During the Winter 2014 hackathon at Zalando, I pitched a wild idea: let’s send a 👠 shoe to 🚀 space!
Inspired by recordings of amateur high-altitude balloon launches, I envisioned a shiny stiletto in space as the ultimate brand statement for our tech group.
It was a crazy, edgy idea meant to push the limits of what we could achieve together.
The idea quickly gained traction in the internal forum, sparking excitement and curiosity. Over 10 team members committed to bringing this vision to life, and even though some executives were skeptical, they were intrigued enough to approve the necessary funding.
The Space Shoe mission was a go, but the challenges were just beginning…
⏳ Time: The hackathon lasted a week, so this was effectively a space race.
💰 Money: There were material costs, so we had to secure executive sponsorship.
⚖️ Legal: The German authorities were unprepared to regulate our launch on short notice. We pivoted and moved our launch site to Poland.
🌬️ Weather: On the launch day, we failed. Rough winds led to a snapped cord, and the “Space Shoe” did not lift off...
Despite winning the "Most Spectacular Failure" Award, the team received encouragement (and budget) to give it another shot. In January, we regrouped, reviewed what happened, and meticulously planned the second launch.
🪢 We learned to pay close attention to the tension of the cord and to avoid straining it.
🎈 We realized the importance of managing the massive 2-meter balloon during inflation.
⏱️ We rehearsed how to time and communicate the release of each element.
☀️ Finally, we picked a clear day with good weather conditions and went for it.
Our persistence paid off! The team’s excitement was unmatched as we retrieved the device and found the clean footage capturing the shiny “Space Shoe” against the backdrop of the Earth’s curvature.
The next day, everyone cheered us on as we presented the footage in an impromptu office gathering, and over time the "Space Shoe" became a symbol of Zalando’s Tech group's innovative spirit and ambitious culture.
Sometimes the craziest ideas can lead to the most extraordinary outcomes. This taught us many lessons: failing fast is the fastest way to learn, persistence is key, and an inspiring vision has the power to rally people to achieve the extraordinary. ✨
#innovation #hackathon #teamwork #ambition #vision #boldideas
The Space Shoe Team: António Nascimento, Rodrigo Reis, Timo B., Remko Bakker, Eric Draijer, Markus Marschall, Igor Ramadas, João Costa, Thibault Grandemenge, Tomasz Mazur, Thorsten Dietzsch, Chris Viola, Chris Kunert, Martin Muelenhart.
COO at Build-A-Bear Workshop
3moCongratulations to our partners in Columbia!!!! It is amazing to see our brand expanding and to bring the Build-A-Bear experience to life all around the world!