In a society where it is a daily struggle for many to find clothes that are comfortable for them while also proving they are trendy and fashionable, it can become an all-consuming event every morning, draining the fun out of putting an outfit together. Don’t get me wrong, trends are trends for a reason. They are popular and many people like them. But, they are not for everyone. Here at Kkira Feet, our biggest message to you is that you should make the conscious choice every day to wear what makes you personally the happiest.
This is the choice that one of our newest supporters makes. Mark Bryan is a straight, happily married, 61-year-old grandfather of four working as a robotics engineer in a town near Schwäbisch Hall, Germany. The American man is, by most accounts, like any other, even spending his free time coaching a local football team, but what makes Bryan different is his choice to wear a pencil skirt and heels every day. The now-iconic look started out for Bryan as simply a passing curiosity. He was amazed by the beautiful women in his life that he admired and how they were able to wear clothes that made them feel confident, so he decided to try it out for himself.
While Mark has been wearing heels on and off for about 40 years, it has only been within the past five that he has chosen to wear them every day to work and paired them with a skirt. He started off with wearing just the shoes but quickly realized his long pants were covering the shoes and what’s the point of wearing beautiful shoes if no one can see them? So, it was just natural for Bryan to pair them with a skirt. He tried different styles but has found his favorite to be a simple pencil skirt, the real highlight being his choice of heel.
Our founder and designer Mauryn Kkira had the honor of speaking with Mark through an Instagram live video (watch the whole thing here!). Bryan spoke of his family and how much he appreciated their support and love throughout this journey of him blowing up online. But what stands out the most from this conversation is the overwhelming sense that Bryan doesn’t think he is doing anything out of the ordinary. He is a simple man and he is doing what makes him happy. He is not doing it for fame, or “clout” but simply because wearing high heels is a simple thing he can do that makes him happy.
However, what he’s doing is, in many ways, phenomenal. Sure, he is not the first man to wear heels, nor will he be the last, but he is part of a movement that is breaking down societal gender norms. It is so important to have strong confident men, like Mark, that view this as their own normal and show those in their lives that being a strong man is not determined by what you wear.
His message has touched many across the world and he has begun modeling for magazines such as Interview Magazine and Fguk Magazine where he will appear on the cover of their newest special edition!
It has been an honor for us to see how much Mark Bryan enjoys wearing our shoes and his story has touched us all. For Mauryn, she was so inspired that she designed a new shoe that she felt captured his essence and named it after him! The MarkBryan stiletto boot is available now and we hope it, along with Mark Bryan’s story, inspires you to wear what makes you happy every day.