5 things that you may not known about women and sneakers culture Spoiler alert: both basketball and subway strikes are involved

The debate has never been as heated as in recent years: what went wrong in the relationship between women and sneaker culture?
Why still today in 2021 we find ourselves discussing an evident problem of inclusion, of products that do not reflect the tastes and needs of women, of a predominantly male community that finds it difficult to give due weight to women? And above all, why the only answers are limited to a catchy post on Instagram that loses its effectiveness after 24 hours? The questions - and consequently the confusion - are many.

To clarify, there is a need for ideas and the opinion of those who live this reality on a daily basis. W Sneakers Inquiry was born from this need, a real investigation that sees women as protagonists and witnesses. Together with them we will try to investigate the main problems, trying to find answers and possible solutions.But before starting, let's discover together 5 stuff that you may not have known about women and sneaker culture.

#1 The first sneaker designed specifically for women was created in 1982

During the 1980 Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) strike in New York City, 33,000 firm employees went on strike closing New York City subway and bus lines for 11 days. From 1 to 11 April, more than 3 million commuters were forced to find alternative way for getting to work. Women who walked to work in suits and sneakers became a symbol of the strike.

#5 From 2016 to 2020, the female audience increased by over 100% annually

According to StockX data from 2016 to 2020, the market share of female releases has grown by 1500%, with an increase in female customers of over 100% per year. Most popular silhouettes among women are those of Jordan Brand with more than 250,000 pairs sold globally in 2020, a 120% increase over 2019.