Assessment of Women’s Plus-Size Swimwear for Industry Applications

Abstract

Using the functional, expressive and aesthetic (FEA) consumer needs model, this research investigated plus-size women’s swimwear needs. Swimming is a popular activity for women, which offers numerous physical and mental health benefits. However, little is known about plus-size women’s design preferences and satisfaction with swimwear. Attributes of swimwear were assessed through a mixed-methods qualitative survey (n = 58) and five follow-up focus groups (n = 18) with plus-size women in the western region of the United States. Participants reported greatest dissatisfaction with the functional and aesthetic attributes of swimwear available. The women in this study suggested incorporating greater bust support, increasing the ease of donning and doffing, and offering a variety of styles with modern aesthetics that visually flatter their figures. Based on the results, design implementation should include functional, expressive and aesthetic needs to develop swimwear that satisfies the plus-size consumer. Industry applications are provided.

Keywords:

• plus-size design
• product development
• swimwear
• consumer needs
• industry applications

Notes

1. The functional, expressive and aesthetic (FEA) consumer needs model will be referred to as the FEA model for the sake of brevity.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Deborah A. Christel

Deborah A. Christel (PhD Oregon State University) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Apparel Merchandising, Design and Textiles at Washington State University. Dr. Christel’s research focuses on weight bias in the fashion industry and improving aspects of fit, design and consumption of apparel for plus-size women.

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Nicole H. O’Donnell

Nicole H. O’Donnell (MA Central Michigan University) is a doctoral student in the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University. O’Donnell’s research focuses on how to effectively design campaigns to reduce health inequalities and disparities.

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