In this study, factor analysis was used to study six adjectives used to define the comfort in Japanese sports socks. It was found that comfort in socks consisted of three common factors (A, B, and C). Factor A was related to the tight feeling at the sole of socks and the stuffy feeling, factor B was related to the fit feeling, and factor C was related to the tight feeling at the top of socks and the comfortable feeling. As the comfortable feeling was closely related to the tight feeling at the top, a system to measure the clothing pressure at the top of socks using an elastic optical fiber was developed. Then, the relation between the subjective evaluation of comfort and the clothing pressure as measured by the experimental system was examined by correlation analysis. As the clothing pressure at the top of socks has a positive correlation with the tight feeling at the top and a negative correlation with the comfortable feeling, it is found that sports socks are judged loose at their tops and comfortable as the clothing pressure at the top decreases.

DESCENTE SPORTS SCIENCE Vol.19/THE DESCENTE AND ISHIMOTO MEMORIAL FOUNDATION FOR THE PROMOTION SPORTS SCIENCE