Existing research on fashion culture has mainly explored the elite fashion industry, class and the analysis of sub-cultural or counter-cultural groups but little attention has been given to clothing and ageing. Some studies examine body image and consumer culture, but these mainly focus on those aged mid-30s and younger. Clothing also has been shown to differentiate people by age, suggesting that “older people’s clothing choices are limited by moral discourses.” However, limited research explores how attitudes toward clothing and fit requirements change with age, particularly among older women. Clothing companies often base all their sizing on one, usually young, size UK 4 to 8 in-house fitting model and yet, we are an ageing population.  

Women make up a larger percentage of the ageing population and live longer than men. In the young-old age group (65+), quality of life can deteriorate, prompting efforts to encourage healthy aging through physical activities. Muscle loss (sarcopenia) begins in our 30s and abdominal fat increases in post-menopause. Sustaining fitness as women age has lasting benefits for physical health and mental well-being. Despite encouragement, older women experience more pain, injury, and joint issues. Our survey and focus group with Voice participants shared how injuries, often after age 50, hinder exercise participation so too do the lack of well-fitting clothing, especially leggings and sports shoes. 

The MISFIT project aims to address the unique needs of older women, creating inclusive sportswear and technology  to encourage women 50 and over to keep participating in sport. The MISFITS project is a joint project between Kymira, Ida Sports, CPI and the University of Exeter funded by Innovate UK. One of the products being developed are leggings for women over 50 with specialised infrared fabric and sensors to measure biomechanics via a phone app. This innovation will empower older women to safely engage in sports and exercise while reducing pain and injury risk. 

One crucial aspect of the MISFIT project is human-centered design, which involves actively involving users in the design process. This approach has been instrumental in enhancing the inclusion of women aged 50+ in the sportswear market. The project conducted two national surveys facilitated by Voice, focusing on women in this age group. The first survey targeted women who exercised regularly, while the second aimed to understand the barriers preventing some women from engaging in physical activity. Additionally, in-person focus groups were held at NICA. 

Several common themes emerged from these interactions, primarily related to the changes in women’s bodies as they age. Many women reported purchasing larger-sized leggings to accommodate their post-menopausal waistlines, but these leggings didn’t fit well around their legs and buttocks. Participants also expressed frustration with finding so few leggings that fitted how they would like, despite the wide variety of legging brands available and reported their willingness to try products from smaller, lesser-known companies to find the right fit. We were shocked to hear that they had collectively tried over 40 brands of leggings in order to find the right pair that suited them. From a product design perspective we learned the importance of focusing on waistbands and offering different leg lengths (petite and regular) to cater to the sportswear needs of women aged 50+. 

Listening to and co-designing with the Voice community provided valuable insights. For example, we learned how leggings were often worn during everyday living activities and not just for exercise, with many users expressing strong feelings of dislike towards certain colours and fabric textures, which are popular in the market today. Instead, many of our focus group participants enjoyed wearing loud, brightly printed and patterned leggings for self-expression. The same users, however, also favoured a limited palette of dark block colours to ‘slim and conceal’.  

A surprising discovery was the positive reception of a mauve fabric during a fitting session, leading to plans to develop leggings in this color. Although we were planning to launch our leggings in a plain, black fabric, we ended up prototyping half of our leggings, for the initial fittings in our second focus group, in a different fabric (mauve) due to availability at the time. We did not expect the participants to like the mauve fabric, however, we were pleasantly surprised to discover they all loved this different colourway, with all of them requesting leggings in this colour compared to black, and so we are now working on developing them in this colour post-project. This again reinforced for us the importance of co-designing with our users and providing them with options and opportunities to see, touch and try the product at all development stages.

In conclusion, the MISFIT project aims to innovate clothing to empower individuals throughout their lives. It aspires to set an example by improving inclusion through human-centered design, prioritizing comfort and functionality in clothing for older women without sacrificing style. We are hoping that our project’s success may inspire other fashion brands to adopt similar approaches and cater to the unique needs of older women in their clothing designs.