Rebuilding with purpose. Launching November 1, 2026. Read our update →

Transparency update

Where we are.
Honestly.

This page exists because you deserve to know what happened, where things stand, and what comes next. We update it every month.

Last updated: April 2026

Progress at a glance

Four things we're tracking

Customer refunds
Repaying everyone who waited
30%
We are working through all affected orders from 2020 and 2021, starting with those who have waited the longest.
Target: June 2026
Website & shop
New store, tools, and brand
40%
The home page is live. The shop, checkout flow, tools, and size guide are in progress, with mobile testing running alongside.
Live: November 1, 2026
Open source release
Sharing Prototype 1 & 2 designs
15%
Engineering documentation is underway. When ready, the designs will be hosted on OwnIt by Rangkai as a free open-source platform.
Release: August 2026
New shoe technology
Prototype 3, redesigned from scratch
8%
Better engineering, better fit, wider size range. Prototyping is far more affordable now than it was a few years ago, and we are making full use of that.
Dev begins: October 2026

The full story

How we got here

2015–16
The spark
Built from nothing, on a porch
Pam conceived the idea for interchangeable heels after running to catch a train in heels. There was no industry precedent or a playbook. Just early prototyping, a Cradle CIP150 grant, and a team of four. She was selected for the Stanford Go-To-Market Accelerator, and with their prototype 1.0, they launched locally and organically reached 20 countries.
Stanford accelerator 20 countries First prototype funded
2017–18
Scaling up
Manufacturing, awards, 31 countries
Prototype 2 was completed with improved engineering and aesthetics, funded by the Platcom Commercialisation Fund. Mestrae established its own in-house manufacturing facility, grew the team to eight people, and began global distribution partnerships. Every heel was tested to UK Satra regulatory standards, and the brand won global and national innovation awards.
31 countries In-house manufacturing Satra certified Global awards
2019
First blow
The grant that never arrived
A reimbursement grant that Mestrae had fulfilled every requirement for, on time and beyond expectation, was never disbursed. The company had already taken on debt to meet those obligations, and after project completion the rules changed. The debt remained, and this became the beginning of years of financial pressure that compounded everything that followed.
Unpaid grant Debt begins
2020
Second blow
Pandemic shuts manufacturing
A Kickstarter campaign hit 200% of its funding target, which was genuine validation that the product was wanted. But COVID-19 shut in-house manufacturing before orders could be fulfilled. Pivoting to OEM manufacturing seemed like a solution, but production collapsed before it could deliver. Customers who had paid, especially those from the Kickstarter campaign, never received their shoes.
Kickstarter: 200% funded Manufacturing halted Orders unfulfilled
2021
Third blow
Floods destroy remaining stock
Severe flooding destroyed the remaining inventory and raw materials, bringing operations to a complete halt. What the pandemic hadn't taken, the floods did. This was the point where everything stopped.
Stock destroyed Operations halted
2022–25
Survival and rebuilding
Consulting, learning, and not giving up
Pam took on startup consulting, corporate writing, and freelance work to repay the debt. She pursued graduate studies in business, completed a book on building breakthrough innovations in large companies, and applied the lessons of Mestrae's mistakes to help other founders avoid the same pitfalls. In parallel, she has been quietly redesigning the heel technology to take advantage of cheaper prototyping and better engineering solutions that simply weren't available a few years ago.
Consulting Graduate studies Quietly redesigning
2026
The comeback
Refunding, rebuilding, returning
Financial struggles are slowly resolving. Refunds are slowly being processed. The new website is in development. The open source release of Prototype 1 and 2 is planned for August, Prototype 3 engineering begins in October, and the shop opens on November 1. This is Mestrae rebuilt properly.
Refunds by June Shop opens Nov 1 Open source Aug

From Pam

A personal note

Christine Pamela Founder, Mestrae
To everyone who has waited,
believed, and stayed.

Mestrae has been quite a journey. We started from nothing, learning every step as we went. Building in a system with limited funding access, a collapsing manufacturing ecosystem, and a grant scheme that left us holding debt we hadn't chosen has been harder than I can fully describe.

We did everything right. We launched in 31 countries, won awards, passed independent safety testing, and built our own manufacturing facility. Then, in the span of two years, a grant induced financial struggle, pandemic and flooding took nearly all of it.

I won't pretend I knew what to do next. The shift from deep engineering expertise to being a founder who has to know everything at once is disorienting in ways nobody warns you about. I made mistakes, took on odd jobs to stay afloat, studied, consulted, and wrote a book. I haven't taken a single day off in years.

In Malaysia, there’s a saying: Hutang emas boleh dibayar. Hutang budi dibawa mati.
A debt of gold can be repaid. A debt of gratitude lasts until death.

To our lenders, repayments will be completed this year. To our customers, you are next and you will not be forgotten. Every customer affected during this period will be refunded by June 2026. I would also like to invite you back as early adopters when we release the new Mestrae technology in 2026.

For now, communication will be limited as it is just me running things until I can bring one or two people back on board. I appreciate your patience more than I can say.

What’s ahead is better than what came before. I’m certain of it.

Pam Chandrakasan
Founder & CEO, Mestrae · Kuala Lumpur

What happens next

Our commitments
for 2026

These are the specific things we are working toward, month by month, in order.

  • Brand guidelines, website architecture, and the home page are complete
  • All affected customers will be refunded by June 2026
  • The engineering designs for Prototype 1 and 2 will be released as open source
  • The shop, checkout flow, and payment system will be live by November 1
  • Prototype 3 development begins in October 2026
  • Returning customers will be invited back as early adopters
Now May 2026
Refunds processing & site build
Customer refunds are being processed and the shop, product pages, and checkout are in development.
In progress
June 2026
All refunds complete
Every affected customer from the 2020 to 2021 period repaid in full.
Upcoming
August 2026
Open source release
Prototype 1 and 2 designs released via OwnIt by Rangkai, free for anyone to build from.
Upcoming
October 2026
Prototype 3 begins
New engineering begins for better fit, a wider size range, and an improved mechanism.
Upcoming
November 1, 2026
Shop opens
Mestrae relaunches. Early adopters are invited first, with Christmas orders very welcome.
Launch day

Questions or feedback?

Pam reads every message. Responses may take a little time as it is a small team right now, but nothing goes unread. You can also follow monthly updates on Substack.

Email us Follow on Substack

Monthly updates

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