# How Stylish Steel-Toe Shoes are Empowering Women in Industry | An Interview with Xena Workwear CEO Ana Kraft

- Show: [Manufacturing Happy Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour)
- Published: 2019-12-09
- Length: 42m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2019-12-09-how-stylish-steel-toe-shoes-are-empowering-women-in-industry-an-interview-with-x
- Listen: http://manufacturinghappyhour.com

## Summary

Ana Kraft, Co-Founder and CEO of Xena Workwear, explains how she identified a gap in the market for stylish, compliant steel-toe footwear for women after struggling with bulky, masculine designs during her career in project management. She details the company's journey from prototyping to launch, highlighting the technical challenges of meeting ASTM safety standards, including slip, chemical, and static dissipative resistance. Kraft discusses the broader mission of Xena Workwear to empower women in STEM and industrial fields by boosting confidence through professional appearance, while also outlining upcoming expansions into functional apparel like blazers with integrated safety features.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2019-12-09-how-stylish-steel-toe-shoes-are-empowering-women-in-industry-an-interview-with-x#t=0) Introduction: Ana Kraft and Xena Workwear
- [5:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2019-12-09-how-stylish-steel-toe-shoes-are-empowering-women-in-industry-an-interview-with-x#t=307) Ana's Background and Motivation for Starting Xena Workwear
- [12:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2019-12-09-how-stylish-steel-toe-shoes-are-empowering-women-in-industry-an-interview-with-x#t=727) Prototyping, Safety Standards, and Launching the First Shoe
- [19:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2019-12-09-how-stylish-steel-toe-shoes-are-empowering-women-in-industry-an-interview-with-x#t=1160) Product Details: Steel Toe, Slip Resistance, and Static Dissipative Features
- [28:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2019-12-09-how-stylish-steel-toe-shoes-are-empowering-women-in-industry-an-interview-with-x#t=1730) Empowering Women in STEM and the Importance of Role Models
- [34:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2019-12-09-how-stylish-steel-toe-shoes-are-empowering-women-in-industry-an-interview-with-x#t=2086) How Male Allies Can Support Women in the Workplace
- [36:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2019-12-09-how-stylish-steel-toe-shoes-are-empowering-women-in-industry-an-interview-with-x#t=2175) Upcoming Functional Apparel: Blazers and Safety Vests

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Certification & compliance](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/certification-and-compliance)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Xena Workwear (company)
- Chi Beta (other)
- Rockwell Automation (company)
- Cat (company)
- Facebook (company)
- Marquette University (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Designing shoes for women's feet with Wes and Allyson Felix of Saysh (2023)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-01-11-designing-shoes-for-womens-feet-with-wes-and-allyson-felix-of-saysh-2023) (How I Built This)
- [Xero Shoes: Steven Sashen and Lena Phoenix](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-03-13-xero-shoes-steven-sashen-and-lena-phoenix) (How I Built This)
- [Steve Madden: Steve Madden (2018)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-12-23-steve-madden-steve-madden-2018) (How I Built This)
- [Afterschool Podcast, Episode 20 - Ti Chang, 'Women in Industrial Design' Show Organizer (06/12)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2014-06-12-afterschool-podcast-episode-20-ti-chang-women-in-industrial-design-show-organize) (Core77 Podcast)
- [HIBT Lab! Saysh: Wes and Allyson Felix](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-03-16-hibt-lab-saysh-wes-and-allyson-felix) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2019-12-09-how-stylish-steel-toe-shoes-are-empowering-women-in-industry-an-interview-with-x. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Manufacturing Happy Hour.