Fashion student Emma Juhala addresses the following question in her research project:
How to improve the fit and performance of women’s personal protective clothing (PPC) for Enduro Motorcycle Riding?”
Adventure Riding is a style of riding taking place on a wide range of on and off-road terrains that, like street motorcycling, features a predominantly male market. Consequently, women riders have a difficult time finding well-fitting gear tailored to their needs. This project is centered around improving the fit of women’s ADV motorcycling gear in its comfort, safety and storage capacity.
This project begins with iterative design: sketching, concept development, and research into the target market and product. Next is design development: examining construction references, drafting patterns and sourcing heavy-duty technical fabrics. That is followed by several rounds of prototyping and user testing/fittings on moving bodies. Lastly, once the design has been perfected, the final stage of construction, sewing a fully functional motorcycle jacket and pant.
The greatest impact of this project is spotlighting more, women-centered research in the field of design and performance-wear, especially for more male-dominated power sports. Regardless of the area of research, all too often studies are conducted without considering the differences when working with male vs female test groups. This project focuses on designing to increase the safety-wear for an underrepresented group in the ADV riding community.
Research at the KPU Wilson School of Design creates evidence-led solutions. We work with companies, organizations and institutions in a collaborative process to design and deliver solutions for complex and evolving challenges.
Supervisor: Lesley Pollard
UN Goals: 5, 12
Program: Fashion and Technology
