A class where they teach women how to walk in high heels

They practised with their hands, refining what she called the “hypostatic” to resist the urge to pace up and down.

“Posture is the first thing that will make you walk with confidence. You need to have your chest slightly up and chin up. Never look at your shoe when doing your walk because it will draw all your focus,” Ayiemba Atieno, the CEO of Forte & Form, a company that does image consultancy, tells her participants.

At Nairobi’s Passion en Fuego Studio, women come to master the steady elegance grip. Others wobble slightly, fighting to keep their balance. In this room, no one is laughing at anyone else’s missteps. They are all here to master the same thing: the art of walking in heels and, by extension, the art of walking into any room with confidence.

“I want to do it differently,” says Belinda Okumu, a 36-year-old waitress.

She spends most of her days in sneakers and sandals, always on her feet and constantly in motion. But flat shoes don’t tell the story she wants to tell. “Sometimes you just want to go out, you want to be elegant, you want to catch attention, and there’s nothing that catches attention like a lady in heels,” she says.

For Ms Okumu, this class isn’t about her becoming someone else; she is discovering a part of herself she had put aside. She used to wear heels, but stopped. Now, even the pair of stilettos she once bought remains unworn.

“I’ve never worn them. I thought coming to this class would be intimidating and maybe even awkward. It was scary for me since I knew I would come to a hall of heel experts,” she says.

However, when she got here, she says, “ I met the coach who takes you through the very basic steps for you to feel comfortable, and you almost see it as an easy thing to do. I now want to do it over and over.”

Across the room, Rose Mombo, a front office staffer, adjusts her stance as the instructor corrects her posture. For Ms Mombo, the heels are less about style and more about authority.

“I am a corporate member of society, and it gives you pressure in terms of image,” she says.

Being five-foot-eight, she has always shied away from higher heels, worried that they might draw too much attention. “I want to learn to walk in heels so that I may be confident enough, I can be bold enough to walk in front of board meetings and anywhere else effortlessly,” she says.

However, she thought the class might be like the modelling tutorials she sees online, “maybe because of the videos I’ve been watching of modelling and all that”, but quickly realised that this was different. “The coach is teaching us the basic steps that you need every day to be comfortable in heels. I believe whatever she teaches us is something that I can practice even outside there.”

Her biggest revelation came when she tried open heels for the first time. “Walking in closed heels and walking in open heels is different. I started feeling slippery when in open heels, but when I put on closed heels, my feet are intact. I don’t have to prepare to walk; I just know I’ll pick up. But if it’s slippery, I’m worried every time.”

Still, the lessons have made her see heels as more than just footwear. “It’s not just a matter of walking. You learn how to carry your whole body, even when you are not necessarily in heels. It just brings out something that is inside you;the boldness,” says Ms Mombo.

If Ms Okumu wants to reclaim her heels and Ms Mombo wants to command her corporate stride, Joy Irimu is here to refine her craft. A fashion model and dancer, she already spends plenty of time in heels, but says she knew she needed more polish.

“I am a fashion model and I want to refine my work,” she says.

Her journey started with kitten heels, and now she confidently wears four-inch pairs. But even with experience, there have been surprises.

“When she talked about how you turn, I didn’t know it had to be in a certain form because before this, I was just turning, yet I need to make it more elegant.”

For Ms Irimu, the hardest part hasn’t been the balance or even the height; it was her mentality.

“Confidence,” she says. “That was the first thing, I always thought people are watching me as I walk, and it felt embarrassing. But the minute I got confident about myself, everything changed, including my walk.”

“For us women, when you’re confident and you walk into a room where everybody is watching, it feels so right that all eyes are on you. I love the attention,” Ms Okumu laughs.

Mastering the elegance art

Walking in heels is less about the shoe and more about the story it tells. Ms Atieno says the moment you slip them on, your posture changes. You stand taller, your strides shorten, and your movements become deliberate. Heels force you to own your space.

Technique, however, matters as much as the shoes; her classes always begin with body structure. Chin up, chest slightly lifted, back arched, just enough to lengthen the silhouette with your feet positioned in a subtle T. “That’s how confidence starts from the ground up,” she says.

She compares walking in heels to a workout. It is both physical and mental. “The moment you put them on, the first thing you tell yourself is: the world is my runway today,” she says. “It gives you mental clarity and even physically, your body responds to that energy. You walk differently because you believe it differently.”

She teaches them how to show up. “Image is not just how you dress; it’s how you show up to people without having to speak or even make a move. Your image walks into a room long before you do.”

Her journey into this space began with her love for heels, which started as a teenager when she bought a pair of white platform high heels at the age of 16.

“The first day I wore them, I walked nicely. I remember visiting my sister in high school wearing those heels and I never got tired.”

When she joined the university, she was striding across long distances in heels while on campus, making her a natural model without a runway.

“It didn’t matter how many kilometres I had to cover, I was always in high heels,” she says.

Over time, she started teaching her peers, learning as she taught. Today, that self-taught skill has grown into a business rooted in elegance.

But why heels?

“Walking in heels makes you bold. It boosts your confidence, it changes how you take up space. I have walked into rooms with a very basic outfit, but because of my heels, women would stop me to ask how I do it. Every woman deserves to experience that feeling,” Ms Atieno says.

Finding the right heel

One of the biggest mistakes women make, Ms Atieno says, is choosing the wrong type of heel for the wrong occasion.

“You will find someone wearing stilettos or in platform heels meant for the runway to the office when they should be in strappy heels,” she says.

Her classes start by teaching women how to pick the right pair.

“Stilettos is for the confident woman, given that it is long, sharp and pointed, they demand structure because they bring out boldness,’’ she says.

Strappy heels, she insists, are for the shorter women and anyone wanting to elongate their legs.

“When you strap your feet, your legs look longer, they are also playful and very feminine. Platform heels, on the other hand, are best for the boldest of women, like Lady Gaga [American singer-songwriter and actress], who would do even the nine-inch heels. They are for models, beauty queens who catwalk and make dramatic turns,” she says.

Chunky heels?

“They are for the corporate woman. These shoes are usually very comfortable, balanced and structured, which makes them perfect for long days at work. Plus-size women, as well, will also benefit from their extra support,” she says.

“Kitten heels are just timeless and elegant. They were made in the 1950s for women learning how to walk in heels. It is perfect for anyone who wants elegance without the height,” she adds.

Then there is the debate between open and closed heels. “Closed heels give you firmness and structure that is elegant for boardrooms; however, open heels are more feminine, they let you show off your toenails, but you have to pair them with the right outfit to stay elegant,” the image consultant says.

She is also quick to point out that most struggles are not about the shoes but about the walking style. “If your posture is wrong, the heels will expose it. Your upright posture is what gives you boldness and confidence.”

Does it get tiring? “Not when you’re used to it. I leave my house already in position. When you master it, it’s effortless and everywhere you go, people notice that you are in the room,” Ms Atieno laughs.

What about the perception about tall women should avoid heels?

Ms Atieno says she  has heard it all when it comes to the excuses, insecurities, and myths that women cling to about heels.

“I get surprised when I hear tall women saying they don’t deserve to wear heels because they are already tall and that high heels are only meant for short women. But if that was the case, wouldn’t heels come with tags to indicate whether they’re for tall or short women?” She says.

For her, heels are about the presence. “Traditionally, heels are to elevate a woman’s confidence and they are for every woman, anyone can wear them. There’s no limitation to who and where you can wear your heels.”

What about those towering pairs that seem almost intimidating? “I mean, look at the South Sudanese and someone like Alek Wek, [super model]  they are very tall, like 6’9” they wear heels and they own it. They look very beautiful as long as you’re feeling confident, then you’re good to go,” she says.

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