16 Products From Women Designers You Need to Know
From electric trucks to health trackers, women designers are guiding consumer tech to a better place.
Tisha Johnson, head of design at the EV-maker Slate, is a rare female leader in the automotive industry. Slate's pickup truck version of its EV starts at under $25,000, making it the cheapest pickup on sale in the US. Despite being a budget-priced product, Slate has received design awards and customer affection. Johnson emphasizes that they didn't want Slate to look like a "jerk" or a "beast on the road."
Instead, the truck features a modular design, rounded headlamps, and a deeper connection with the driver. Slate has garnered over 180,000 reservations and a prestigious design award.
Away, founded by Jen Rubio and Steph Korey in 2015, is a luggage brand that started as a small company in their dorm rooms. In its first year, Away generated $12 million in sales and sold over 100,000 stylish suitcases. The Softside Carry-on, a popular aluminum version of their suitcase, tops WIRED's best buy list. It features a 32-liter capacity, dual TSA locks, 360-degree wheels, and an internal compression system. The hidden laundry bag is a standout accessory.
The Jelenew Mont Blanc Ultralight Long Windproof Jacket is designed by Marion Clignet, a six-time cycling world champion. The jacket features female-specific shaping, recycled nylon, mesh ventilation, and an adjustable hem. It uses 94% recycled nylon, a PFAS-free water-repellent treatment, UV protection, and mesh ventilation. The jacket's features include generous waist pockets and adjustable drawstrings for added practicality.
TaylorMade's Kalea Gold Driver is designed for women who seek more performance than they can get from men's clubs. Developed by Michelle Penney, assisted by female TaylorMade employees and a dedicated women's advisory board, the driver has a 460 cc carbon head, 11.5- or 13.5-degree lofts, and a lightweight 47-gram shaft. The club aims to generate speed while maintaining control.
Natural Cycles NC° Band is a wearable, FDA-cleared birth-control app cofounded by CERN physicist Elina Berglund Scherwitzl. The screenless Band syncs its health readings to the app, tracking temperature, heart rate, and movement during sleep. The data is automatically synced to the user's phone in the morning, providing accurate daily fertility guidance with an impressive 93% accuracy. Natural Cycles has partnered with Whoop to enhance its offerings.
Adafruit, founded by Limor Fried in 2005, is a 100% woman-owned company in open-source electronics. Fried, inspired by Ada Lovelace, grew Adafruit into a successful brand offering beginner-friendly boards, wearable controllers, touchscreens, and quirky maker gear. The company's latest offering is the programmable, wearable e-paper name badge.
The Raide Women's TrailTech Cargo Tank is a multifunctional running top designed for female athletes. The tank combines an unpadded sports bra, a vest, and a small hydration pack in a single 4.6-ounce layer. Pockets in the tank can hold up to 30 fluid ounces of water, a phone, a rain shell, and up to six fuel gels. The design prioritizes female anatomy over a scaled-down men's cut, with laser-perforated chest panels for ventilation.
Written by urgent.news from Wired's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
