WoW co-founders among top 5 female role models in wearable tech space

Women of Wearables is a fantastic organisation founded by Michelle Hua and Marija Butkovic. It’s a community group exclusively for women in the wearable industries. It covers wearable tech, fashion tech, IoT (Internet of Things), VR (Virtual Reality) and AR (Augmented Reality).

It’s a global network that connects women in wearables with one another. WoW inspires, supports and connects women in wearable tech by providing them with industry visibility, peer support, mentoring, industry connections, events and wearable tech workshops.

Women of Wearables also delivers workshops for girls to learn e-textiles in London and the north of England. These events are run with the aim of tackling the gender and diversity gap in the wearables industry.

TACKLING THE GENDER AND DIVERSITY GAP

Women of Wearables is the only group in the world focused solely on women in wearables. Michelle and Marija formed it in response to the lack of diverse teams. Both women are entrepreneurs who have founded their own startups in wearables, and they each also have backgrounds in the legal sector.

Wearables is an exciting area of technology because it is an intersection of several industries. Especially when you consider that fashion is traditionally dominated by women, it’s even more surprising that there is a lack of women in wearables. It’s less surprising when you remember that VR, AR, and IoT all have a gender imbalance.

Wearables is an exciting, growing industry where women need to move fast to make their mark. But a lack of women in this space, just like every other area in the tech industry, can be offputting to many. With few visible women, others are discouraged from entering the industry, or feel alienated as outsiders.

The answer to the gender gap is to promote more inspiring female role models in wearable tech.

Here is a list of my top 5 women in UK wearable tech, in no particular order.

See the whole list on Away With Words here.