The value of sportswear: research methodology and practical activities for defining a new wardrobe

In collaboration with a sportswear company, Freddy SpA, this contribution is among the studies promoted by UN SDG 12, “Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns”. Sustainability is considered through a Wicked Problems perspective, which suggests that every process or action is interconnected; this defines the holistic way we manage the supply chain. The paper returns to the experience of integrating the sportswear product’s design and communication phases to overcome the garments’ misleading green communication. An interdisciplinary methodological approach is proposed. Firstly, the stratigraphy, typical of the archaeological world, provided a quantitative framework for the subsequent substantial qualitative investigation where Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, a method from the hermeneutics tradition, is adopted. Some athletes were interviewed to understand their experiences with their sportswear. The interaction between research methods and activities with the marketing and merchandising departments generated innovation trajectories. These trajectories are included in a pilot project to create a durable wardrobe that is more aware of the concept of value in symbolic and practical terms.