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.