Ana Kraft

About Ana Kraft

I am the founder and CEO of Xena Workwear! At Xena we design stylish safety boots for women in STEM and the Trades. In 2019 I started this company out of my own frustration. Working as a project engineer in manufacturing, I grew tired of wearing bulky ‘shrink it and pink it’ work boots that were designed for men. After discovering a gap in the market, I decided to engineer safety shoes specifically for women that help us feel safe AND confident. Learn more about our products and our mission: https://xenaworkwear.com/ A few other facts about me: Home – I was born in Kazakhstan, grew up in Germany and call the Great Lakes region my home Family - Xena was our first baby. Now I am a mom of a wonderful baby boy Travel – backpacking is my favorite way to explore countries Food – my favorite cuisines are Thai, German & Uzbekistani Languages – I speak Russian, German and English and a bit of Spanish Causes that drive me – Sustainability, Children\'s Health, Education and Maximizing Opportunities for Women

Experience

1. Founder and CEO

   Xena Workwear

   May 2018 — Present · Milwaukee, WI, US

   At Xena Workwear we design and manufacture safety shoes and functional apparel for women in STEM and the Trades. While I loved my job in manufacturing, I was frustrated by the lack of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) designed to fit women\'s bodies. Safety boots were the biggest pain point. My manly, bulky work boots that never fit made it impossible to dress professionally and more importantly feel safe at work. I discovered that many traditional safety footwear manufacturers apply the \"shrink it and pink it\" approach where they take a men\'s boot, make it smaller and adjust the color.\"Unisex\" models are basically smaller men\'s boots. I believe that women deserve PPE that is designed to fit our bodies and will help us feel safe and confident in any work environment. That is why Xena Workwear exists.

Education

• Reutlingen University

  Bachelor's Degree

  2011 — 2015