Functional, expressive and aesthetic analysis of women's ski and snowboard apparel

Merrill Kroll Worlund

Since Title IX, the number of women participating in athletics has increased as has need for specialized equipment and clothing for women. Each year sales in women's ski and snowboard equipment continues to increase. In the USA ski and snowboard apparel sales were over $600,000,000 last year. Focusing on understanding the clothing needs of female skiers and snowboarders will develop insight into following objectives (1) the level of commitment for female skiers and snowboarders, (2) the most important factors when purchasing clothing as defined by pre-purchase importance, (3) the most important factors with purchased clothing as defined by post-purchase satisfaction, and (4) the perceive clothing needs of skiers and snowboarders with specific garment types. Based on the results of the study, original ski and snowboarding apparel was designed. The Functional, Aesthetic, and Expressive (FEA) Consumer Needs Model identifies female skiers and snowboarders clothing needs. To address the three considerations of the FEA model, the following research questions were developed: What are the most important functional considerations for female skiers and snowboarders? What are the most important expressive considerations for female skiers and snowboarders? What are the most important aesthetic considerations for female skiers and snowboarders? A total of 130 women answered this questionnaire at three ski resorts in Washington State through December 2014 to January 2015. Of those, 119 questionnaires were usable. Participants completed the questionnaires on site. When purchasing ski and snowboarding apparel, consumers were most concerned with the functional considerations. Of the 21 clothing considerations that were researched, consumers identified comfort, waterproofing, ease of movement, construction quality and fit as the most important considerations at pre-purchase. The participants expressed that they were most satisfied with comfort, construction quality, waterproofing, ease of movement and fabric quality when thinking about clothing they have already purchased and own. When looking at correlations of the same 21 clothing considerations, research shows that attractiveness, fashionability, design, print/pattern and garment style were frequently correlated with other considerations overall.

Functional, expressive and aesthetic analysis of women's ski and snowboard apparel

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