For brands, that means updating strategies to be more inclusive and avoiding antiquated gender profiles. You can see constant specialization in men’s sports equipment, but adoption for the women’s sector is lagging.
From menstruation to breast development, brands in the sports retail sector must innovate clothing to address the physiological differences women have from men and the changes they endure throughout their lives, empowering female athletes to perform at their peak. Sports technology and products must invest in research and evolve quickly to better cater to the female body and drive inclusivity in the sports world.
Consider sports uniforms and you’ll notice the stark differences between men’s and women’s sports attire. Uniforms for women tend to be tight-fitting, small, uncomfortable and not practical for high-level athletes. In sports like gymnastics, poorly fitting attire is not only the norm but also expected and encouraged, potentially turning girls away before they even try to participate. At the highest level of competition, uniforms must be optimized for performance, but athletes frequently must advocate for uniform changes to perform at their best.
Last year, the England Women’s Field Hockey team had to campaign for the option to wear shorts during competitions. This issue goes beyond personal preferences or minor fit adjustments—it reflects systemic barriers keeping girls away from sports.
Nike tried this gender-specific approach with their Phantom Luna soccer cleats released before the 2023 World Cup. According to Nike, they were the most researched women-led cleats in history and took over two years of research to create. The sportswear brand tackled the challenge head-on, introducing a women-specific stud pattern on the cleat to avoid injury, a new fitting system to better fit women’s feet and new advancements in how the ball will feel for athletes while wearing them. The cleat was made by women, for women and overall the move paid off with the Phantom Luna being one of the most popular models among Nike’s women athletes.
In addition to Nike, numerous other brands are actively addressing this issue, boldly confronting specific pain points encountered by their owners; issues that often escape the radar of larger corporations. While this trend is laudable, ideally more major brands will adopt a similar approach to purpose-driven innovation.
Addressing outdated marketing narratives
Unfortunately, gender stereotypes are still present in the marketing narratives of products and clothing, affecting children’s behavior from a young age. Brands, especially in toys and clothing, often reinforce outdated gender norms by promoting messages of action, physicality and competition for products aimed at boys, and socializing, domesticity and appearance for products aimed at girls. This pervasive messaging significantly shapes how girls feel about themselves and sports, with many feeling like sports ‘aren’t for them’ from a young age.
