- When Stacey Head, 52, Brisbane, Qld injured herself nailing her deck it sparked an idea
- Searching for a pair of womens work boots Stacey found nothing that suited, so she made them herself and founded She Wear
- Now, thanks to a nail through my foot, her shoes are beloved by women around the world
Here Stacey tells her own story.
Nail gun in hand, I admired my handiwork on the deck.
I reckon I’ll get this done today, I smiled to myself.
It was summer in 2011, and I was on a site visit to a property I was re-developing in Queensland.
I’d spent the last six years flipping properties and loved getting hands-on with tiling, carpentry, rendering, bricking, landscaping and painting.
Today, I planned to finish off the deck.
Stepping to place another nail, I yelped in pain.
The head of the nail I’d been using to space out the timber slats was lodged in my right foot.
My flimsy foam thongs had offered no protection from the sharp metal.
Fighting through the pain, I winced as I yanked my foot free.
I winced as I yanked my foot free…with blood trickling
With blood trickling from my foot, I couldn’t drive, so a friend drove me to hospital.
Doctors stemmed the bleeding, and I was sent home after a tetanus shot.
I’ll never make that mistake again. I need better shoes, I told myself.
That evening, I trawled the internet to find good-fitting women’s work boots.
But all I could see were men’s boots or unisex options.
And when I went to try some on at the shops, every option was heavy and uncomfortable.
Heading home empty-handed, an idea hit me.
What if I make them myself?
Curious, I hopped online and researched what steps I’d needed to take to design a shoe.
Female foot contours include a more slender ankle, narrower heel and higher arch, which is why wearing men’s shoes were so uncomfortable.
I ordered samples and went to technical safety factories and others that manufactured footwear.
Then in October 2013 I launched She Wear from my garage.
I was blown away by the response.
Shoes flew out the door, and customers loved the funky colours – green, red and pink.
Above all, they loved the comfort.
After four months of operating from my garage, my shoes were worn by the ladies on reno TV show The Block, and by April 2014 we’d grown enough to move to a warehouse.
Fast forward to 2025, and I work with an amazing team of eight.
And in February we opened our first in-person store in Queensland.
We’ve grown from safety boots, to making sneakers, boots and slides for on duty and off-duty, all designed specifically for women.
And our shoes aren’t just for tradies, we sell to nurses, engineers, chefs, gardeners, retail workers and busy mums!
Nothing warms my heart more than feedback from happy customers.
Not only are these boots the most comfortable boot I’ve tried on, but they look great too, read one review.
I can’t believe a nail through my foot changed my life, but I’m so happy to help so many women.
Every pair of shoes sold is a step in the right direction!
Shop Stacey’s shoes at She Wear here.
