What Style Suits One? Sustainable Commercial Women's Bra Design in Malaysia

Abstract

Nowadays, our industry has made it possible for all women to choose their preferred bra from wide brands and styles. However, perfect bra sizing is not just a matter of aesthetics; it also concerns health. Wrong bra size can cause numerous health problems related to posture problems. Commercial women's bra in the market is very generic and cannot vary women's body shapes. Despite several attempts from diverse disciplines, the issues remain unresolved. Bra designs are insufficient to overcome all of the bra's problems. All the physical and physiological issues in the woman's body are generally caused by the poor design of bra components. To obtain women's preferences about bra design variables and understand bra specialization development for women with uneven bra size issues, an interview survey was conducted with 100 female respondents. This research aims to understand the growth of bra specialization for women with uneven bra size problems and build a new specialty bra market in Malaysia. The study used an online survey through Google Form with 29 items being asked. The 29 items were categorized into five parts: Part A – demographics, Part B – symptoms when wearing a bra, Part C – the main problem when buying a new bra, Part D – factors that influence the design of the bra, and Part E – the essential elements to equip in the bra. Part A consisted of 6 items, while Parts B-E consisted of 7, 6, 4, and 6 items. The type of questions formulated for Part A was multiple-choice, while for Parts B-E were dichotomous questions (Yes/No). We identified symptoms when wearing a bra, the main problem when buying a new bra, factors that influence the design of the bra, and the essential elements to equip in the bra. The preliminary result provides a valuable source of knowledge for commodity small and mid-size enterprises (SMEs). They should consider using co-design to design the best products for individual customers, minimize the risk of design failure, and encourage customers' satisfaction with the product. The study produces critical aspects of impact and the design elements that will provide further knowledge on the research and development of the Malaysian lingerie industry.

Keywords: bra design, lingerie industry, commercial women.