About
Competitive swimmers rely on their suits above any other equipment or part of their uniform not only for its ability to increase their speed, but it also reflects the team’s dedication and comradery. In the last twenty years, studies have demonstrated that branded apparel or athletic equipment may cause a placebo-like increase in athletic performance irrelevant of functional product differences (Garvey, 2016; Germann, 2022).
This knowledge combined with a current limited use of motif within competitive swimwear has led this research team to question:
Holding product material and functionality constant, could a change in motif usage on competitive swimwear impact a competitive swimmer’s performance?
To answer this question,
Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Fashion Design and Merchandising Professors Jennie Cook and Jackie Mullins set out to explore swimwear design practices and implications for future applications for swimmer confidence and performance.
The project included interviewing competitive swimmers, girls 11-15 years old participating with local swim teams to find out what they prefer in regards to motif or print design with the assistance of Professor Renee Lamb.
The researchers also spoke with team coaches and directors who decide which competitive swimsuit the team would adopt for upcoming seasons. These results were combined with market, trend, and color analysis to create the motifs that you see represented here.
Meet the Research Team
Jennie Cook
Assistant Professor, Fashion Merchandising
Virginia Commonwealth University
Jennie Cook is an Assistant Professor of Fashion Merchandising, Director of the Smoketree Mighty Marlins Swim Team, and lifelong swimmer. Jennie earned a Master’s degree in Product Innovation through VCU’s da Vinci Center and a Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Merchandising through VCUarts. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in Educational Leadership at VCU’s School of Education. Jennie was awarded a Faculty Award for Distinguished Adjunct in 2019.
Jackie Mullins
Assistant Professor, Fashion Merchandising
Virginia Commonwealth University
Jackie Mullins is an academic advisor for Fashion Design + Merchandising and associate professor and supervisor of the fashion department’s study collection of historic garments. She is a member of the Costume Society of America, and the Global Education Liaison for VCUarts. A VCUarts alumna, Mullins earned her MA in Museum Studies with a concentration in Modern and African American Art, and her BFA in Fashion Merchandising with a concentration in the history of costuming.