How many women, when out shopping for a new wardrobe for the office, would venture into a menβs shoe shop and settle for a pair of lace up brogues in a size small enough to fit their feet comfortably?
It sounds like a crazy scenario, since we know there are 100s of fashion brands offering shoes that are designed and styled to suit and fit womenβs feet.
But, this is an everyday experience for most women working in industry jobs (such as building sites or factories) where their feet need to be protected from possible injury.
Rather than footwear designed to meet their size and shape, women are usually offered small size menβs clothing and footwear that are ill-fitting, uncomfortable and potentially hazardous.
Dr. Martens recognised this as a serious issue for many working women.
Through a social media campaign, with an online publication for professional women in industry called Womanthology, Dr. Martens discovered that the issue of badly fitting PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) continues to be a real issue.
Many readers tweeted their experiences of having to make serious adjustments to menβs size coveralls to prevent tripping up and stuffing tissue into the toes of their work boots in an attempt to get them to fit.
Dr. Martens acknowledged that the modern workplace is a constant challenge β individual and team performance rely on having the right tools for the job, and quality safety footwear is one of those.
Jon Marchant, Global Category Director at Dr. Martens, began developing a womenβs line of safety boots in response to the growing numbers of women working in industry who deserve comfortable, high quality and safe footwear.
He comments: βManual work isnβt just a βmanβ thing, itβs an βusβ thing and we want to champion women in industry and offer them footwear that fits correctly and keeps them safe at work.
βIβve been shocked by the typical βshrink it and pink itβ approach to womenβs fit PPE and the feedback we have from talking to many women is that they donβt want to be treated differently.
βThey want to be treated with respect for the job they are doing and with their safety and comfort in mind.β
As well as employers supplying female staff members with appropriate footwear, Dr. Martens also wants to encourage advice and specialist tips at point of sale to women in industry on the types of work boots available to them.
This would help raise awareness that they donβt need to suffer with insufficient footwear.
In response, Dr. Martens launched its own industrial Womenβs Collection in early 2018, giving women a choice of protection, style and comfort with no compromise on quality or safety.
Jon Marchant continues: βFirst, we started with the right shape. We developed a womenβs specific βlastβ (the foot model that gives the length, width, in-step and overall foot volume).
βThen, we re-engineered the shape of our SoftWair sock-liner that gives underfoot airflow and cushioning at the forefoot and heel.
βWe think the collection is a real game-changer for the industry. Women demand and should expect the same level of comfort and protection as any man in the workplace.
βIf theyβre serious about their job, then they will also be serious about their choice of footwear.β
For more information on the Womenβs Industrial collection, visit: www.drmartens.com/uk/en_gb/c/industrial-womens.
