Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emii Le. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Emii, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

Lexe Heels didn’t start as a business plan—it started in as a personal and community need in the dance studios.
I’d been dancing in heels for years and had just begun teaching when students started sharing heartfelt messages about how heels dancing and the way I taught it made them feel inspired, confident, empowered, and uplifted. In the same way, dancing in a community environment had changed me also — that shared energy became the spark behind Lexe.
One question kept coming up, “Where do you buy good dance heels?” I shared the few brands and stores I knew, but the truth was they all fell short in one way or another. The well-known brands were expensive yet flawed, while mass-produced options simply weren’t designed for dancers. I owned dozens of pairs and danced in all of them, but the frustration was constant: poor quality, scuffed studio floors, materials that tore after just a few classes..
That’s when the idea clicked: What if I designed the heels myself?
I’m originally from Vietnam, a country globally known for shoe craftsmanship and manufacturing for major brands. What started as a solution to my own frustration quickly became something bigger. I thought, why not create a shoe heels dancers could actually rely on and share with my community? To make sure it wasn’t just me experiencing the frustrations, I ran a poll on my social media page. Unsurprisingly, dancers everywhere were experiencing the same issues — we just had limited options.
I called my best friend and my ex-business partner, who has danced with me since our university days over a decade ago. Her response was instant “This is the most you business idea you’ve ever had. I don’t see why not!”
I had no background in manufacturing or supply chain and no idea where to start. What I did have was lived experience and a passion –I knew how heels should feel, where they fail, and what dancers truly need. With help from my younger brother, a logistics specialist, I secured my first calls with manufacturers. Convincing them to work with a brand that didn’t yet exist wasn’t easy, but persistence and passion carried me through.
It took nearly a year of design, testing, and iteration — constantly listening to feedback from my dance community and refining every detail. We even had an early batch that was technically “good enough” to launch, but it didn’t meet my standards. I made the hard decision to pause and start over. I learned quickly that being an entrepreneur means moving fast, making mistakes, learning them, pivoting, and continuing forward. On the final day of one early business trip, a last-minute meeting came through—and that became the turning point that helped bring Lexe to life.
I didn’t just want to create shoes, I wanted to create everything that works with them. From breathable custom shoe bags that allow heels to air out after sweaty sessions to thoughtful accessories, I chose not to take the easy or standard route. Those who know me know that I’ve always had a higher standard for myself, and I stuck to it.
Launch day was terrifying. I kept asking myself, “What if no one likes them? Who am I to do this?” I reminded myself that I’m an immigrant raised by a resourceful, determined single mom—someone who taught me to solve problems, stay creative, and lead with heart. So that’s what I did.
Five months in, I’ve taken four trips back and forth to Asia. It felt like an enternity but, I always had a village of support besides me. The heels community I built in Seattle carried me through the hardest days—reminding me why I started this all and celebrated milestones together. My dance team, FemmeX Heels, tested and created the heels with me—many of them wearing Lexe heels in our classes and performances.
Lexe Heels is dancer-designed, community-tested, and built from lived experience. What started as a personal problem became a shared solution—and that foundation continues to guide everything we do.

Emii, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a first-generation immigrant, and growing up with limited resources taught me resilience early on. Nothing was ever handed to me—I learned how to adapt, work with what I had, and keep going even when the path felt uncertain. About eight years ago, I moved from Iowa to Seattle in search of something I couldn’t quite name yet, but I knew I needed space to reconnect with myself and with dance.
Dance had always been a part of me, but life, responsibility, and survival slowly pushed it to the background. When I moved to Seattle, I found my way back into the studio—not just to dance, but to heal. Living with lupus has forced me to listen to my body more deeply, to move with intention, patience, and compassion. Some days I can do everything; other days I have to modify, rest, or redefine what strength looks like. That experience fundamentally changed how I view movement and success.
Building my brand came from that intersection—being an immigrant, a dancer, and someone living with a chronic illness while remaining deeply passionate about what I do. I wanted to create something that honors bodies as they are, supports the community that shaped me, and proves you don’t need perfect circumstances to build something meaningful. My journey hasn’t been linear or easy, but it has been a constant learning process. Through heels dancing, I found my confidence and rediscovered myself—and now, I want to create that same opportunity for others, the way dance changed my life for the better with FemmeX my dance team, a community-centered heels training program and Lexe Heels which is my dance shoe brand.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

hree to four months into the business, I hit one of my first major hiccups. Our initial big production batch that I had invested in- wasn’t where it needed to be. I had 2 choices: to move forward with what we had or to start over. The easier route that most stores go with was to keep the existing manufacturer and go with the same design. But then I would be going against my mission of creating high-quality shoes that we need. Manufacturing in Vietnam is more challenging than sourcing from places like China, but as a Vietnamese American, it mattered deeply to me to give back and honor the craftsmanship I knew existed there. So I made the harder call—I took a loss from that batch and started over and kept looking for the right partner. Thankfully, we did and now with a proper prototype, other manufacturers was more convinced that we are a “legit/serious” business to partner with as well. Even more, they showed willingness to work with me when they saw my enthusiasm and passion in this venture.

Just weeks before our launch, I was diagnosed with a rare bone disease called Kienböck’s disease, a complication from my lupus autoimmune condition. I was told I might lose strength and function in my wrist. My health condition had already affected my dance ability, so hearing that news felt devastating. Naturally, I cried, but after I allowed myself to feel and sit in the reality and emotions, I chose to move forward. Instead of focusing on the limitations, I learned to dance with what I had, to be gentle with myself, and to accept a new version of my body.

After launch, I spent four months in a brace and then a cast. Dance is my therapy, and not being able to move or dance freely was one of the hardest mental challenges I’ve faced. What carried me through was the support from my community, my dancers, and even customers I had never met. Their messages, trust, and belief in what I was building gave me the strength to keep going.

That experience reminded me that resilience isn’t about pushing through without pause, it’s about adapting, listening to your body, and continuing with intention at my own pace.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I believe strong brands start and grow with their customers. A good product is the foundation — if it truly serves people, they’ll come back. Beyond that, I stay deeply connected with the heels dance community through being approachable and having open conversations both online and in-person. I don’t believe I need to make every decision alone. We run polls, send surveys, and actively listen to feedback so we can improve, iterate, and grow together.

Lexe is built with its community, not just for it — and that shared ownership naturally builds trust and loyalty over time. Heels or not, dance is historically built and shared with the community. It’s more than movement or perfect steps; it’s the act of sharing a part of ourselves with those around us. That shared vulnerability and connection make it a truly special space, and Lexe exists to honor and support that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lexeheels.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexeheels/

Image Credits

Olya Blase, Connor Yi, Ryan Kennedy, Jim Garner