Sri Lankan Female Consumers’ Consumers’ Perception o Perception of Sports Bras

With the present global trend of focusing on health-conscious lifestyles, the demand for sportswear has increased markedly. Sports bras form the main category of the women's sportswear apparel industry. This study focuses on understanding the perception of Sri Lankan female consumers regarding sports bras. This research was conducted based on a sample of young women from the urban population of Sri Lanka. Following the mixed method research technique, a questionnaire survey and several interviews were conducted to collect information on consumer perception and preferences in sports bras. The findings highlighted that 65.9% of women were using a sports bra in their day-to-day life, mainly due to the comfort and extra support they provided, while 34.1% were continuing to use intimate bras even when engaging in physical activities. However, the high prices and difficulty in ensuring a perfect fit were two main reasons that limited the sales of sports bras. It was also noted that consumers prefer to wear a non-wired sports bras and compression sports bras as they provide a perfect fit. They are made of a fabric blended with cotton and Lycra/Spandex and are popular among Sri Lankan female consumers (Lycra and Spandex are different brand names for the same material). The findings of this survey will prove beneficial to Sri Lankan sport bra designers and manufacturers as this information will guide them to make and supply better products to the Sri Lankan sports bra market.