Needed a pair of sports shoes . For years I have been buying Adidas shoes as my experience (UT) of the quality and the range had been terrific . From the time I bought the last pair a lot has clearly changed at Adidas .
* UT = until today
Visited a store near my house and found that they had a very small selection of shoes which looked a lot like each other . And the 1-2 styles that seemed worth a closer look did not fit . Thereafter I decided to visit a larger Adidas store where I was sure I’d find my next pair of shoes . The women’s range in this store was marginally more than the first store . As I stood there and looked at the display I noticed that the total collection of shoes was pretty vast . A closer look revealed that most of the styles on display were for men . Approximately 119 styles for men. And about 60 styles (incl slippers and floaters) for women . The disparity in numbers was not a problem . The issue was the lack of meaningful variety and hence options in the women’s range . Adidas has assumed that women will only want shoes which have a white base with some predictable colors like pink , blue etc . No women’s shoes with darker colors that can survive a mud track jog . Women will daintily walk on a treadmill in a closed environment . And they will only want shoes with white color near the base of the shoe .
This line of thinking is unfortunately not limited to Adidas . A lot of companies in various product categories apply stereotypes when designing products for women (at least in India ) .
Watch companies will make a vast range of ornate watches for women. Too bad if you want a simple , sleek style with Roman numerals . Unless one is willing to pay the premium for brands like Longines , Tissot or Rado you have to accept a compromise if your design preference in a watch veers towards sleek , classic styles .
The ranges of several Indian clothing brands appear to be designed by men who have been given a rigid brief (by men) on what women want . I often find myself looking at the ranges in stores and wonder ‘who is the target consumer for this range ? ’.
Coming back to the shoes….I finally managed to get a pair at Nike . It was one of the unisex styles in which they thankfully had a small size . A choice aided by the fit and the fact that I don’t have the time to make shoe search into a hobby . I’m not ecstatic about the color . It fits well , feels terrific and promises to make long walks easy on the knees .
Goodbye Adidas…
Learning of the day – while shopping for sports shoes carry a pair of socks to avoid having to use the pair at the store which they give to everyone who wants to try the shoes . I suppose this would qualify as 'wisdom through experience ' :)
