It shouldn’t be a question of “if the shoe fits”. It should be a given.
Safety is a non-negotiable on and off-site, yet so often, women’s safety is treated without the same attention and respect.
Notably, most safety boots on the market are simply just men’s styles resized for the female foot. This only leads to discomfort, injury and poor performance. Juno Jones was built to change that standard- not work around it.
The company was launched with the aim of addressing a very real gap within the safety industry: women working in industrial jobs did not have footwear designed for them.
The women’s PPE movement had been simmering for years and now, it has finally boiled over, making a disruption in the marketplace that is impossible to ignore.
Juno Jones intends to challenge the idea that women don’t need different PPE from men and to change the conversation industry-wide.
Founder of Juno Jones, Emily Soloby exclusively told the Fire and Safety Journal Americas (FSJA): “It is so gratifying to know that true women’s PPE exists today because we, along with other like-minded brands, have fought so hard to close the gap.
Now, it’s time for employers to accept that they have a responsibility to provide it. Distributors need to step up and include women’s PPE brands in their offerings.”
By stepping up, Soloby hopes to prevent this gap from becoming any wider.
Emily’s career has been marked by my advocacy for women; while earning her BA in Women’s Studies, she worked as a domestic violence victim advocate.
This passion continued throughout law school, when she served as a Legal Intern at the National Organization for Women in DC and beyond, as following graduation Soloby spent time as a trial attorney with Legal Aid, helping women and children in family law and domestic violence cases.
This belief in uplifting the voices of women has always remained parallel to her passion for shoes. As a lifelong boot lover, Soloby gained experience handmaking and learning the craft of shoemaking in Mexico and New York.
This unique background motivates Juno Jones’ focus on proper fit, functionality, credibility and long-term impact.
In 2009, Emily and her husband Ryan took over a small truck and heavy equipment safety training firm. It was during this period that she noticed the issue with footwear for women- there wasn’t any to begin with!
Emily told FSJA how her ambition for Juno Jones has always been to extend their impact beyond selling boots, they want to focus on shaping how the industry defines inclusion.
To the company, inclusion is not just creating products that help to create a safer environment, it is becoming a catalyst too.
Emily explained her belief that true advocacy means getting involved at the very core of the industry.
She is a Task Force member of Women in Trucking, on the Steering Committee for Empowering Women in the Industry and on the Board of Directors for the Philadelphia Chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction, to name a few.
A huge part of Juno Jones’ mission is to help platform women in male populated industries.
This led to the creation of Hazard Girls Podcast and Facebook community which facilitates conversations with women working in traditionally male-populated roles, helping to expand the brand beyond products into storytelling and education.
Juno Jones wants to challenge the idea that women’s PPE is “specialty” or optional, it needs to be a standard business responsibility.
By building these spaces, the company is proof that addressing overlooked needs can create strong and loyal communities.
Juno Jones is also a founding brand member of the Alliance of Women’s Safety Apparel Manufacturers (AWSAM), a non-profit organization formed to unite manufacturers of women’s PPE and work apparel.
The organizations goal is to bring these essential products to all affected market, in turn, creating a space to exchange ideas, information and relevant updates.
For those involved in ensuring the safety of women on the job, having these conversations is invaluable as it gives individuals the tools to adapt and think about ways to close the PPE equity gap.
The AWSAM is focused on three key actions; awareness, access and advocacy to support and elevate women in the workplace while ensuring they have appropriate protection on the job.
According to Soloby, protection needs to work simultaneously alongside comfort.
One of the main factors in creating comfort is the form, or last, around which the shoe is created.
All Juno Jones styles are built on gender-specific lasts, not scaled-down men’s boots. There is no such thing as “unisex”.
Another significant component of the company’s design process is paying special attention to the anthropometric measurements of the foot when tailoring the boots to maintain proper fit.
Each shoe needs to be worn throughout long shifts, rugged job-site conditions and during demanding physical work.
Every product offered meets the required ASTM safety certifications- performance is non-negotiable and not secondary to appearance.
Options within the ASTM safety certifications include steel and composite toe protection, slip resistance and electrical hazard protection.
This is why Soloby felt it was so important for Juno Jones’ range of boots to fit within a wide range of industries and environments, color, shape and design are intentional and not just decorative.
As aforementioned, the team work closely with the wider community to brainstorm ideas and to discuss progress and trends within the industry.
Therefore, their product development is heavily influenced by feedback from women in the field.
Many updates and new styles are a direct response to actual job-site experiences. Customers are treated as collaborators and not just buyers.
Juno Jones are always seeking more distribution partners to bring their award-winning safety footwear to more workers across industries. Soloby told FSJA how they want to lead the charge in making properly fitting safety footwear accessible to everyone in need.
She concluded with the sentiment: “I hope in the years to come, we will continue to grow and raise awareness for women’s PPE.”
