Why our company should not exist
Recently my partner and I started a company. He quit his career in the military and moved interstate to Canberra. It had gotten to the point where long hours in the military meant we could no longer give the company the attention it deserved. But our company shouldn’t exist.
It started a few years ago when he rang me one frustrated Monday morning. I had visited him for the weekend, and “borrowed” some of his military gear that had shrunk in the wash.
He asked why I had committed grand theft kit, and let me know that I should just buy my own. To this I simply replied, “I can’t, they don’t make military kit for women.”
Hit by the proverbial apple, we explored the idea of making uniquely designed military gear for women. Given that it’s 2017, the results were alarming. Nowhere in the world did we find a company dedicated to providing military kit for women. In fact, not much thought had been given to it at all.
We started in the garage. Late nights and weekends. One big, ungodly mess of tools, sketches, medical plastic, foam, creepy headless mannequins and rolls of material. For 18 months we laboured at it, and finally we ended up with designs and prototypes to completely outfit the professional, female soldier.
But this should not have happened. Imagine the corporate women of the world being told to go to work in men’s suits, but wait, they’ll be slightly tailored and in 'smaller' sizes. Mayhem. Marches. Misery.
Well that’s reality for the many women who serve around the world. Nike spends billions each year to ensure that their products improve performance in sports, yet we see women running around in actual combat with oversized helmets and armour, in men’s small boots and uniforms. In a profession where lack of performance can realistically end up quite messy, it’s stunning that it has not been addressed properly. So, we aim to do better. To design and make clothing and equipment for the women that serve. To help those who deserve the performance support to make the standard, and higher.
