Meet Kevin:

This is Kevin Cozens (KrazyKev in our forums). In this photo, he is wearing a pair of Pleaser XTC 826 platform heels:

Why?

In his own words:

HI my name is Kevin AKA. KRAZY KEV. I thought I would let you all know a little about me and my liking for high heels. First let me put you straight on a few things.
1.)  Yes, im a bit krazy
2.)  Yes I have walked in public wearing womens high heels.
3.)  No I dont have a fetish for high heels unless worn by a sexy woman.

The reason I started to wear high heels is for a very good one. I was looking for a way to raise money for a UK charity called HELP FOR HEROES. I was after a way to emulate pain suffered by soldiers who have been injured while serving in Iraq and Afganistan. In the end I had the bright idea of a long walk but wearing very high heeled womens shoes. On 22 Aug 2009 my day had finally come. I was going to be wearing womens shoes in public for the very first time. I had never worn high heels in my life and I was about to attempt to walk a very long 5 miles in a pair of PLEASER XTC 826. The heels were 7.5” with a 4” platform. I had already made the event known to the public and i had already raised a lot of money. I now ask myself could I go the distance without doing myself harm. After 3.5hrs I finally arrived at my destination. I have to admit that a man wearing huge womens heels are a sure fire way of getting attention. Before the walk I promised my wife that if I complete the walk that I would DOUBLE the distance to raise money for her chosen charity which is Cancer Reasearch UK.

According to his original website, £723.00 was raised toward his chosen charity.

Now he needs our help to determine which shoes he should wear when keeping that promise to his wife - and perform a second, much longer, charity walk (tentatively set for Spring 2010).

Here are the shoes that Kevin is considering for this fund-raising event:

:

Now, all we need from you, dear readers, is your vote.

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Poll will remain open for at least 2 months. Let’s see how many people we can get to help out on this!

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Skins is the company behind the much discussed two part footwear structure consisting of the Bone, which offers the orthopedic support, and the Skin, an interchangeable shell that a wearer can easily swap out. Shoeblog recently had an opportunity to conduce an e-interview with Mark Klein, CEO and Founder of Skins Footwear.

We love the idea of interchangeable Skins and wish we had thought of this concept
ourselves. How and where did you come up with the idea for Skin and Bones?

It was about people. It was about offering an experience in footwear that can be personalized, customized, and ergonomic to the consumer. I saw and see this theme playing out in many different industries. Ranging from the auto industry with Toyota Scion and Smart Car, to TIVO’s and IPOD’s, to watches and sunglasses with interchangeable lenses and bands. When I looked down at a friends shoe and noticed he had about 8-10 pairs of the same shoe in a different color the idea really gelled. But I did not want to stop at color, I wanted a base that would always be compelling to come back to - a Bone with a constant fit and feel that is always comfortable and accompanying Skins that range in color, materials and styles to fit almost any occasion. The complete package would need to be collapsible, interchangeable and portable. Allowing the consumer to really pack multiple Skins on the go for any purpose they need. The name Skins denotes a persons ability to keep ’skinning their bones’ with a different look. The bone is the fit, the structure and the skeleton to for the Skin. Each part is roughly 50% of a normal shoe.

How is the Bone secured to the Skin?

Simply by a pressure fit. The Bones and Skins were made to go together. No zippers, fasteners, buttons or locking mechanisms. Simply insert Bone into Skin, the Skins build out into a shoe and put your feet in and you are ready to go.

Since all feet were not created equal (high arch, normal arch, flat feet), will there be different Bones available?

We currently offer a Bone that fits a multitude of different types of feet. With the bones accompanying 2 pairs of foot-beds (each pair sized differently) and the ability to wear the Bone without the foot-beds, all of these options allow the wearer to really find the variable fit that makes the most sense for them. In addition we will be releasing Bones that at some point will be made to fit the specific foot of its wearer. A truly customized fitting Bone.

What does the future hold for Skins and Bones? Any hope for females that prefer wedges or pumps?

We are currently in development with a myriad of different bones ranging from high-heel, to performance and childrens.

We’ve seen the commercials and photos of Skins but tell us a bit about the man behind Skins.

What is the single biggest contributor to your success?

Dogged stubbornness

What shoes are you wearing right now? Any pictures?

None, I’m barefoot in my hotel room.

In your book, what is the most important feature for a shoe? Is it comfort or style?

I would have to say that both are very important to me. I won’t wear a comfortable shoe that is ugly, but I also wont wear a stylish shoe that is not.

Outside of Skins, what are you favorite pair of shoes?

It would be a tie between my chucks and my bottegas

What are the most expensive pair of shoes you’ve ever owned?

My Bottega slip ons. Nice and expensive.

Interested in Skins Footwear? The shoes are finally available in select retail stores. They can also be purchased online at SportieLA and FootWear Etc .

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