Are Female Athletes’ Shoes Actually Designed for Them? The Truth Might Shock You

Women’s sports are surging – but the footwear industry is still playing catch-up. Despite a booming $45 billion market, major brands have historically treated female athletes as an afterthought. Even Sabrina 2, Nike’s signature shoe named after a WNBA legend, isn’t designed specifically for female performance needs. Instead, like most “women’s shoes, it’s a scaled-down version of a men’s design -and that’s a big problem, and the Anatomy of it reveals a clear picture:

Yet, anatomy tells us a different story:

Women’s feet are 3-4% narrower than men’s; the big toe is shallower, and the inside is more curved.

A study found that men’s heel-to-ball length (181.5 mm) is longer than that of an average female foot (165.0 mm).

According to Sports Performance, women’s feet point toward 12’O clock, but men’s feet point toward 10 or 1 O’ clock, when striking the ground.

Indeed, a research paper by Roshna Wunderlich, an anatomy professor at James Madison University, and Peter Cavanagh,  professor in the department of orthopedics and sports medicine at the University of Washington, concluded: “Women’s shoes should not be simply scaled-down versions of men’s shoes if optimal fit is to be obtained.”

While discomfort is one consequence of this oversight, a far bigger impact is on performance and health. Forced-fit shoes result in incorrect landing, slips, and trips. In the long run, that means a nagging knee problem and an increased risk of ankle injury.

Yet, historically, women’s footwear was a scaled-down version of male footwear. Not specially designed for the unique needs of female feet. However, that reality has started to change. On one hand, giants like Nike, Adidas, and Puma have a few women’s sneakers in their catalogues. Whereas a handful of new-age brands are thriving by designing female sneakers.

By reacting slowly, industry giants risk losing valuable ground to agile startups like Moolah Kicks and IDA Sports. These challenger brands are moving faster, innovating more aggressively, and building deeper connections with female athletes — a gap that Nike, Adidas, and Puma can’t afford to overlook.

Big brands are paying attention, but not quite enough

The women’s footwear industry is growing in scope and size. According to a report in Verified Market Research, the women’s sports shoe industry was valued at $45.03B in 2023, highlighting its immense growth potential — a trend driven by rising fitness participation, improved media coverage of women’s sports, and shifting consumer expectations for female-specific performance gear.

However, the effort from established brands has been slow. Adidas launched its first women’s cleats in 2016. Ace and X boots were created after taking feedback from female athletes across the globe, including the US team captain, Becky Sauerbrunn. The boots had a different stud placement based on rotation and linear traction. It took Nike and Puma seven further years to follow suit.

Nike launched Phantom Luna in 2023, months ahead of the Women’s Soccer World Cup. The team spent around two years in research, consulting female soccer players before coming up with a specially made stud pattern, upper design, and a different coating that made the cleats more pliable.

The same year, Puma also unveiled the Brilliance Pack ahead of the World Cup. Although Puma started offering women-fit cleats in 2021, this was their first venture into building footwear exclusively for women.

While these were commendable moves from the industry leaders, there is a feeling that these brands haven’t pushed the boundaries enough. The Signature Shoelines from Nike, Puma, and Adidas are unisex – not specifically made for WNBA players or athletes. That’s where modern-day brands are coming into the picture.

Female-focused footwear startups are changing the game

“When you do one thing and you do one thing really well, you get close to that consumer, and you’re able to win a lot of different angles,” Moolah Kicks founder and CEO Natalie White told Front Office Sports. White,  herself a college basketball player, established the brand in 2020 after graduating with a degree in finance from Carroll School of Management.

Per the same report, Moolah Kicks’ sales are up 40% from last year, touching the seven-figure mark. They have signed over 80 Name, Image, and likeness deals, along with their marquee signing in WNBA, the Minnesota Lynx star, Courtney Williams. They have inked a partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods, which makes their product available in 500 stores.

On the other hand, IDA Sports increased the number of female players on their roster from zero in 2023 to 11 in 2024. Their revenue has tripled, Front Office Sports reported. This massive growth has drawn the attention of celebrated investors as well.

Last October, Michele Kang, whose portfolio includes Eagle Football Holdings and Just Women’s Sports, injected $2M into the brand via Kinisca. Mark Cuban is an early investor in Moolah Kicks, thanks to White’s cold email.

Brands like Moolah and IDA are at the forefront of groundbreaking research in the women’s footwear industry. For example, IDA’s third cleat that came out in 2024 incorporated all the findings from their four-year-long research. These new-age brands are pushing the frontier as well as changing the perspective of how brands have looked at women’s sports and gear.

The rapid growth of WNBA and NCAA college basketball has helped. With more focus on female athletes, the scope for research is widening, and the industry is making progress, but there’s still a long way to go.

As demand for female-specific footwear grows — driven by WNBA stars, NCAA athletes, and startup innovators — brands that fail to invest in tailored design risk losing relevance. For companies looking to win this market, the path forward is clear: listen to female athletes, innovate for performance, and embrace authenticity!