Shoe designer: ‘Straight guys are offended by high heels for men’

A new shoe designer is hoping to challenge the stigma with men wearing high heel shoes.

Daniel Bush is the director at Cross Sword, a new shoe brand targeting men to wear tailor-made heels.

Made from 100% luxury Italian leather, Bush is hoping this start-up takes off.

But there’s been a snag.

While the brand hasn’t officially launched yet, Bush began promoting the designs on Facebook and he began noticing a trend.

Bush told Gay Star News: ‘If Facebook sticks the ad on the community page, then all of our negative feedback unfortunately comes from mostly heterosexual men.

‘No one’s actually slagged off the product itself, but men feel offended when high heels land on their homepage.

‘It’s nothing we wouldn’t see as normal bigotry,’ the shoe designer said.

When asked what type of things these fragile straight men say in response to high heels, Bush said responses ranged from ‘Are you serious?’ to ‘Why in the hell has this landed on my Facebook?’

He added: ‘So nothing offensive per se but it’s people taking it the wrong way.’

‘It’s like standing on the edge of a swimming pool’

Bush identifies as straight himself, but says he’s not intimidated by high heels.

He said: ‘I’m a heterosexual man and I’ve worn them. They’re really comfortable.

‘I had never worn heels before in my life and when I tried them on and walked around, I spent all afternoon in them.

‘I was totally comfortable walking around in the park with them and doing everyday things. And after a while, I forgot I had them on.

‘People were giving me funny looks, as if to say it’s something new and something different. It’s like standing on the edge of a swimming pool in summer – it takes ages to jump in but once you’re in, you don’t realize,’ he said.

As a shoe designer, Bush said comfort is the most important part in developing high heel shoes for men.

He said: ‘A man’s foot is completely different to a woman’s foot. So we designed our shoes to try to be as comfortable as possible.

‘Heels for men are usually women’s shoes that have been made larger, but these are designed specifically for men’s feet,’ he said.

Cross Sword sets sights on LGBTI community

Bush said he believes these shoes are perfect for the LGBTI community. He said this community in particular is not afraid to embrace individuality.

The shoe designer said they’re targeting gay, bi, trans, intersex and non-binary men.

He said: ‘We’re actively targeting the community that, within the shoe trade, has not really been done.’

And when asked who specifically in the community, Bush replied: ‘Fashionistas.’

He said he’s consulted with the gay and transgender community through forums and personal contacts. He’s also showcasing the shoes at a gay wedding show later this month.

As for price, it’s a luxury shoe brand so it comes with a high end costs.

Bush said: ‘Starting price for an average shoe is £365 ($520 €415) and then it goes up to a brogue shoe peaking at £415 ($590 €475).’

And the height? They’re all 6cm (2.4″) high.

Bush said: ‘We’ve got plans to do a higher heel in the future, because a lot of the feedback from people who’ve seen the shoes, said they’re not high enough.’

Cross Sword is currently only online but there are plans to create a physical shop in London.

They’re also hosting a launch party on 8 February.

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Cross Sword is a luxury high heel shoe line for men. For decades, high heels have been turning heads for ladies – now Cross Sword will deliver that for men.

Cross Sword is a client of Gay Star News.