ASICS’ 2024 State of Mind Study found that being physically active in your teenage years directly impacts your state of mind later in life and is key for establishing lifelong exercise habits. But by age 16, 64% of girls in the UK will drop out of sport with their PE kit being a major reason for this.
Asics worked with Inclusive Sportswear and Mind to conduct focus groups and surveys with girls from across the UK to reimagine the PE kit. They also trialled a kit in a secondary school in Burnley.
They found:
- 70% of girls say they’d be more likely to take part in PE if their kit made them feel more comfortable
- Only 12% are completely satisfied with what they wear now
- Nearly two thirds (63%) believe it’s time to reimagine the PE kit
The new kit has been designed based on what girls actually want to wear to feel more comfortable playing sport. This includes:
- A jacket with a detachable inner liner and short and long sleeve top layering options to help regulate body temperature
- Made of water-repellent fabric and a packable hood to keep dry when it rains
- Softer, darker, and sweat wicking fabrics for comfort and to address concerns about sweating and see-through clothes
- Dark coloured materials to address concerns about period leaks with discreet pockets for sanitary products
- Biker shorts as a base layer with options to wear these alone or pair with a detachable skirt or shorts to provide choice, provide shape to kit, and make it feel like it was designed for girls, not just for boys