A Study on the Wearing Condition and Design Preferences of the Rash Guard

래시가드 착용실태 및 디자인 선호 연구

A rash guard, also known as rash vest or rashie, is functional sportswear that protects the wearer's skin from various dangers during outdoor sports activities. It is durable and comfortable since it is designed considering muscle movement. In modern society, more and more people enjoy leisure activities due to an increase in income level and increased leisure hours. Water leisure activities are increasingly enjoyed in the summer. As the way people think of leisure evolves, people are more inclined toward dynamic leisure sports rather than static facility tourism. Therefore, more research on rash guards is required. By identifying and analyzing the design preferences and purchase behaviors of young adults on rash guards, this study aims to provide basic data on the actual sportswear behaviors concerning those who are most active in water sports, people in their 20s and 30s. Furthermore, the study aims to contribute to a healthy exercise lifestyle for women who enjoy water sports and the growth of the water sportswear market. In the study, a survey was conducted using a questionnaire to investigate the wearing behaviors and purchase preferences as well as the wearing satisfaction on rash guards. For the study, 200 copies of the questionnaire were distributed and collected to be used as analysis data. The questionnaire consisted of 36 questions, 6 about demographic characteristics, 11 about purchase preferences, and 19 about wearing satisfaction. The collected data was analyzed using the statistical program SPSS 8.0. The study results can be used as basic data to investigate the design preferences and wearing behaviors of rash guards of women in their 20s and 30s. The results found numerous complaints on comfortableness and durability, which suggests more concern and improvements are necessary in those areas when designing patterns for rash guards.