CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE
A DESIGN DEVELOPMENT OF RACING CAR SUITS FOR FEMALE DRIVERS
A graduate project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences
By
Hang Cui
in collaboration with Fei Wang
December 2018
Copyright by Hang Cui 2018.
II
The thesis of Hang Cui is approved:
Hira Cho, Ph.D. Date
Shirley Warren, Prof. Date
Wei Cao, Ph.D., Chair Date
California State University, Northridge
III
DEDICATION
This graduate project is dedicated to my parents Yuxiang Liu and Gaoyun Cui
IV
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I cannot express enough thanks to my chair Dr. Wei Cao, who gave us numerous guidance and support with my thesis project. I offer my sincere appreciation for the learning opportunities provided by her.
I also would like to take this opportunity to thank my committee members,
Dr. Hira Cho and Prof. Shirley Warren for their precious instructions throughout this experience as well as the FCS faculty and staff for their kind help during the past school years.
I also want to show gratitude to my parents for their endless love, understanding and encouragement in my life and studies. I am very grateful for their care and upbringing. My completion of this project could not have been accomplished without the support of my parents.
Additionally, I would like to thank my co-author Fei Wang who I have cooperated with for more than a year to make this thesis project possible. Thank you, Fei Wang!
V
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Signature Pag iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgment v
List of Tables ix
List of Figures x
Abstract xi
CHAPTER I – INTRODUCTION 1
Statement of the Problem 1
Purpose 2
Definitions 3
Theoretical Framework 3
Assumptions 4
CHAPTER II – REVIEW OF LITERATURE 5
The Uniqueness of Car Racing Sport 5
Risk Sport and High Profit 5
Male and Female Compete together 6
Necessity in Developing Female Racing Suits 7
Increasing Population of Female Racing Car Drivers 7
High Risk of Injury for Female Racing Car Drivers 9
FEA Consumer Needs Model 9
VI
Factors to be Considered in Developing Female Racing Suits 9
Functional Consideration 10
Expressive Consideration 13
Aesthetic Consideration 16
Functional Clothing Design Process 16
CHAPTER III – METHODOLOGY 18
Procedure 18
Sample Description 19
Measures 19
CHAPTER IV – RESULTS 21
Demographic Characteristics of The Sample 21
Perceived Problems of Current Unisex Racing Suits 23
Expectations of Future Female Racing Suits 24
Design Process 25
Request Made 25
Design Situation Explored 25
Problem Structure Perceived 26
Specifications Described 27
Design Criteria Established and Prototype Developed 27
Design Evaluated 39
CHAPTER V – DISCUSSION 41
VII
Findings 41
Discussion 42
Limitations 42
Implications 43
Conclusion 43
REFERENCES 45
APPENDIX A: Joint Project Addendum 51
APPENDIX B: Recruitment Letter 53
APPENDIX C: Survey Questions 55
APPENDIX D: Paper Pattern of Design Prototype 6 1
VIII
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1- Descriptive Statistics for the Participated Female Racing
Car Drivers’ Age 21
Table 2- Summary of Opinions from the Participated Female Racing Car Drivers 26
Table 3- Comparison of Design Features of Unisex Racing Suit
and Original Design Prototype 29
Table 4- Design Features of Original Design Prototype 30
IX
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1- The Major Body Type of Female 22
Figure 2- Summary of Participated Female Racing Car Drivers’ Body Type 22
Figure 3- Perceived Problems by Participated Female Racing Car Drivers for
Both Walking and Driving 24
Figure 4-The Crotch Differences Between Male and Female 31
Figure 5- Measurement of Unisex Racing Suit & Design Prototype in Size M 31
Figure 6- Four Design Patterns of Original Design Prototype 32
Figure 7- Comparison of Unisex Racing Suit and Design Prototype in Front,
Side and Back View 33
Figure 8- Comparison of Unisex Racing Suit and Design Prototype in
Sitting Position 34
Figure 9- The Details of New Design 36
Figure 10- The Pattern of New Design 37
Figure 11- The Color Selection of New Design 38
X
ABSTRACT
A DESIGN DEVELOPMENT OF RACING CAR SUITS FOR FEMALE DRIVERS
by
Hang Cui
Master of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences
Competitive car racing is a high-risk sport which requires the protective racing suits to provide ideal protection for wearers. Since the sport still remains a male-dominated sport, the current available racing suits on the market are made based on a man’s body type. With the fast-growing number of female racing car drivers, the needs of appropriate female racing suits are increasing.
It is necessary to develop female-specific suits that can offer protection for female drivers. The study goal is to investigate female racers’ clothing needs and propose several practical solutions to meet their demands. The study employed FEA Consumer Needs Model (Lamb & Kallal,
1992) and Functional Clothing Design Process (DeJonge, 1984) as a theoretical framework. An online survey and in-depth focus group discussion including interviews with professional female racers and brands sales representatives were conducted. Results showed that female racing athletes considered the expressive and aesthetic factors as important as functional factors.
Compared to a unisex racing suit, a female-specific racing suit should feature a narrower shoulder and waist, allow more room in the chest, hip and crotch area to achieve a better fitting effect. Feminine details such as fancy stitching, floral patterns, and a princess line were suggested to improve the expressive and aesthetic attributes of the suits. This study created a prototype for a full hourglass body type female racer in size M. The research findings will help guide apparel designers to meet the unique needs of female racing car drivers. XI
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
The motorsports industry has exploded into a global phenomenon attracting both male and female fans and drivers. Professional auto racing is one of the leading motorsports around the world. It is the number one spectator sport in the United States boasting 75 million fans, and these fans help bolster the local economies of the cities that host them (Odland, 2012). Research has shown that auto racing has been a male-dominated sport (Pflugfelder, 2009; Ross, Ridinger
& Cuneen, 2009) that has experienced substantial financial growth in recent years (Odland,
2012). It is widely acknowledged that the increase in popularity and revenue is directly linked to women participating in the sport. However, the current available unisex racing suits are made with the male’s anatomy in mind which means there are no suits specifically for the female’s body and this may impact performance. Female racing car drivers need “ready-to-wear” racing suits that are made to fit the female form. There is no published study that explores the female’s needs in a racing suit.
Statement of the Problem
Auto racing is one of the most high-risk sports in the world due to extreme injury and death that may occur during both high-speed training and competition. Racing suits no doubt plays a crucial role in protecting racers in accidents while enhancing their performance.
Noting the increasing percentages of women participating in male-dominated occupations
(Stirling, 2004) such as professional motorsports, there is a need for women to purchase the required racing suits. Both the United States and European countries have non-profit organizations that regulate racing suit requirements. However, most approved suits are unisex
1 and made to fit the male body. In auto racing, males and females compete at the same time wearing the same racing suits even though they are different in body type, physical characterization, skills, and weight. Wearing the unisex suit may impact women drivers’ performance. There are many studies on analyzing the protective performance of the suit made for some specific sports such as cycling, sailing, flying etc. (Casselman-Dickson & Damhorst,
1993; Bye & Hakala, 2005; Tan & Crown & Capjack, 1998), but no effort has been made to understand female car racers’ expectation of their suit in terms of performance, fit, comfort, and aesthetic. Some female racing car drivers have asked professionals to alter the male suit for a customized fit. The alteration is costly and time-consuming, while also limited in certain areas, for example, the hip and crotch area. More and more female racing athletes complained that their racing suit distracted them while driving and influenced their performance (Broeck & Huebner,
2017). Though the female racing suit market has huge potential, apparel manufacturers and retailers have neglected this fast-growing market for a long time.
This study aims through an in-depth understanding of female racers’ clothing needs to propose several practical solutions to fulfill their expectations, while improving the suit in function, expressive and aesthetic aspects according to the FEA Consumer Needs Model (Lamb
& Kallal, 1992). The study also targets on gaining attention from apparel manufacturers/retailers, sponsors, government and professional organizations in order to improve racing suits for females.
Purpose
The research goal, developing female-specific racing with the consideration of functional, expressive and aesthetic attributes for improvement in protective performance, role identity and aesthetic attraction was approached through three stages: first, investigate encountered problems 2 in current unisex racing suits and possible expectations of clothing needs of female racing car drivers, second, develop a female-specific racing suit with the application of FEA consumer needs model, third, evaluate the newly designed prototype and integrate feedback from wearers and industry experts. This study provides many design details for apparel designers and manufacturers, including garment size, pattern development, and color selection.
Definitions
• Racing Suit: An industry approved suit for racing car athletes that gives drivers protections
from fire. Currently, racing suits are unisex designed.
• FEA Consumer Needs Model: The Functional Expressive Aesthetic Consumer Needs
Model was proposed by Lamb and Kallal in 1992. This model was originally created to
provide clothing design guidance for designers making garments for unique markets. It
stresses the significance of considering the consumer’s functional, expressive and aesthetic
needs when designing clothing.
• Garment Comfort: It is a state of physical well-being expressive of satisfaction with
physical attributes of a garment such as air, moisture, heat transfer properties, and
mechanical properties such as elasticity, flexibility, bulk, weight, texture, and construction.
• Role Conflict: Role conflict occurs when a person engages in two different roles
simultaneously and the expectations of the roles are incompatible (Sarbin, 1954).
Theoretical Framework
This study combined two theoretical frameworks: Functional, Expressive, Aesthetic Consumer
Needs Model proposed by Lamb & Kallal in 1992, and Functional Clothing Design Process conducted by DeJonge in 1984. Apparel designers and manufacturers can find some specific
3 design guidance by following them. The female-specific design suits must be comfortable, fit properly, allow for mobility, and meet expressive and aesthetic expectations for car racers.
Assumptions
The following assumptions are noted for this research.
• The materials will be lightweight Nomex or Proban.
• Female racing car drivers will pay more attention to the expressive and aesthetic factors
of the racing suit.
• Female racing car drivers will need alterations in shoulder width, chest circumference,
waist circumference, and crotch circumference.
• Female racing car drivers are willing to express their gender role by wearing a more
feminine racing suit.
• Pink, red and orange colors are more popular with female racing car drivers than black or
navy.
4
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
The Uniqueness of Car Racing Sport
Risk Sport and High Profit
Auto racing is a high-risk sport compared with other competitive sports. Though there is very limited research in exploring the injury issue in motor sport. Minoyama and Tsuchida
(2004) pointed out that motor sport is one of the most dangerous competitive sports and injuries may occur both in training and during or after competitions. They indicated that injuries were mostly found in drivers’ upper body, such as head, face, neck, and arms. More specifically, neck sprains, concussions, bruises, and abrasions were reported as the most common injuries.
According to the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCA), nearly 3000 crashes were recorded from 2002 to 2005. There were five fatal crashes in four of stock car racing’s national series. Several experienced racing car drivers were killed in these crashes
(Melvin, Begeman, Faller & Sicking, 2006).
It is alarming to know that many people are injured and killed every year in both training and competition (Nilsson, 2014). Many severe accidents have happened in the past 10 years.
Scott Kalitta was killed near the end of his race in 2008. The engine exploded and damaged the parachute, the car continued over a wall and struck a crane. In May 2010, Giorgio Bartocci, the driver of a Lamborghini Gallardo competing in a Super Trofeo race in Brno suffered an awful car crash. The car burned immediately and he struggled to escape the flaming wreckage.
He had second-degree burns over 40% of his body with broken ribs and a broken leg (Hardigree,
2010).
5 In the last 100 years, auto racing has developed into one of the most popular spectator sports in the world. Auto racing is popular due to the stimulus caused by high speed, strong passion, fantastic cars, outstanding drivers, and huge sponsorships. Formula 1 is the most famous worldwide motorsport. NASCAR, Japanese Super GT series and the World Rally
Championship are also very popular and are attracting more drivers.
Sponsorship is the primary source for funding a race team. It usually costs millions of dollars (McGee, 2005). For example, top NASCAR sponsorship deals are up to $20 million per year for the Sprint Cup series (Brown, 2008). Statistics show that from 2011-2017, the motorsports sponsorship spending worldwide has risen from 4.83 to 5.75 billion dollars.
The leading motorsports sponsor RedBull invested 110 million U.S. dollars into motor sports in
2016 (IEG Sponsorship Report 2011-2017). The brand value of Daytona 500, a team of
NASCAR was 140 million dollars in 2017. Ferrari, the most valuable team brand in Formula 1, generated nearly $349 million revenues in 2016 (Ferrari N.V. 2016 Annual Report).
If a racing car driver is popular and has a large number of fans, he or she is more valuable to the sponsors. Being a superstar certainly helps increase the value of a sponsorship deal. Before becoming professionals, racing drivers need both exposure and experience (Rick,
1994). Since a driver’s performance is positively correlated with the value of a sponsorship deal and contributes to the brand-name capital, helping enhance drivers’ performance and establish public image can attract more sponsorship (Rotthoff, Depken & Groothuis, 2014).
Male and Female Compete Together
Car racing is the only sport men and women compete at the same time. Gender difference is ignored. Racing is a big challenge for athletes both mentally and physically. It not only requires exhausting physical work under extreme conditions-such as the high G force
6 caused by breaking and cornering, super speed, hours of concentrating, heavy steering, excessive sweating, and overheating- but also puts drivers under enormous stress while driving.
Drivers need to keep a clear head for a couple of hours while enduring strong forces added to their body under high temperature. During a race, drivers can sweat up to 9 lbs of their body weight, and their heart rate can rise up to 180 beats/min during cornering (Minoyama &
Tsuchida, 2004).
Females and males differ in physiological characteristics such as power, endurance, strength and even sweating areas (Smith & Havenith, 2012). In order to beat a male in a race, a female has to be more outstanding in terms of tolerance, speed and persistence and she needs support from all areas including clothing. Because of the distraction from the fit of garments restricting movement, the discomfort of garments leading to fatigue, or the misrepresentation of their role distracting them, female drivers may lose the race and even cause some accidents in practices or competitions.
Necessity of Developing Female Racing Car Suit
The racing car suit plays a vital role in the competition. Not only does it represent each individual racer, the team and the sponsorship, more importantly, it has to protect the people who wear it from injury and minimize any harm that may occur in fatal accidents. In high-speed races, a car crash or collision may happen due to any improper operation and a fire will be caused as a result. The suit needs to slow down the burning as much as possible and provide any possibilities for wearers to escape. The fire-resistant requirement is to stop burning in the first 11 seconds. This requirement applies to all suits the drivers wear and may include underwear.
Increasing Population of Female Racing Car Drivers
7 Car racing is mostly a male-dominated sport. Records show that women raced motor vehicles in 1897, 30 years after men first started racing. Considering the lack of civil rights and the rights to education at that time, women demonstrated and proved themselves in this sport
(Gilboy, 2018). Today, women are recognized in this competitive sport. From basic level to professional level races, female racing car drivers make up a greater proportion than ever. In
2008, women made up a quarter of Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) members (Broeck &
Huebner, 2017). In the 2018 F1 season, more female drivers represented in Formula One development, and the proportion of female racing drivers also rose significantly (MDD
Europe.com). In May 2019, there will be 20 women participate in the Formula 3 (also called W series) which is more than before (Gilboy, 2018).
With the increasing number of women’s car clubs and racing organizations, more women were encouraged to compete in race car sports. Some famous motorsport groups are: FIA
Women in Motor Sport, Women in Motorsports, Inc., Women’s Auxiliary Motorsports (WAM
Inc.). NASCAR also committed to promoting the “Drive for Diversity” program to inspire more women to embrace the racing sport (Gohde, 2015). Additionally, more platforms for female racing car drivers to gain trainings and show their talents have been established in recent years.
For example, a new all-female single-seater racing series launched in October 2018 is expected to help women equip themselves with skills and ultimately compete with male drivers in
Formula 1(Weaver, 2018). With the increase of the female racing organizations and inspiring professional programs for a new generation, it is obvious that the number of female racing car drivers will continue increasing significantly.
Though men were the main players in this activity, women were not far behind. It is worth mentioning that women not only participated in this competition, but also made their
8 mark. Therefore, with the increasing number of female drivers, the growing need of racing suits that appropriately represent a female’s image and enhance performance while keeping them safe should be considered by all sectors.
High Risk of Injury for Female Drivers in Driving
Due to the physical differences between men and women, women have higher risk of injury when compared to men (Cerrelli, 1994). Because of the differences in physical and behavioral attributes, female drivers are more likely to get injured. For example, women were reported higher risk in crashes than men under the age of 55 among US belted drivers. A similar conclusion drawn by Welsh and James showed that women were more likely to be the driver in a car accident and get injured, especially neck strain (Welsh & James, 2001). The main reason was female drivers were usually sitting closer to the steering wheel when driving. This position has a negative impact on safety (Dobson, Brown, Ball, Powers, & Mcfadden, 1999). Another study focusing on foot and ankle injury conducted by Crandall indicated that there is a negative relationship between driver height and risk of injury. Human physiology difference by gender was deemed as an explanation for the injury outcome. In general, women are shorter and lighter than men, which means women have a higher chance to get injured especially in the lower body when compared to men.
In addition, vehicle design, crash testing programs and racing regulations are based heavily on the average male (Welsh &James, 2001). This also accounts for women’s higher percentage of injuries in car accidents than men. Lastly, due to different body structure and characterization, female drivers reported that a flame-retardant bra is necessary for them while driving (Broeck & Huebner, 2017).
FEA Consumer Needs Model
9 Function Expression Aesthetic (FEA) Consumer Needs Model (Lamb & Kallal,1992) was used to understand the female auto racing athletes’ clothing needs. Functional component includes fit, mobility, comfort, thermal protection and donning/doffing. Expressive component includes elements of values, roles, status, and self-esteem. Aesthetic component includes elements such as art element, design principles and body/garment relationship. It is assumed that there will be some challenges in fit, mobility, comfort and donning/doffing aspects when female racers wear unisex racing suits due to the different body type, unless the suits were altered or customized. In addition, as unisex suits cannot represent females as an individual group, the aesthetic components of suits for male and female should not be same.
Factors to be Considered in Developing Female Racing Suits
A large number of female racing drivers have reported the fit, expressive, and aesthetic problems in their current suits (Broeck & Huebner, 2017). This is mainly due to the lack of specific development of suit for females. All market available suits are designed for male to fulfill their needs. The majority of the suits are unisex, some brands do offer customization for female drivers, but it is time consuming, costly and has limitations in modification.
Functional, Expressive and Aesthetic Consumer Needs Model (1992) were adopted in directing the development of female racers’ suits design. Fit, mobility and comfort were considered in functional aspects, role conflict will be discussed in expressive aspects, body- garment relationship and art element were mentioned for aesthetic purposes.
Functional Consideration
Fit and mobility
10 Fit is an essential element in clothing design. Fit will impact garment function, user performance and how users feel and look while they wear the garment. Males and females differ in body shape and physical characterization. When females pick a similar size in a male’s suit, they reported that the upper body has more problems than the bottom (Broeck & Huebner,
2017) and there was lack of space in the chest part. This maybe because women’s breast requires the clothing pattern to be more contoured to a three-dimensional body shape than men’s flatter pattern. They also indicated that both shoulder and waist area were too wide for them, which is understandable from what we know about men’s skeleton structure. In addition, female body types are varied, such as full-hourglass, apple, pear, triangle, rectangle etc. Female size pattern is categorized according to age which includes junior, misses’, and women’s category, the size for adult female misses’ figure type ranges from size 00 to size 20 (ASTM Standard D5585). Thus, to provide a pattern for both men and women is far from a practical consideration. Furthermore, racers are from different countries, different races. Asian women’s arms are shorter than other racers (Kronenfeld, Reba-Harrelson, Von Holle, Reyes, & Bulik, 2010). The unisex pattern, therefore, is limited in fulfilling female racers’ clothing needs.
The poor-fitting problem in wearing unisex suit has been reported in many other sports.
For instance, with the increasing female population in competitive sailing, the demand for an appropriate female sailing suit has risen (Bye & Hakala, 2005). Female-specific sizing must be designed for women’s unique dimensions. For a long time, most female sailors chose men’s smaller size sailing suits. Weede (1997) argued that this is not a good solution. Bad fitting clothes also affected female golfers who complained that men’s suits were too big and bulky which had a negative influence on their performance. Specifically, the sleeves were too long and loose and can inhibit the female golfers’ swing (Wheat & Dickson, 1999). Fit problems can lead
11 to complications, ultimately negatively impacting the racing performance. Specific sizing charts and pattern designs developed for women’s body types are necessary for female racers’ suits design.
When considering marketability, as consumers’ demands focus on user-centered rather than technical concerns, in order to achieve wearer’s needs, function clothing design requires more attention to mobility and comfort (Hwang, Chung & Sanders, 2016). Mobility has a very close relationship with garment fit. Better-fitting clothing usually provides better mobility.
Comfort
People value clothing that not only has attractive appearance but also provides good feeling (Kaplan & Okur, 2008). Clothing comfort is essential to all wearers, especially racing car drivers who perform in extreme condition and under high mental stress levels. In FEA model, comfort is a vital factor that has great implication on overall evaluation of the clothes (Frith &
Glesson, 2004).
Physical comfort is essential for functional clothing resulting from garment fit and skin contact (Sontag, 1985). There have been many studies regarding wearers’ comfort perceptions and how clothing comfort impacts individual performance. In December 2005, Jussila, Valkama,
Remes, and Anttonen carried out research regarding clothing comfort and performance based on an observational questionnaire during a winter military training in northern Finland. Their research indicated that human body temperature has an obvious influence on individual performance, especially on high-pressure activities such as marksmanship. To be specific, when core body temperatures are lower than 36.5 C or higher than 37.5 C, personal performance may be negatively impacted. Racing cars are designed to run on only basic parts, so they do not provide the same comfort as commercial vehicles. There is no air conditioning inside the racing
12 car and the car features very compact space. In early races like the Dayton 500, the temperatures usually exceed 120 F (Martinelli, 2017). Apart from the body temperature which is associated with thermal insulation of the clothing, the textile properties of the garment is also related to physical properties such as weight, thickness, stiffness and even the friction between garment layers. These negative impacts can influence the movement of the body (Jussila, Valkama,
Remes & Anttonen, 2010). In 2008, Kaplan and Okur did a survey on the meaning and importance of clothing comfort in Turkey. Their results showed that garment fit and comfort were the most essential factors for wearers. Participants in the survey stated that thermal comfort is an important issue that influences their performance. Their feelings about wearing wet garments were described after heavy sweating; their discomfort including hot, prickly, clingy, damp, unbreathable and clammy, which may be similar as what racers experience.
Garment fit impacts the moisture vapor-resistance of clothing due to the air gap between the garment and the body (Chan, Fan & Qian, 2002). An air gap is created when female drivers wear inappropriate male garments. An air gap can be enlarged due to windy conditions, body movement and wearer’s posture, which lead to the reduction in moisture vapor resistance (Cui,
Fan & Wu, 2016). Female drivers’ body movement, sitting position and other possible windy conditions while driving will contribute more to the air gap between their body and garment, which effects the moisture vapor resistance of the garment. This can eventually impact female racers’ performance in competition. Therefore, fit, mobility, and comfort are important factors to be considered in female racers’ suits development.
Expressive Consideration
Role identity and role conflict
13 Watkins (1995) held the opinion that clothing was considered as an individual’s most intimate portable environment. Clothing can be viewed as a non-verbal communicating tool and define as a role to others (Davis, 1984; Solomon, 1986). Female athletes may play many roles in their daily lives, including athletes, students, daughters, teachers and wives (Wheat &
Dickson, 1999). Park and Burgess defined a role as a person’s behavior in a social setting (Park
& Burgess, 1924). Athletes wear suits to represent their role identification. The suit speaks for them and helps in communicating with the outside environment. The female athletes can use suit and appearance to express their athletic roles, show their fashion preferences or their level of expertise (Casselman-Dickson & Damhorst, 1993). In Casselman-Dickson and Damhorst’s
(1993) research, they found that female cyclists maintain their positive images in their roles and express their levels of competence.
Role conflict occurs when an individual engages in two different roles simultaneously and the characteristics of the roles are contradictory (Sarbin, 1954). In previous studies, sports are considered a masculine activity by society from the past to the present (Crosset, 1995;
Desertrain & Weiss, 1988). This is more common in sports which require wearing a masculine- looking suit (Reimer & Feltz, 1995). For a long time, female athletes have struggled with a contradiction of athleticism and feminine charm (Birrell, 2000; Markula & Pringle, 2006).
Additionally, the media also has a great impact on sports and athletes achieve public recognition and status through media. Giulianotti pointed out that sports media pay more attention to female athletes’ attraction than their athletic achievements (Giulianotti, 2005). Sports media often minimize women’s performances (Ruddle & Shinew, 2006). Hovden (2003) claims that women have been suffered from cultural stereotypes for a long time, for example, the stereotype equating femininity with weakness, dependency, and emotion.
14 A person’s behavior within a role is sometimes determined and evaluated by social norms (Thomas & Biddle, 1966). Female athletes are often considered to be unladylike (Willis,
1982). In order to gain more acceptance and recognition in society, female athletes have to follow guidelines and adopt men’s sports clothing to make themselves look stronger and powerful. The stereotype equating athleticism with masculinity create role conflict problems for female athletes to some extent. Female athletes experience conflict when trying to be both feminine and athletic (c.f., Sarbin, 1954). When wearing men’s suit, this conflict becomes greater. Women have suffered the conflict between expressing femininity and enhancing athletic ability for over 100 years (Grossbard & Merkel, 1990). Although many female athletes have proved their strengths in different activities and have gained more honors and social acceptance in recent years, the acceptance may be limited to certain athletics that were traditionally suitable for women, including skating, artistic gymnastics, and synchronized swimming (Basow, 1980).
Dickson and Wheat (1999) examined the dissatisfaction caused by role conflict among collegiate female golfers. He found that for women who participate in team sports, the suit is quite essential in whether they believe they could achieve a feminine role during performance.
In the late 1970s scholars realized the importance of researching role conflict among female athletes. Sage and Loudemilk (1979) did a survey regarding the personally experienced role conflict among female athletes. Female racing car drivers must experience a similar role conflict as other female sport athletes and this may influence their performance while driving.
When selecting sports suits, especially for sportswomen, there are many factors we need to consider. As mentioned in previous studies, in order to help create the best athletic performance, future designers should pay more attention to female drivers’ gender role image and let it shine through the design.
15 Aesthetic and Femininity
A few studies indicated that, in order to help create best athletic performance, it is ideal that sports clothing neither restrict the athlete nor psychologically detract from the wearer’s performance due to concerns about how she looks (Crosset, 1995; Feather, Ford, & Herr,1996).
Another study conducted by Dickson and Pollack (2000) also provides academic evidence of female athletes’ strong desire for a feminine image. When compared to other needs of sports clothing such as comfort and protection, most female skaters emphasize fashion (Dickson &
Pollack, 2000). Their research discussed the clothing needs and identity among female in-line skaters and results showed that female skaters hope to achieve performance enhancement by wearing attractive feminine garments. Due to very limited styles and brands of female racing suits on the current market, the lack of choice could lead to female racers sacrificing some of their racing suit expectations (Wheat & Dickson, 1999). According to FEA Consumer Needs
Model by Lamb and Kallal in 1992, aesthetic refers to the color, style, material, proportion, and design principles, and aesthetic preference was more related to individual psychological factors.
However, in actual application, optimization of functional performance often conflicts with aesthetic optimization. Sometimes designers have to sacrifice some aesthetic values to maintain the garments’ function.
In conclusion, in order to fulfill female racers’ clothing needs in suit and help them improve performance, it is necessary to design and develop the female exclusive racing suit that is based on their body type, psychological appeal and aesthetic tendency instead of adopting or customizing male’s suits.
Functional Clothing Design Process
16 There are many design processes that guide designers in their design work, such as
Orlando’s functional apparel design process followed by Jones’s self-organizing design system developed in 1979, Watkin’s seven step design process proposed in 1995, and a textile product development framework proposed by LaBat and Sokolowki (1999). This study employed
DeJonge’s functional clothing design process proposed in 1984. The design process comprised seven stages including (1) request made (2) design situation explored (3) problems structure perceived (4) specifications described (5) design criteria established (6) prototype developed (7) design evaluated (DeJonge, 1984). This functional design process emphasizes user needs and design criteria through systematic exploration. It has been used to create a suit for wild-land firefighters (Huck & Kim, 1997); work clothing for female pear farmers (Choi & Ashdown,
2002), and dance wear by investigating the problems and needs of female dance students
(Mitchka, Black, Heitmeyer & Cloud, 2009). It was also applied to develop anti-heat stress clothing or construction workers (Chan, Guo, Wong, Sun & Han, 2015). In the present study,
Dejonge’s functional clothing design process was utilized to develop a female-specific racing suit with special emphasis on the garment fit, expressive needs, and aesthetic values.
17 CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
Procedures
This study used a non-experimental cross-sectional survey to obtain insight into the racing suit of female racing car drivers. Two methods were used in our study: an online survey and a focus group discussion which includes interviews with two female racing car drivers and two racing suit sales specialists in LA. A design process proposed by DeJonge (1984) was employed to guide the female racing suits design. Female racing car drivers were contacted via social network. The online study was conducted based on the Functional, Expressive and Aesthetic
Consumer Needs Model (Lamb & Kallal, 1992). This online survey included four parts with 25 questions: the level of evaluation by female racing car drivers regarding the current racing suits, the problems they have encountered while wearing the unisex-sized racing suits, their opinions about the improvement of the current racing suits design, and the basic personal demographic information from female racing car drivers. The survey included both multiple choice questions and open-ended questions. Data was collected through Google Survey. The respondents were free to comment on the aspect of functional, expressive and aesthetic values.
Sample
The data analyses were conducted using nine of the female racing car drivers self-report data. This study created an online survey as a measurement instrument. Female racers were contacted via email to participate in this self-administered online survey. Age of the participants ranged from 16 to 55 years of age. Four of them were experienced professional racers, others were amateur racers. Measures
18 There are four sections in this short online survey: evaluation of the current racing suit, alteration needs regarding their current racing suits, expectations about the female racing suits design and demographic information. Their perceptions regarding the racing suits were assessed using a 10-point Likert scale, 1 represents strongly agree and 10 represents strongly disagree.
Sample items are: “How satisfied are you with the currently available racing suits?” “You are satisfied with the fit of your current racing suits.” “You valued the expressive factor of your racing suits” “Designers should consider female racer’s fashion needs when designing.”
“Female racers are willing to look more feminine when wearing racing suits”. Demographic variables were measured using standard fact sheet items.
For the focus group interview, we conducted a face-to-face conversation with two amateur female racing car drivers, we asked them to share their experience about wearing the unisex racing suits, their opinions regarding the flaws of the current unisex racing suits and suggestions for future design. Their opinions were recorded and summarized. One of the amateur female drivers was 27 years old and wore a size M unisex racing suit. Her body type was a full hourglass. Our design prototype was developed based on her size and body type. We let her try on the newly designed racing suit and recorded her feeling for both walking and driving.
Additionally, for marketing analysis, we interviewed two sales specialists from the
Winding Road Racing store located in LA and asked them some questions regarding the current marketing of racing suit products and customer needs regarding the racing suits, especially those of female drivers. We asked questions such as “Do you sell female racing suits?” “Are female drivers satisfied with the fit and design of the unisex racing suit?” Which size and style were
19 popular among female racing car drivers?” “Based on your experience, do you think female racers are hoping to have a female-specific racing suit?”
20 CHAPTER IV
RESULTS
Demographic Characteristics of The Sample
According to the survey data, participants ranged in age from 16 to 55 years, with the majority aged between 16 and 30 years (67%). Most of them were white (88.9%). Their racing experience ranged from 4 to 25 years. In terms of their body type, 4 female drivers (44.5%) selected “full hourglass” and 4 female drivers (44.5%) selected “neat hourglass”, 1 female driver
(11%) defined her body type as “apple”.
Table 1
Descriptive Statistics for the Participated Female Racing Car Drivers’ Age
Range Amount M
<18 2
19-25 2
30 26-35 2
36-45 1
46-55 2
21 Figure 1
Figure 1. The Major Body Type of Female https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2440176/
Figure 2
Summary of the Participated Female Drivers' Body Type Apple 11%
Full Full Hourglass Hourglass Neat Hourglass Neat 44.5% Apple Hourglass 44.5%
Figure 2. Summary of the Participated Female Racing Car Drivers’ Body Type
22 Perceived Problems of Current Unisex Racing Suits
According to the survey data, six female racers stated they were unsatisfied with the current unisex racing suits, which was far more than half of the participants. Only two female drivers were satisfied with the current unisex racing suit, and one voted neutral. There were eight female drivers (89%) who reported that they have fit problems, more than half of the female drivers agreed that fit problems could affect the protection function. Six of them (67%) pointed out that the unisex racing suits they purchased were too big and square for the female figure. For walking position, three of participants (33%) considered that the waist area was too big and chest area was too tight. Two of them reported leg length was too long and one thought the crotch should be designed to allow more room. For driving position, three of them (33%) mentioned the chest area was tight which impacted their body movement when driving. Two of the participants were not satisfied with the hip size and leg length of the racing suit when sitting, they preferred the bigger hip size and shorter leg length. One of them complained about the tight crotch design when driving. Damp and clammy was reported as the major problem regarding comfort issue, as selected by six female racers (67%), and two selected skin prickle and one selected poor moisture absorbance.
23 Figure 3
Percieved Problems by Participated Female Racing Car Drivers For Both Walking and Driving
Walking Driving Bust 9 8 7 6 5 3 4 Leg 3 Waist 2 3 2 3 1 0 0 0 1 2
Crotch Hip
Figure 3. Perceived Problems by Participated Female Racing Car Drivers for Both
Walking and Driving
Expectations of Future Female Racing Suits
Eight participated female racing car drivers (89%) valued expressive factor of a racing suit, six women (67%) reported they wanted to show their gender role and would feel more confident if they wear female racing suit versus a unisex suit when competing. Seven participated female drivers (78%) desired to look more feminine and fashionable when wear racing suit. For the requirements about the future design, in order to put the more expressive value on the suit, three participated female drivers (33%) hoped to have more color choices.
Fancy stitching and embroidery were recommended by three participants to help highlight their gender identity. In terms of the aesthetic value, purple and blue were the most popular color chosen by four female drivers. This was not corresponding with our hypothesis that pink would be a preferred color. Most of the participants held the opinion that, pink was too weak and easy to get dirty after wearing. They prefer bold colors like purple and blue. Regarding the design 24 pattern, based on the two designs we provided in the survey, there were five female drivers who like style B while four female drivers like style A. People chose style B because they like the bold color and back pattern design, people chose style A due to the front pattern and the color block designs.
Design Process
Stage 1: Request made
As discussed in the literature review, female racing car drivers are undertaking heavy physical tasks in high temperature and super speed conditions. Poor-fitting racing suits affect body movement, heat transfer, and mental concentration. Thus, the request was made to design a female-specific racing suit based on their clothing needs by adopting the FEA Consumer Needs model (Lamb & Kallal, 1992) and Functional Clothing Design Process (DeJonge,1984).
Stage 2: Design situation explored
This study explored the design situation by analyzing the currently available racing suits on market and the driving environment that drivers are experiencing. Literature review, observation, and market analysis contributed to the exploration of the design situation. Literature was collected related to the racing suit market, female racing car drivers’ perceptions towards the garment, consumer needs and the design requirements followed by the FEA model. The unisex-sized racing suit was only reluctantly accepted by very few female consumers, the protection function and design principles were still considered unsatisfactory. In addition, some major racing suit retailers and brands were also investigated and reviewed. These activities helped gather information for analyzing current racing suits and developing an online-survey questionnaire.
25 After studying the structure and operation of a racing car it is worth mentioning that, drivers work in the sitting position in a very limited space for several hours and have to complete turning and acceleration tasks under extreme conditions. This means improper fit of the racing suit could not only restrict mobility of female drivers’ arms, chest, legs, and crotch areas, but also distract them while worrying about how they looked. A racing suit with maximum protection function and aesthetic values is important for the safety and success of female racer’s competition. Therefore, the development of a new female racing suit that improves on original defects is urgent and necessary.
Stage 3: Problem structure perceived
This design stage was completed through an online survey questionnaire, focus group interview and data collection method. The online survey aimed at exploring female racing car drivers’ perceived problems regarding the current racing suit they have, and also their specific needs and expectations for a future racing suit.
Table 2 Summary of Opinions from Participated Female Drivers
Attribute Likes Dislikes Functional 1. Good SFI rating 1. Poor fit around chest, crotch 2. Lightweight 2. Too big and baggy 3. Waist area too loose 4. Damp and clammy Expressive None Did not show gender role Aesthetic Good design White parts get dirty easily
26 Stage 4: Specifications described
Based on the literature review and data collection, specifications for a new female racing suit design should be determined. Fabrics should be fire resistant and ensure thermal protection.
Fit, mobility, comfort, gender role identity, and women’s aesthetics were the factors that should be taken into account when designing a female racing suit.
Stage 5 and 6: Design criteria established and prototype developed
Before a product is developed, a design ideation or proposal has to be done first (Gwilt,
2012). The online survey showed that the majority body types of female racers were a full hourglass and neat hourglass. Size M occupied the largest proportion among their reports. Neat hourglass body type features a defined bust, narrow waist, neat bottom which including the hips and thigh area. Compared to the neat hourglass, the full hourglass body type has round shoulder and round bottom, bigger thighs and full bust. After summarizing the data we collected, based on the body measurement of our contacted amateur female racer, our design prototype was conducted aiming for size M women with a full hourglass figure. Combining the information from the literature review and collected data on the expectations and needs of a female racing suit, this study established design criteria inspired by the FEA Consumer Needs Model and developed four prototypes, we picked style No. 4 and made a suit for the model which is described in detail below.
Since the full hourglass figure has round shoulders and bottom, narrow waist, outstanding bust, and big thighs, in order to improve the fit of the racing suit for this body type, we did some adjustments on size based on the model’s body and the report of the survey analysis. The unisex suit was too boxy and too long for the model, compared to the size M unisex racing suits. We narrowed 1 1/4 inches down in shoulder width, added 1 inch in chest
27 and hip area, and decreased 2 inches in inseam length. For the crotch depth, we moved the waistline 1-inch up when compared with a unisex suit. That is because, from the physiological point of view, male and female are different in body type. Compared with men, women have a wider and higher pelvis if they have the same height. The height of pelvis will impact the measurement of crotch depth. The crotch length includes two different measurements: the front crotch length and the back crotch length. The current unisex suit has more space on the front crotch length and less space for the back crotch length. We also studied this issue by reviewing the online customers’ feedback regarding the crotch problem of their purchased suits. Their feedbacks were “the pants were too tight when sitting in the car”, “the crotch could be adjusted a little bit longer to make it more comfortable.” Therefore, the crotch depth increased when designing the female-specific racing suit. The crotch differences between male and female are shown in Figure 4. The comparison of the measurement between a unisex suit and the prototype are listed in Figure 5.
For expressive considerations, the female silhouette was achieved by adding princess line in upper body and curve line pattern design in the lower body. The unisex racing suit design was simple and stiff. We added a national symbol to show national culture. For example, we added the flag of California for local female racers, we added the peony and phoenix patterns for
Chinese female racers. For aesthetic considerations, we added flora patterns and fancy stitching on shoulder, arms and waist area.
The comparison of the unisex racing suit and our design prototype are listed in Table 3, the design prototype criteria are demonstrated in Table 4. All the design details of the design prototype can be found in Figure 9, 10 and 11.
28 Table 3 Comparison of Design Features of Unisex Racing Suit and Original Design Prototype
Attribute Unisex Racing Suit Original Design Prototype
Functional Size based on men’s body type Size based on women’s body type
Fit Wide shoulder width Narrower shoulder width
Narrow chest width More room in the bust
Wide waist area Tighter waist area
Long leg length Shorter leg length
Regular sleeve Flexible sleeve
Expressive Masculine More lady-like
Square Silhouette Curve Silhouette
No national culture pattern Add national culture symbol
Aesthetic Black, grey and dark blue color Purple and yellow color
No feminine details Add feminine details
Regular stitching Add fancy stitching
29 Table 4 Design Features of Original Design Prototype
Attribute Criteria Design Prototype
Functional Fit Add princess line
Decrease 11/4 inches on shoulder width
Add 1inch in bust area
Decrease 2 inches on leg length
Add 1 inch in crotch depth
Add 2 inches in hip area
Comfort Lightweight material, two layers design
Mobility Add elbow patch
Donning/Doffing Effective opening
Expressive Gender role identity Adjustable waist tape
Status Add national culture pattern
Aesthetic Color Purple and yellow color
Design elements Add flora patterns
Add fancy stitching
30 Figure 4
Figure 4. The Crotch Differences Between Male and Female. Source: Gao (2008), Women &
Men Pants Structural Analysis and Comparability. China Textile Leader
Figure 5
ITEM UNISEX (M) PROTPTYPE(M)
NECK 7’’ 7’’
SHOULDER WIDTH 19 ¾’’ 17’’
ARMHOLE STRAIGHT 9 ½’’ 9’’
SLEEVE LENGTH 24 ½’’ 23 ¾’’
SLEEVE LENGTH 19 ½’’ 18 ½’’
SLEEVE OPENING (RIB) 4’’ 4’’
CHEST WIDTH 22’’ 19 ½’’
WAISTLINE HOOK AND LOOP ELASTIC RIB: 17 ¼’’ FASTENERS (SMALLEST)
HIP LENGTH 20’’ 21’’
LEG INSEAM 33’’ 31’’
CROTCH DEPTH 12 ½’’ 14’’
BODY LENGTH 62 59 ½’’
Figure 5. Measurement of Unisex Racing Suit & Design Prototype in Size M
31 Figure 6
Figure 6. Four Design Patterns of Design Prototype
32 Figure 7
Unisex Back View Prototype Back View
Unisex Side View Prototype Side View
33
Unisex Front View Prototype Front View
Figure 7. Comparison of Unisex Racing Suit and Design Prototype in Standing Position
Figure 8
Unisex Prototype
Figure 8. Comparison of Unisex Racing Suit and Design Prototype in Sitting Position
34 Figure 6 shows the 2D pattern of the original four design prototypes. The No.4 style was picked by the model. After the garment was made, we asked the model to wear it and took pictures in different positions. The photos shown in Figure 7 and Figure 8 were comparisons of wearing the unisex suit and prototype in both standing position and sitting position.
By comparing the pictures shown here, it is obvious that the overall fit problems were solved. The unisex racing suit looks baggy on the model, especially in the back, waist and thigh area. The arm and leg length were too long for her, the sleeves even covered her hands. The black color was too dark and dull for female racers.
The designed prototype was more fitted for the model. Our new design reduced the bulk with closer silhouettes. The chest area was neat and fitted which shows the female figure. The back was flat and the size of the hip area was correct. The arm length and leg length were improved and made the overall look more cleaner and well fitted. The color combination of the design prototype was purple and yellow. According to color theory, these two colors were complementary colors and in harmony with each other. Purple and yellow were preferred by female racers over black.
35 Figure 9
Figure 9. The Fancy Stitching of New Design
We designed four stitching styles for the female racing suit. Most of the stitching was applied on the collar, arm, armhole, front opening and belt. These embroideries would enhance the feminine beauty of female racers and help them stand out from the male competitors.
36 Figure 10
Figure 10. The Pattern of New Design
37 Figure 11
Figure 11. The Color Selection of New Design
38 Patterns for the newly designed female racing suit were developed using CAD and
Photoshop software. Based on the feedback from the survey participants and focus group racers, we picked several cultural patterns for both Asian female racers and western female racers. The peony and phoenix are symbols of eastern culture, the brown bear represents the California spirit, the eagle represents America, and London Bridge is a symbol of Britain. All the patterns were applied on the back of the suit which could help enhance the attractiveness of the wearers and help heighten national confidence as well. Regarding the color combination of the female racing suit, blue and purple color was chosen in accordance with the survey result. Coral, grey, and yellow were accepted by focus group racers as more suitable for women.
Stage 7: Design evaluated
The original design prototype was evaluated by four professional apparel designers, manufacturers and apparel industry experts. They reviewed the design process, checked the pattern making and assessed the racing suit sample. Several suggestions were listed as follows: in terms of the fit issue, our design prototype improved the fit and flattered the body as well; adding the princess line helped balance the female racer’s need for both functional and expressive; the mobility of the one-piece design also met consumer needs; they agreed with the detailed feminine design for the upper body; the suit designed in blue with floral stitching along the collar, armhole; and belt was evaluated as the most attractive one among four designers.
However, several revisions were needed to help better meet female racer’s needs such as more patterns could be developed for different body types like “Apple” and “Pear”; add more feminine patterns in the front and back side of the lower body; provide more options in color combinations. For future design, the industry experts also suggested that it would be great to add
39 breathable design under the armhole and the back of the torso to improve the thermal comfort of a suit, and adding a bra attached to the suit could be considered in the future.
40 CHAPTER V
DISCUSSION
The purpose of this study was to design the appropriate racing suit for female racing car drivers by investigating and solving the problems of the current unisex racing suit. According to our survey, we found that the majority of contacted female racers were young women (M=30 years old) and they were willing to have a female-specific racing suit instead of a unisex racing suit. The majority of them were unsatisfied with the current unisex racing suits and indicated the fit was the most important problem which had a negative impact on their performance. They also thought that the current unisex racing suits did not meet their expressive and aesthetic expectations. Gender role identity and personal image were regarded as important factors by female racers. Most female racers, especially young women value the aesthetic attribute of their racing suits. They would like to see a more feminine design adding to the functional clothing. In a word, female racing car drivers prefer a racing suit that not only fits better and could show their body curves but also helps them establish the role identity and female image. They believe that a better fitted and attractive racing suit can help them build more confidence when competing with male counterparts.
Findings
After reviewing the feedback from the nine participants we drew the conclusion that:
Firstly, in terms of the satisfaction evaluation on the design of the current unisex-sized racing suit, the overall evaluation was unsatisfactory, whereas the quality and protection function on the current unisex-sized racing suits were satisfactory. This means the current unisex racing suit is not suitable for female racers as it makes them feel uncomfortable both physically and psychologically and ultimately affects their performance. 41 Secondly, for the specific perceived problems regarding the current unisex racing suit.
Size and fit were identified as important suit attributes for all ages and body types of female racers because when asked about the problems regarding the unisex racing suit, the majority of the answers were a poor fit. They felt the racing suit were too baggy for them. Well-fitted clothes are considered vital to an individual’s psychological and social well-being (Smathers &
Horridge, 1978). Findings provide a basis for a future implementation of the racing suit design.
Thirdly, by analyzing the data of the survey, the major requirements of the female- specific racing suit were identified. This was essential to future designs of the female-specific racing suit. Compared to the unisex racing suit, the female racing suit should have narrow shoulder and waist width, allow more room in bust and hip area, shorter leg length and add more feminine details such as fancy stitching, delicate embroidery or beautiful patterns. The most popular color for a female racing suit was purple and blue. Light colors were not recommended by the participants because they believe they get dirty easily and it is hard to wash and maintain the racing suit.
Limitations
This thesis project will help fill the gap of the female racing suit design and in the meantime add to the understanding of the female racers’ consumer needs. However, certain limitations to the study exist. The limitations are:
• The data was collected using self-report questionnaires in a cross-sectional design which
could only access a very small number of female racers.
• The design was only based on one body type, future designers should design more
patterns for other body type racers.
42 • This study only focuses on the design of female racing suit. Future researchers could
study the textile properties more in depth when discussing the comfort of the racing suit.
• This sample is limited to individuals from California which can limit generalization.
Implications
The findings from this study help fill the blank of the female-specific racing suit design criteria. This study emphasizes the functional, expressive and aesthetic considerations to user- centered apparel design and points out that racing suit designers should pay more attention and give more concern to female racing car drivers. Based on the literature review and data analyses, the present study demonstrates several major problems that female racers have encountered with the current unisex racing suit, all the alteration needs, and design expectations have been identified. The result of the study can give future apparel designers more specific consumer needs information and help them create a higher protective and more attractive racing suit for female racing car drivers. The results and design suggestions will also help manufacturers and retailers fulfill their target consumers’ needs and gain more profit and reputations as well.
Many previous studies have developed new functional clothing for different sports. For example, sailing apparel for women (Bye & Hakala, 2005). Their new design improved the fit and donning and doffing of the garment, but still lacks expressive and aesthetic design for female sailors. Our design not only refined the size and fit issue of the functional clothing for female racers, but also explored the expressive and aesthetic attribute of the racing suit.
Conclusion
Our project was aimed at designing a utilitarian racing suit especially for female racers based on women’s physical body shape and their special expressive and aesthetic demands.
With the support of literature review, survey investigation and focus group interviews, several
43 one-piece two-layers design with female-flattering silhouette were developed based on the revisions of current unisex sized racing suit.
This systematic study provided critical thinking regarding the current available unisex racing suit and proposed important design ideas to improve the overall satisfaction by targeted female racers. Though this design only targeted size M individuals, it still clarified the female racers’ consumer needs and figured out proper design criteria for a female racing suit. This study would have been strengthened with an analysis of material and thermal comfort properties.
Additionally, a wear test of all the design prototypes is recommended for this research. It will help to determine whether the new designs are successful or not. In the meantime, designers could get more directions from the wear test and make more revisions as well.
Racing suits are used worldwide. With the rapid growth of the competitive car racing sport and garment manufacturing industry, they have been changed and refined since their first introduction. In order to continue to advance racing suit development, focused redesign efforts should be taken to help improve the functionality, expressive attributes and aesthetic values of the female-specific racing suit.
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50 APPENDIX A
JOINT PROJECT ADDENDUM
RACING SUIT FOR FEMALE RACING CAR DRIVERS: A DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
CASE STUDY
Racing suit for female racing car drivers: A design development case study is a joint graduate project between Hang Cui and Fei Wang. This document will explain the division of responsibilities between the two parties. Any additional information can be included in a separate document attached to this Addendum page.
Fei Wang is responsible for all the following tasks/document sections: Abstract, Introduction,
Literature Review, Methodology, Discussion and Completion Submission
Hang Cui is responsible for all the following tasks/document sections: Pattern Making, Design
Prototype, and Results.
Both parties shared responsibilities for the following tasks/document sections:
• Survey Questions Development
• Data Collection
• Design Development (Inspiration, design pattern)
• Thesis/Project Writing (Hang Cui - Chapter 3 & 4; Fei Wang - Chapter 1, 2,
5&6)
• Oral Defense Presenting
51
______Student #1 Date Student #2 Date
______Committee Chair Date Committee Member Date
______Committee Member Date
______Tom Cai, Ph.D, Dept. Chair Date Elizabeth J. Sussman, PhD, RD Date
52
APPENDIX B
Dear Race Car Drivers,
You are invited to participate in a research study entitled, “Suiting for Female Race Car
Drivers: A Design Development Case Study”. This survey is designed to learn about female racing car drivers’ perceptions of racing suit in the current market and their opinions regarding how to refine the disadvantages so that we could create a better design prototype and provide some suggestions for future designers and manufacturers.
This survey typically takes 15 minutes. Your responses are confidential and will not be associated with your name. If you have any concerns by any questions and would like to reach our research team, please feel free to contact [email protected]. or [email protected]
If you agree to participate, you will be asked to complete a self-administrated online survey regarding your opinions on the improvement of female race car suits. Your participation is voluntary and your responses will be anonymous,
53 After you submit the survey, a thank you message will be displayed and you will receive a confirmation email. People who participate in this online survey will be acknowledged with a stimulus of gift card.
If you agree to participate in the survey, please click on the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1gUsetJasN5BnrptQAb1D6REN1lHu8Jz0RTv5FzN k9vQ/edit
Thank you very much in advance for taking the time to provide your valuable feedback.
Your participation in this research project are deeply appreciate it.
Sincerely,
Hang Cui and Fei Wang, M.S. Candidates
Apparel Design and Merchandise Program
College of Health and Human Development
18111 Nordhoff Street, California State University, Northridge CA 91330.
54 APPENDIX C
Survey Questions
Current Racing Suit Market On a scale from 1 to 10, 1 represents strongly disagree and 10 represents strongly agree.
1. You are satisfied with the current racing suit on market.
2. Consider the current racing suit you have, please share what you really like or dislike about the garment. Like: ______Dislike: ______3. Which racing suit you like the most that you had purchased in the past 5 years? Brand ______Style name______Reason______Functional 4. You are satisfied with the fit of your current racing suit.
5. What is your body type?
55
o Neat hourglass o Full hourglass o Apple o Pear o Inverted triangle o Lean column o Rectangle 6.The size of your racing suit is close to which of the following?
o S o M o L o XL o XXL o Other: ______7. Please choose the experiences you have encountered during the performance?
56 o Skin prickle during the game
o Too hot to tolerant
o Damp and clammy after sweating
o Fatigue easily
o Affect mobility when driving
o The protection effect needs to be improved
8. To make your suit fits you better, which of the following could be altered? Please consider the situation while walking and driving condition.
Please specify how you would like to change for each part ______
Expressive 9. As a female racer, you valued the expressive factor of your racing suit.
10. If you want to show your gender role by wearing racing suit, what changes you would like to make based on current design? (What suggestions you may have for the current design?)
57 Add flora patterns Add embroidery Add belt Add stitching
Others______
11. To indicate your national culture in racing suit, what changes you would like to make based on current design?
Add flag patterns Use national color Add national symbol
Others______
12.To express the values in racing suit, what changes you would like to make based on current design?
Please share your opinions here______
Aesthetic
13.Racing suit needs to meet the fashion needs
14. Female racers desire to look feminine and fashionable.
15. If you could enhance femininity of your suit and helps you differentiate the look with male competitors, what changes you would like to make based on current design?
Please share your opinions here______
16. If you could express your personal aesthetic consciousness by wearing racing suit, what
58 changes you would like to make based on current design?
Please share your opinions here______
17.If you could custom your own racing suit, what colors you would like to use?
Red Pink Yellow Orange Purple Blue Grey Brown Black White
18.
Drivers Personal Information
19. Name: ______
20. Gender______
o Male
59 o Female
o Prefer not to say
21. Ethnicity______
o American Indian
o White
o Black, African American
o Native Hawaiian/ Other pacific Islander
o Asian
o Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin
o Some other race or origin
22. How old are you? ______.
23. How many years have you been a racing car driver? ______.
24. How many times have you been racing last year? ______.
25. How do you define yourself, professional or amateur? ______.
60 APPENDIX D
Paper Pattern of Design Prototype
61