91探花

• Nicolle Dean is a footwear entrepreneur and innovator who co-founded trainer brand Cushe before co-founding QLVR, a women-first performance footwear company.
• Dean is focused on challenging the sportswear industry’s one-size-fits-all approach, designing shoes specifically around women’s biomechanics rather than adapting men’s products.
• Innovation has been a constant theme throughout her career, with QLVR’s patented WingFit technology and laceless “Running Slipper” concept aiming to rethink how athletic shoes are designed and worn.
• As a founder, she champions strong product design, intellectual property protection and long-term thinking, viewing startup success as a marathon rather than a sprint.

Tell Me About Yourself and聽QLVR

I started out in advertising, which shaped my love of innovative brands. I had 90s Nike ads plastered to my pinboards and I鈥檝e always loved trainers. When I married footwear designer Martin Dean, we joined forces and launched our first trainer brand, Cushe.

Alongside building our own brands, we run a design consultancy, developing footwear technology and design for global sports brands.

QLVR is our newest venture. It began as an invention for a new closure system to replace laces, but very quickly evolved into a much bigger mission – to revolutionise female athletic footwear and disrupt an industry that still doesn鈥檛 truly meet the needs of women. Early testers kept saying, 鈥渢hat鈥檚 clever,鈥� so the name QLVR (pronounced clever) stuck.

What Inspired You To Start QLVR, and What Problem Were You Trying To Solve?

We looked at laces and thought there had to be a better way. With all the innovation in sports shoes, why are we still tying them together with string? We wondered if we could create a performance running shoe you could slip on instantly but still achieve a truly locked-in, 360-degree fit.

Our first working prototype had us buzzing. Putting it on feels so intuitive that you genuinely wonder why it isn鈥檛 already part of everyday life. Martin had been exploring the idea during lockdown as a side project, and it quickly became clear we had something game-changing. We protected it early with international patents and design registrations and created what we now call the 鈥淩unning Slipper鈥� 鈥� a laceless performance trainer for cardio and cross-training.

What Has Been Your Biggest Challenge So Far, and How Did You Overcome It?

Women鈥檚 fit was always our priority. From the start, we decided QLVR would be a women-first brand, kicking 鈥渟hrink it and pink it鈥� to the kerb. Women shouldn鈥檛 have to compromise on fit, comfort or performance by wearing small men鈥檚 shoes.

The challenge came when we realised our laceless WingFit technology simply wouldn鈥檛 work without a truly gender-specific fit. Women鈥檚 feet are a different shape – typically narrower heels, wider toe boxes and higher arches – so we had to redesign everything. We worked closely with specialists analysing thousands of women鈥檚 feet to create a biometrically correct female last, then rebuilt every component around it. It was complex and demanding, but completely non-negotiable.

Can You Describe a Pivotal Moment That Significantly Shaped the Direction of QLVR?

Our Kickstarter campaign was a defining moment. It didn鈥檛 just fund the business; it created a community that has supported us from day one. Through constant interaction and listening to women鈥檚 real experiences with our shoes, our focus sharpened.

We originally introduced QLVR as a revolutionary technology – which it is – but face-to-face conversations at run clubs, festivals and events revealed something deeper. The discussions that really fired us up were about women鈥檚 design and purpose-built products that solve everyday problems. Connecting with women of all ages and abilities made our direction crystal clear: challenging the status quo in women鈥檚 performance footwear and engineering every component specifically for women鈥檚 biomechanics.

How Do You Define Success?

For your business:聽Receiving great reviews from happy customers and seeing women wearing QLVRs at gyms, run clubs and sports events, alongside established global brands. Success is when QLVR becomes a household name for women鈥檚 performance footwear, known for fit, innovation and credibility, and for consistently delivering exciting, genuinely impactful products.

As a founder:聽Growing a community and movement that supports women-first sportswear and helping to pioneer innovation that brings truly fit-for-purpose products to women in sport.

What Advice Would You Give To Someone Thinking About Launching Their Own Startup?

Get your product right and ask yourself whether it can genuinely make a difference. If you believe it can change things for the better, focus your passion and keep your message clear.

Get the basics right (product design, quality and manufacturing), and don鈥檛 cut corners on protecting your intellectual property if you have something unique. Having a second business or income stream can really help fund your start-up and reduce pressure in the early stages. Strong foundations pay off in the long run. It鈥檚 a marathon, not a sprint, and patience and perseverance are essential.

What鈥檚 Next for QLVR ? Any Exciting Developments We Should Watch Out For?

We鈥檙e continuing to build out the QLVR ecosystem. That includes new colourways, refinements to our Running Slipper and expanding our WingFit technology into new performance categories.

Alongside product development, we鈥檙e investing in deeper research, athlete partnerships and international growth. Our ambition is to build a portfolio of women-specific performance footwear that raises the bar for how thoughtfully women鈥檚 products are designed – from the inside out.

Want to be featured as 91探花鈥檚 Founder of the Week? Find out more about this weekly feature and how to get involved here.

Founder鈥檚 5 with Nicolle Dean

We wanted to know a bit more about how QLVR came to be, so we’ve put together the exclusive Founders’ 5 with Nicolle Dean.

Favourite business tool

Miro for collaborative whiteboarding. It鈥檚 ideal for a global creative team鈥檚 visual thinking, mapping and sharing ideas.

One lesson you learned the hard way?

Great products don鈥檛 speak for themselves – founders have to. It takes time and repetition for scepticism to turn into curiosity, and curiosity into belief.

One future trend you鈥檙e watching?

The shift from marketing-led 鈥渨omen鈥檚 ranges鈥� to genuinely engineered women-specific built for purpose products.

One quote you live by

鈥淲hen you鈥檙e building something genuinely new, resistance is temporary – the job is to outlast it.鈥� Adapted from Steve Schwarzman鈥檚 entrepreneur advice.

One book/podcast you recommend

“Shoe Dog” by Phil Knight.

Want to be featured as 91探花鈥檚 Founder of the Week? Know someone who deserves to be recognised as a founder making waves in the startup landscape? Find out more about this weekly feature and how to get involved here.