Katrien Herdewyn graduated as an electrical engineer with a master's degree in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at Belgian university KULeuven in 2010. After four years of scientific research in Solid State Physics, Katrien explored her childhood dream of learning how to design and make shoes by studying fashion footwear design in Belgium and Italy. In 2014, she started her own company Elegnano® to bring her two passions in life together – technology and footwear. Elegnano is literally, and figuratively a fusion of elegance and nanotechnology. Elegnano offers elegant shoes for men and women that are re-engineered and infused with (nano)technology to make them more comfortable and durable. Since 2014, under Katrien’s direction, Elegnano has launched several footwear collections and helped other companies across the world connect art and design with (nano)technology and turn prototypes into commercial products. Katrien has received several national and international awards and recognitions for her work in bringing high tech to fashion, art, and design - including Startup of the Year, Belgium’s 40 under 40, and InspiringFifty Belgium. In 2021, Katrien became an honorary professor in the faculty of engineering at her alma mater KULeuven.
Over the past 10 years, Katrien has been on stage giving keynotes, lectures, and inspirational presentations for national and international audiences of all backgrounds about Elegnano, (female) entrepreneurship & DEI, fashion tech, international business, sustainability in the fashion industry, etc.
