If you've spent any time around Birdie & Claire, you know we have a soft spot for women building something in honor of the women who came before them. It’s the whole reason we exist. So when we met Dani Kagan, we felt an instant kinship.
Dani is the co-founder and CEO of Mave & Chez, a luxury ergonomic slipper brand for women who refuse to choose between comfort and feeling like themselves. Like us, she built the company as a tribute to family, naming it after her and her business partner Victoria’s late grandmothers, Mavis and Sheina.
She’s also a mom, a three-time entrepreneur, and podcast host with the kind of honesty about business and life that instantly puts people at ease. Together, Dani and Victoria have grown Mave & Chez into a brand featured in Vogue and at Nordstrom, and they secured a deal on Dragon’s Den.
We asked Dani about the women who shaped her, the realities of building a company, and why the right pair of footwear matters more than people think.
1. Mave & Chez is named for your grandmothers, Mavis and Sheina. Tell us about them, and what they passed down to you.
We never actually got to meet either of them, but their presence has always been felt. They were both fiercely resilient women who endured things we'll never fully understand, and their stories have been carried through generations with such intention. We're both named after them, our middle names, and founding Mave & Chez felt like the most meaningful way to honour that legacy. The entire ethos of our brand is rooted in that idea: what does it mean to shape your legacy, and what do you want to leave behind?
2. You and your co-founder Victoria have been friends since your dance days at the University of Toronto. What’s it like building something this personal alongside someone who’s known you for so long?
We are genuinely so lucky to have each other, but I won't pretend it's been effortless. Building that level of trust, respect, and love takes real work, and we've done the work. We've navigated some of our hardest seasons, personally and professionally, side by side, and come out more committed to each other and to a vision that's bigger than either of us. Having a co-founder is like a marriage: you have to keep choosing it. We've had business coaches individually and together, and that's made all the difference. This is actually our third business together, so we're not new to this- we just keep getting better at it.
3. Take us back to the start of Mave & Chez. What was the gap you saw that nobody else seemed to be paying attention to?
It started with my own body. I was pregnant in 2020, dealing with serious foot pain, and I could not believe what the market had to offer- custom orthotics that only fit running shoes, bulky Birkenstocks, unflattering orthopedic flats. Nothing that was actually beautiful and supportive. No stylish house shoe that took your foot health seriously. I thought: if I want this, I can't be the only one. And I wasn't.
But I didn't just go out and find a manufacturer and slap a logo on a slipper. I spent almost two years going deep- learning podiatry, studying foot health, understanding the biomechanics of how women move through their day, and immersing myself in the craft of shoe construction. I wanted to actually understand the problem before I designed the solution. That research led us to build our slippers completely from scratch, in collaboration with a podiatrist, engineering nine distinct functional features into every pair, features that work together to deliver real, tangible health benefits. Better posture. Reduced foot and back pain. Proper arch support. Things women actually need but have never been offered in a shoe that also looks beautiful.
That's what makes MAVES different. It's not a pretty slipper with a wellness story bolted on. The health benefits are baked into the design at every single level- and we have the two years of obsessive research to prove it.
4. Appearing on Dragon’s Den is such a unique entrepreneurial experience. What did that experience feel like behind the scenes?
It was a whirlwind, in the best way. We didn't get the typical runway of months of prep. We got a call two hours before we were set to pitch and rushed down to CBC in downtown Toronto. Looking back, it was a blessing in disguise. We didn't have time to spiral or overthink it, we just walked in confident in what we'd built. We came out with a deal from two Dragons, and honestly, I'm so grateful for how it unfolded. Sometimes the best things happen when you don't have time to get in your own way. A year after our episode launched we actually started working on a collaboration with Michele Romanow and launched a unique limited edition robe and slipper set with her (and in collaboration with Tofino Towel Co., based in Vancouver), which was a real highlight.
5. Building a company comes with a lot people don’t always see. What’s something about building a business that surprised you once you were actually in it?
How much you truly have to become. I knew I'd wear a lot of hats but I didn't anticipate just how many, or how deeply I'd have to teach myself along the way. The learning curve is relentless, and so is the growth. In four years, I've evolved more than I think most people do in a lifetime: mentally, strategically, emotionally. It's a lot. It's also everything. Oh, and raise more money than you think you need. Always.
6. Who are the women you find yourself looking to, for inspiration, for perspective, or just for proof that it can be done?
I make it a point to constantly put myself in rooms with women who are ahead of me- whether they're doing $5M or $50M, that energy is contagious in the best way. Ambition is something you absorb. And honestly, my co-founder Victoria is one of my greatest sources of inspiration: as a founder, a coach, a new mom, and the most level-headed risk-taker I know. She is truly the yin to my yang.
7. What’s something on the horizon for Mave & Chez, or for you personally, that you’re genuinely excited about right now?
A men's line. It's something we get asked about constantly, and as a founder, you have to listen to the people. We're already working on a prototype, and it feels a lot like going back to the very beginning- that early R&D energy, the excitement of building something from scratch. To all the men who've been waiting: we hear you. Hang tight.
8. This is our favorite question to ask: What’s an outfit, pair of shoes, or piece you’ve worn that made you feel amazing? Maybe a memorable look, or simply your go-to that always gives you confidence?
My navy blazer- always. It goes with everything, it works for every occasion, and it never fails me. And of course, I'm almost always in my Mave & Chez slippers. I say this as the founder, and I mean it completely: they have genuinely changed my life. Not having to default to heels or uncomfortable flats has transformed my posture, relieved my foot and back pain, and just made daily life feel better. They're not just a product to me. They're the whole reason we started.
We’re so grateful to Dani for sharing the story behind Mave & Chez and the perspective she’s gained along the way.
You can find Mave & Chez at maveandchez.com, and follow them on social @maveandchez. You can also hear more from Dani on her podcast, Raise It Up.
