Background: During my summer internship at MAS Holdings in Sri Lanka, I was assigned a project to design and develop a product for four brands (which I cannot disclose) within the hiking category. One aspect I was particularly excited about was engineered knit, one of MAS's specialties. As a result, I designed this circular knit base layer shirt. My goal was to eliminate the need for multiple layers to reduce evaporative resistance for female hikers, so I incorporated a bra into the base layer shirt.

Insight: Female hikers in cooler climates or high elevations sweat during ascents and get cold on descents, reducing enjoyment and increasing risk.

Developed & Manufactured: MAS Holdings, Intimo Linea - Sri Lanka

TARGET CONSUMERS

Emma | Age: 30 | Boulder, CO

CONSUMER JOURNEY

Clara | Age: 24 | Portland, OR

68% of survey respondents reported feeling mildly, somewhat, or extremely cold during the descent of their adventure

100% of survey respondents are wear a bra and a base layer during the ascent and descent of their adventure

“SWEAT IS THE ENEMY”

“Often times when descending, my hands and feet go numb because my core is so cold”

“I stay warm on the uphill but become quickly cold when static”

“I’m a petite woman and I run cold. I’ve been struggling to stay warm on hikes. On the way up the hike I am warm enough but I don’t get hot enough to want to shed any layers even when the hike is 3,000 feet + elevation gain. The issue with this is that on the descent I run into the cold sweat problem and get extremely cold and I don’t have any more layers to put on”

SWEAT MAP

1

“Usually my hiking layering system is a wool blend base layer ie. from Smartwool, a fleece (Arc’teryx Kyanite) and then an Arc’teryx atom LT jacket on top. I wear a hat and gloves as well. Somehow I still get cold!”

Change into Extra Clothing

-Extra weight

-Must carry bag

-Dangerous changing in cold conditions

Everyone I spoke to mentioned wearing both a bra and a base layer during activities involving ascents and descents in colder temperatures, such as hiking or backcountry skiing. I wanted to approach this project in a way that hadn’t been done before, so I focused on eliminating layers. My solution was to exclude the need for a separate bra layer to reduce evaporative resistance. This base layer shirt has a built-in bra that provides the necessary support and compression for female athletes. I chose circular knit construction to incorporate different knit structures, offering targeted support and compression while also providing ventilation in areas where the athlete sweats the most.

PROTO 1

“I try to get down the mountain as soon as possible”

“On the way up the hike, I stay warm, but the problem arises on the descent when I start to sweat and get extremely cold”

“Try to take yout outer jacket off earlier/colder before you start to sweat. Sweat is the enemy. Seriously. You have to stay cool. Shed that outer layer BEFORE you want to”

Added more elastic to the band for increased support

Refined the knit structure on the hem for a more relaxed drape

Amateur Athlete : Hiker

Hikes with friends year round and the locations depends on the weather, but her favorate place to go is on Mt. Hood

Pain Point: Feeling cold on the decent of her hike, diminishing her overall enjoyment

“Struggling with thermal regulation hiking in the PNW”

“Carry a spare base layer, ideally a grid fleece style, and swap it out with your sweaty base layer for the decent”

“It’s not super ultralight but on chilly day hikes I’ve been known to drop a hand warmer in my bra for the trip down. I find it does an incredible job of keeping me warm on the less strenuous parts of the hike, even if I’ve gotten a bit damp or sweaty.”