she says. Instead of trying to compete on volume or price, she leaned into service, fit, and timeless design. Packaging includes custom shim kits for sizing adjustments. The brand’s direct-to-consumer website offers detailed guidance, verified reviews via Judge.me, and standout customer service through Gorgias.

Scarlett Chase now boasts a 50% customer repurchase rate and 300% year-over-year growth. Events and word-of-mouth referrals help drive interest, but Sandra stays selective about where she shows up. “When we’ve done women’s business events, higher-end women’s events, it’s a home run,” she says. “But when we do something broader … it’s not always the right match.”

For early-stage founders, Sandra’s approach underscores the value of knowing your target customer and building trust through performance—not hype.

Sandra didn’t set out to make a fashion statement. She set out to fix something broken—and in doing so, created a product that women return to again and again. Her journey shows what’s possible when founders build around lived problems, enlist real expertise, and stay focused on the people they serve best. For more insight from Sandra, check out her full interview on Shopify Masters.