International Textile and Apparel Association 2015: Celebrating the Unique (ITAA) Annual Conference Proceedings

Nov 11th, 12:00 AM with fireflies June HyeonJeong JI Chung-Ang , [email protected]

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JI, June HyeonJeong, "Cycling with fireflies" (2015). International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) Annual Conference Proceedings. 106. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/itaa_proceedings/2015/design/106

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2015 Proceedings Santa Fe, New Mexico

Cycling with fireflies

June HyeonJeong JI, Graduate student, Dept of Design, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, South Korea

Keywords: Cycling, safety, fashion & design

Cycling has become a common part of modern day living. Not only is it a cost-effective way to travel, it is environmentally friendly, healthy, and enjoyable. The global bicycling is expected to reach an estimated $65 billion in revenues by 20191, but women’s cycling is minority compared to men’s cycling. The reason being is that there are many cycling brands for women to choose from, but most of them are considered to be too sporty and are not fashionable. There is also a lack of cycling clothing in the current market that combines function (visible, light weight, waterproof safety-wear) with style.

This project addresses the question of, “How can safety be combined with style to enable fashion to become for female cyclists?” This is by proposing a new range of cycle wear for women specifically designed to be both fashionable and practical, while being highly visible for safety.

The initial focus was on current safety garments, such as the fluorescent yellow vest, a standard unisex item for road safety. Many of the reflective patterns were striped and/or angular in design. Therefore after researching and finding a motif, I found inspiration from fireflies - which are bright at night, they also look beautiful. Further on, I used a firefly and a butterfly pattern to develop a softer, more feminine look.

The aims of this project were to combine fun, fashion, femininity and safety. The project also aims to provide women cyclists with cycle-wear specifically designed for them in a male-dominated market. This project is a perfect solution for women who want to combine safety with fashion, encouraging more women to view cycling as a safe and fun mode of .

1 Lucintel, (May 2014). Global Industry 2014-2019: Trends, Forecast, and Opportunity Analysis []. Retrieved from http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/2858123/global-bicycle-industry-2014-2019-trends

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