Maison Baum is a Berlin-based premium brand for comfortable high heels. Founder Christof Baum's stated goal is to combine a cool lifestyle with sound medical expertise.

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Four years of development in collaboration with Christof's father, an orthopedic surgeon with extensive expertise, have yielded impressive results: an invisible, orthopedic footbed, specifically designed for high heels, ensures more even weight distribution within the shoe, resulting in three times longer nights out. The high heels are developed in Germany, designed in Paris, and manufactured in Portugal.

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FCG: Please tell us a little about your start-up and the patented footbed. What influence did your father, who is an orthopedic surgeon, have on this?

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Christof: Maison Baum has been on the market for about 1.5 years and currently employs 10 people. Our credo is to empower women and offer them the perfect selection of high and low shoes – so they can focus on the moment instead of their feet.

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Without my father, we wouldn't be able to differentiate ourselves from other brands without a medical background. As the founder of an orthopedic joint clinic near Freiburg, he has over 40 years of surgical experience and the necessary expertise that a serious project needs to succeed. Since he understands the potential negative consequences of wearing high heels and can assess them from all angles, he was the perfect person to minimize them.

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For several years, he—an admirer of aesthetically pleasing footwear—had been deeply involved in the topic and searched extensively for solutions. For example, he developed and patented a screw mechanism for adjusting shoe width. But his truly ingenious idea was to transfer the proven effectiveness of orthotic insoles from flat shoes to high heels. He imparted a great deal of knowledge to me and guided me in designing an optimal footbed that works for high heels and the majority of women's feet. Together with the development department of a large medical supply company in Freiburg, I then implemented his ideas. I carried out the intensive development work alongside my studies. The core development phase took four years.

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FCG: What was the incentive for a man to found his own brand selling high heels?

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Christof : High heels aren't just about looking beautiful; they convey a special feeling. As a hard fact, they make legs appear longer, and they also straighten the spine, which changes one's entire posture. The "side effect" is a different demeanor—a woman radiates something different.

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With my little sister, I witnessed this transformative effect that many women go through at a young age. You automatically switch into a "now the world is mine!" mode. However, because my sister suffered from hallux valgus from the age of 16, she couldn't wear high heels very often.

Finding a solution for this and making this special feeling accessible to women like my sister is a great source of motivation for me. Despite all the worries and hardships, it's also about truly celebrating life and, above all, the big moments. Furthermore, it gives me particular pleasure to shake up the often outdated shoe industry, which has neglected women's needs for so long .

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FCG: How has the TV format “Shark Tank” affected your company?

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Christof: Our participation in "Die Höhle der Löwen" (the German version of "Shark Tank") has increased our brand awareness many times over. Many women who previously didn't know that stylish high heels could also be comfortable to wear learned about us through the show's broadcast.

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The fact that the lionesses were overjoyed by the convenience, but did not invest due to the capital required for pre-financing the goods, is irrelevant to our end customer and has thus further underlined the credibility of Maison Baum.

We've not only gained one-time customers, but also long-term supporters. They enjoy supporting a young start-up and developing our innovative product together with us. We have wonderfully humorous and vibrant women as customers, and it makes us happy to make them happy.

FCG: What are your wishes and expectations for the next 2 years?

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Christof: Over the next two years, I want to establish Maison Baum as the go-to brand for cool, comfortable, and sustainable high heels among our target audience – for everyone who prefers to invest in one good pair rather than many interchangeable ones. We will launch models in additional colors and heel styles and, using an innovative material from Formula 1, create the world's lightest high heel.

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In the long term, I hope that we in Germany will more often dare to be ourselves and stand out from the crowd. I frequently hear customers tell me how enthusiastic they are about our shoes and how much they enjoy wearing them – but they often receive judgmental looks from others if the heel is "too high." I believe that every woman should be able to decide for herself when and if she wears high heels.

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I see a big difference here compared to how, for example, the issue is handled in France.

However, it would be a good start if events could take place again and restaurants could reopen.

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Thank you very much, Christof Baum, for this insight; we wish you much success for the coming months and years!