Athleisure pioneer lululemon took a big stride toward greater inclusion—using 3D scans of more than 1 million female feet to develop a line of shoes specifically for women. 👟 It’s a far different approach than the usual “shrink it and pink it” model, says Ales Jurca, VP of footwear research at volumental, the tech firm behind the scans. Armed with that data, Lululemon spent a full four years turning its “made for women first” idea into reality—iterating materials, construction methods, and color theory along the way.⁠ ⁠ First up? A sleek running shoe designed for a narrower heel and a wider foot. “We saw an opportunity to solve for the fact that, more often than not, performance shoes are designed for men and then adapted for women,” says Sun Choe, the brand’s chief product officer. “That didn’t sit well with us. Innovating for women is in Lululemon’s DNA.”⁠ ⁠ Even with the complex project specs, the company hit its deadline, working around supply chain issues as pandemic restrictions...