Textile Insight

22 • Textile Insight ~ January/February 2019 textileinsight.com Just Like the Guys but Better After diving deep with conversations, product reviews and research into what's lacking in the women's work boot space, Carrie Hill, design director for Wolverine Footwear, says the brand's solution to keeping women safe on the job means giving them exactly what the guys are getting — almost literally. Instead of focusing efforts on launching new styles, she says, the brand has made tweaking their existing product to better fit and protect women its main strategy. "In the 14 years I've been with the brand, the evolution of women in the workplace has changed dramatically," Hill says. "But all along, women have wanted to fit in and have product that makes them feel comfortable and provides the safety they need, and until now it didn't provide that. There were too many cute details, too much pink, too much focus on drawing them in aesthetically. But if we want the fit, comfort and functionality that's equal to the men's product, there's just different ways to approach it." While other brands in the space have made women's-only product the key, Hill says Wolverine took a look at changes that could be made to existing product to accommodate women's needs. "They have narrower feet that are smaller overall, so we opened up the forms so the boots have a more tailored fit. By creating a more unisex product, you're spending less money and resources on leathers and colors. It's a smarter way to develop product." The mindset pays off in other ways, Hill says. The percep- tion of Wolverine by women is that the brand views them as construction workers, not as female construction workers. For Fall, the brand's key style will be the I-90 Chelsea boot, an expansion to one of the brand's most popular boot families that launched this year. The style is fully featured for the job site, with a waterproof leather upper, a CarbonMax safety toe and a removable EPX antifatigue footbed. And the Chelsea styling lets the brand pull another level — the growing fashion appeal of utilitarian workwear. "Right now, work boots are trending from a lifestyle perspec- tive," Hill says. "It's built to withstand for work, but it has a look. It's one of our most comfortable boots and it looks amazing, and that's a real win when we can build cross categories." Safety First For Robin Skillings, global director of marketing for Keen Utility, filling out the women's category isn't just a market decision, it's a safety issue. Talking to women in the field, she says, it's clear that much of the personal protective equipment (PPE) most women use, including footwear, isn't designed for them — and that poor fit can put them in danger of injury. "Since I've been within the work space, it's been a passion of mine — and not just because I'm a women. But [on a work site], you want to make sure every single individual is wearing the proper PPE and footwear and the best products for them to keep them working and so that they can go home and feel okay after working." Keen has been cultivating that end-consumer insight as it expands the line. The brand's product developer, herself a woman, and the team have leveraged relationships with nonprofit groups like Oregon Tradeswomen and Sacramento, CA-based Tradeswoman Inc. dedicated to helping advance women in the trades, as well as with focus groups of work- ing women has given them insights they're turning into gear. For Fall '19, the line includes the women-only Seattle family of products, including a $170 8" Lace-up, a $180 6" Lace-up FOOTWEAR | WORK BOOTS Timberland Pro women's work boots from the brand's Hightower Series. Women have wanted to fit in and have product that makes them feel comfortable and provides the safety they need.

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