Abstract:
Athletic workout clothing is designed to help the wearer stay comfortable, cool,
and dry. There are several different styles of athletic apparel available at retailers and
each individual has a preference as to what is comfortable for him or her. Comfort of
clothing has traditionally been related to the fabric feel and thermal comfort of the
individual. However, comfort can be defined with numerous other variables; such as
fit, the environment, and the style of the garment. Therefore, the purpose of this study is
to understand how runners perceive the fit, skin sensation and thermal comfort of three
style treatments of running pants. In each treatment, the textile, environment, and fit of
the pant was controlled. The three pant treatments were Style A: fitted pant with 0%
design ease; Style B: loose fit with +5% design ease; and Style C: compression fit with -
20% design ease. The subjects were asked to rate their perceived comfort while wearing
each treatment.
The objectives of the study were to determine human subjects' perceived fit comfort, perceived skin sensation, and perceived thermal comfort of three pants with
varying levels of ease. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected.
Questionnaires were filled out once before running and once after to collect the
subject's perceived comfort in each of the three variables. In the statistical program
Stata, an ANOVA, a Repeated Measured ANOVA was used to calculate the differences
between each style, subject and time. Within each repeated measured ANOVA, an
ANOVA contrast will be conducted if there is a significant difference found. This was
done to determine the specific differences between styles. Each mean score for fit, skin
sensation and thermal perception was calculated.
The results of the study indicated that there was a significant difference of fit
scores between Style A and Style B and between Style B and C. The hypothesis of a
significant difference between perceived thermal comforts between all styles was
rejected, although the overall model is approaching significant. The principal
conclusion was that there is a preference in running pant style among subjects. Across
all subjects, Style C was overall rated the highest for fit comfort. Style C was perceived
to be the coolest after exercise.
This study will assist in understanding how garment style contributes to the
perceived comfort. The importance of knowing how people perceive a garment has a
large impact on its overall comfort and selling ability. Finding a correlation between
pant style and perceived comfort will be a great benefit to apparel designers who wish
to design more comfort pant styles and will help support functional clothing design.
