There are shoes that hurt from the first day. They have always told us it's normal: "They'll break in". But what if the problem wasn't the foot or the shoe, but that it was never designed with that foot in mind?Designer Karen Korellis Reuther, a lecturer in the master's program in design engineering at Harvard University and former creative director at Nike and Reebok, has made this question the guiding principle of her book Man-made: How we designed a world that leaves women out, and how we can make it right [Made by men: how we designed a world that leaves women out and how we can fix it]. She highlights that the world has been designed mostly for men and by men.In the United States, Reuther recalls, only 18% of active product designers, 25% of registered architects, and about 12% of mechanical engineers are women. Who designs the objects we use, the buildings we live in, or the technologies we use inevitably conditions how we experience them.For decades, the industry's response was summarized in a formula: shrink it and pink it. Make the male product smaller and paint it pink. In short, marketing disguised as innovation.But women are not miniature men. Female feet, explains the author, tend to be more triangular (wide forefoot and narrow heel), while most athletic footwear is still designed on a male foot, which is more rectangular. Reducing the size does not solve this and can cause injuries.The same logic has been applied to crash test dummies. They were not female bodies: they were male bodies reduced in height. And a woman has different cervical musculature, sternum, and pelvis. Not testing this biomechanics, as Reuther says, can be very detrimental. When the pattern is wrong, the risk is also wrong.Reuther points out that the definition of "average" is based on male measurements from the seventies, and today's data still carries them. It is necessary, he says, to put an end to an idea of average that never included women.As a health researcher, I couldn't agree more. We have learned that evidence-based medicine is the best way to decide. But also that evidence is only as good as the data that supports it. If the data does not represent the entire population, neither will the algorithms, digital tools, or artificial intelligence that we train with them.Perhaps the challenge of the 21st century is not more powerful technology, but technology more aware of human diversity. Reuther proposes going beyond "universal design" and opting for "intentional design". Designing knowing that our bodies and our needs are not the same and that current technology allows us to take this into account from the very first sketch.It's an idea that goes beyond design and points to leadership. Of who sits at the table when it's decided what we investigate, what we build, and for whom. Because diversity is not a concession: it's a condition for innovating better.

When María José Alier first crossed the doors of Elisava, in 1961, design was still an emerging discipline in Catalonia. The school had just been founded, the classrooms were exclusively for women, and there was only one specialization: interior design. Sixty-five years later, Elisava celebrates its anniversary as an international university center with dozens of specializations and students from all over the world. The trajectory of the Alier-Botey family allows us to explain, almost as if it were a timeline, how design has evolved over these decades.

As soon as he opened his eyes, Nil felt he had had too much white wine. He also felt a terrible heat. He is sweating profusely. Pol lies unconscious on the cot nearby. Jan and Roc, in the other cabin, are also sleeping.

They sat down in front of the enormous window, in the only two armchairs in the room. Two white leather and wood armchairs, matching the footrest. The views were spectacular. They had recently moved into the house of their dreams. A moving company took care of everything. In fact, with the move they took the opportunity to clean up and get rid of weight, both physically and emotionally. Neither travel guides nor dictionaries made sense, everything was already on the internet; nor were the books they had already read. Nor the CDs. Suddenly, no dust, no silverfish, no mold. They would live in a space of glass, wood, and concrete. Energy efficiency A.

When Sergi arrived, it started to rain. He strategically positioned himself at one of the small round tables and ordered a coffee. It's spring. It rains and it's sunny, and it's as hot as it is cold, but here, leaning against the wall under the awning, Sergi is having a blast, watching the world go by right in front of him. Like a movie. Now it's raining hard and a boy walks quickly, covering his head with his backpack; a stylish couple, with matching trench coats, advance slowly under a black umbrella, a bulldog watches Sergi while a huge drool hangs from its mouth, and a girl in flip-flops types on her phone. Today he'll have a spill.

Pol, Nil, Jan, Roc and Jacobo have met at Sol Soler on Plaça del Sol in Gràcia for some beers. As soon as they entered, Roc saw a girl who caught his attention.

If you liked the burly and always expressionless guy at the door, you had the right to dive into the world of Blue velvet by David Lynch, or that other futuristic planet of Max Headroom. Heavily made-up girls, “a touch of shadow here, a touch of shadow there”, large triangular earrings, American football-style shoulder pads, and black miniskirts. Guys dressed in Closet or Privata, tight jeans at the bottom, and tiny Victoria sneakers, white or pastel-colored. Everyone smoking Camel, Winston, or Marlboro and drinking whisky with coke or vodka with lemon as if the world were about to end... (The gin and tonic boom was still a long way off.)

He lit the cigarette. The smoke was smooth and aromatic. After being surrounded by photographers, stylists, and models, Alexey Brodovitch liked this solitude at the end of the day. Only one light illuminated his drawing table. On the counter lay the first double-page spread of the main story: a sketched girl opening an umbrella. He picked up the pages and went to the next room, where the floor was lined with leaves arranged in perfect order. He placed the girl with the umbrella in the only empty space. Very serious, he looked at the arrangement. He went to the window. Outside it was dark and snowing heavily. The cigarette filter warmed his fingers. Alexey Brodovitch smiled. At 572 Madison Avenue, in Midtown Manhattan, hundreds of yellow taxis looked like ants from the floor where the newsroom was located. Harper's Bazaar

Míriam Ponsa (Manresa, 1973) is one of the most well-known and rebellious figures on the Catalan fashion scene. The designer, who has had her own brand since 2000, creates pieces woven with materials sourced locally from the old silk thread factory her great-grandmother opened in 1886. Since the pandemic, and as a gesture of rejection of a model of cumulative consumption, the brand only produces on demand.

Xavi Forné began designing concert posters for the bands he played in when he was still a teenager. Twenty years later, those flyers The black and white sketches that were passed from hand to hand have become international tour posters for bands like Metallica, Depeche Mode, the Black Keys, Soundgarden, and Foo Fighters, and are seen all over the world.

As a fashion designer, do you judge wines by their labels?

This is what these brands' clothes are like: relatively affordable, durable and sustainable. We review the Catalan firms and designers who work with criteria of proximity and sustainability and who want you to leave fast fashion aside without ending up broke.