ASICS, Inclusive Sportswear, and mental health charity Mind have teamed up to research and reimagine girls’ school PE Kit to maximise comfort and prevent girls from dropping out.
- New research shows nearly three-quarters of girls aged 14 to 16 would be more likely to participate in PE if their kit made them feel more comfortable.
- To address this, ASICS, together with Inclusive Sportswear, mental health charity Mind and input from teenage girls across the UK have reimagined the school PE kit. The result is the “Undropped Kit,” a new kit concept designed to make girls feel more comfortable and stop them dropping out.
- The Undropped Kit has been tested by secondary school girls at Burnley High School, identified by Sport England as one of the regions in the UK with the lowest PE participation.
- Activist and mum, Katie Piper, has lent her support to the initiative urging parents and schools to get involved to help girls feel more confident.
[27 August 2025 – London, United Kingdom] – UK teenage girls are leading the charge to rethink the traditional PE kit, sharing their insights with ASICS to create a new kit concept that would make them feel more comfortable and keep them playing sport.
Research shows that 64% of UK girls will drop out of sport before they turn 161, impacting their physical and mental wellbeing today and in the future2. But according to ASICS commissioned research3 amongst 14 to 16-year-old girls, changes to the UK’s school PE Kit could have a major impact on girls dropping out. Nearly three-quarters of UK girls (70%) said they would be more likely to participate in school PE lessons, and 74% said they would enjoy PE more if their PE kit was more comfortable.
Only 12% of UK girls are completely satisfied with their current school PE kit, with nearly two-thirds (63%) actively believing it’s time for a PE kit makeover to make it more comfortable. The key reasons cited by girls for feeling uncomfortable in their current PE kit are: ‘lack of choice’, ‘uncomfortable fabrics’, ‘shapeless design’, ‘suitability for different weather conditions’, ‘period concerns’ and ‘sweat absorption and visibility’.
In response, ASICS, together with Inclusive Sportswear and mental health charity Mind, have conducted extensive research with teenage girls to reimagine the school PE Kit. The result is the “Undropped Kit,” a new kit concept based on what girls actually want to wear to feel more comfortable while playing sport. The kit has been designed to suit different body shapes, weather conditions and personal styles, to help girls enjoy sport and exercise without distraction and discomfort.
The Undropped Kit has been tested by secondary school girls at Burnley High School, identified by Sport England4 as one of the regions in the UK with the lowest PE participation. Watch the video here.
The Undropped Kit initiative aims to shine a light on the issue of PE Kit discomfort and ultimately help to bring about change to help keep girls moving for their physical and mental wellbeing. To drive long-term change, ASICS is supporting Inclusive Sportswear, a UK-based organisation advocating for an inclusive sports kit policy to lift the barrier of PE kit for all pupils. Parents and school staff are encouraged to join the Inclusive Sportswear Community Platform, gaining access to free expert training, toolkits and guidance developed with the Youth Sport Trust to create meaningful change and help more girls enjoy PE.
Katie Piper, Mum, Activist and TV Personality, said “As a mum to two daughters, I know the impact PE kits can have on young girls’ willingness to take part in sport. I remember experiencing this first-hand myself at school – feeling uncomfortable in my kit and worrying more about how it looks than enjoying the activity. That’s why I’m proud to support the Undropped Kit initiative. It’s about more than just clothing – it’s about helping girls feel seen, supported, and empowered to stay active. I urge parents and schools to get involved and help create a more inclusive environment for our daughters.”
Tess Howard, Founder of Inclusive Sportswear and international hockey player for Team GB, said: “A PE kit is the most underrated reason girls drop out of PE, but the good news is we can fix it – and fast. Inclusive Sportswear is built to solve this issue by helping schools employ inclusive PE kit policy based on enabling choice and comfort. We are delighted to partner with ASICS to highlight this important issue by reimagining girls’ PE kit, and to work towards lasting change for all through the Inclusive Sportswear Community Platform. By listening to girls and evolving kit to support their needs, we can lift this barrier.”
Hayley Jarvis, Head of Physical Activity at Mind, said: “At Mind, we believe physical activity is a powerful protective factor for young people’s mental health. It’s deeply concerning to see so many teenage girls dropping out of PE in such big numbers. While the reasons are complex, simple changes like adapting PE kit could help girls feel more comfortable to stay active, giving them a lifelong tool to support their mental health.”
Lucy Greenhalgh, Head of UK Marketing at ASICS, said: “We believe in the positive impact of movement not just on the body, but also on the mind. It’s the reason we were founded and the reason for our name. ASICS is an acronym for the Latin Anima Sana In Corpore Sano, or a Sound Mind in a Sound Body. ASICS’s State of Mind study showed that there is a direct connection between exercising in your teenage years and your mental state in adulthood, and it is key for establishing lifelong exercise habits. With this new Undropped Kit concept, we hope to show how reimagining the nation’s PE kits could help to change attitudes and behaviours and keep girls in sport.”
To find out more about how you and your local school can get involved, visit asics.com/undroppedkit
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NOTES TO EDITORS
1 Women in Sport: Reframing Sport for Teenage Girls: Building Strong Foundations For Their Futures, April 2019: Accessible here: 2019-Reframing-Sport-for-Teenage-Girls-Full-Report.pdf
2 The 2024 State of Mind Study was conducted between 17 November – 21 December 2023 and explored the relationship between exercise and State of Mind across the world. Over 26,000 people were surveyed across 22 markets including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, UAE, the UK and the US. Each market sample was nationally representative of age and gender.
3The Undropped Research was conducted between March and April 2025 and surveyed 2,000 14-16 year old girls in the UK, with a representative sample across ethnicity type, type of school (comprehensive, private grammar and special school/alternative provision) and whether or not they have a mandatory school PE kit.
4Sport England’s Active Lives Children and Young People survey – academic year 2023-2024 Report
For further information, please contact ASICS@Golin.com
About the Undropped Kit
The Undropped Kit is only a concept for now. Through the prototype kits we aim to inspire the nation with what a reimagined PE kit could look like that prioritises the needs and comfort of teenage girls, tackling the bigger issue of sport dropouts. This concept was created by ASICS designers with the support of girls from across the UK, who took part in focus groups, fed back on the early designs and tested the kit to ensure it fitted their needs and ticked the box in inspiring them to stay in PE. Prototypes of the kit were gifted to the girls from Burnley High who tested and fed back throughout the creation process. This campaign will raise awareness of the impact of uncomfortable PE kits on the dropout rates of teenage girls in sports.
About ASICS
At ASICS, our five letters have meaning. ASICS is an acronym for the Latin Anima Sana In Corpore Sano or a Sound Mind in a Sound Body. And since our founding in 1949, our purpose has been to help people achieve a Sound Mind in a Sound Body.
Right from the very start, our founder, Kihachiro Onitsuka, saw that sport and movement had the power to lift spirits, project positivity, and propel people and whole communities forward. We still believe this.
And we believe our purpose is more relevant today than ever before. Stress and anxiety are at record levels, yet we know sport and movement can have a positive impact. Which is why we remain focused on supporting more people to move for positive mental wellbeing.
About Inclusive Sportswear
Built by Tess Howard MBE OLY following her own activism for the right to wear shorts in international hockey, Inclusive Sportswear is a UK-based community-interest company with a mission for sports kit policy to never be a barrier to participation or enjoyment.
Inclusive Sportswear works with schools, clubs, brands, and governing bodies to deliver inclusive sports kit at every level of sport, through education, advocacy and policy support, based on the Inclusive Sportswear Charter and hosted on the Inclusive Sportswear Community Platform.
The first and only inclusion-based kit standard, the Inclusive Sportswear Charter, is built to empower schools, clubs, National Governing Bodies, and brands to design and implement inclusive sports kit policies and practices. Pledging to the Inclusive Sportswear Charter signals commitment to enable participation, enjoyment and performance at all levels. Pledges include England and Wales Cricket Board, England Netball, England Hockey, The Stevenson Group, ASICS, Grays International, Boobydoo, Lacuna Sports.
About Mind
- Mind, the mental health charity, provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. They campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding. They won’t give up until everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets both support and respect. mind.org.uk
- Mind has several mental health helplines:
- Mind support line: advisors are trained to listen and help find specialist support if needed. Call 0300 102 1234 (lines open 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday).
- Mind Infoline: a confidential information and support line available on 0300 123 3393 (lines open 9am – 6pm, Monday – Friday).
- Welfare benefits line: for anyone with mental health problems who is navigating the benefits and welfare system. Call 0300 222 5782 (lines open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday).
- Legal line: offers legal information and general advice on mental health related law in England and Wales. Call 0300 466 6463 (lines open 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday).
- The ongoing cost-of-living crisis is affecting many people’s mental health. For more information on managing money and your mental health, visit the Mind website
- Mind’s online mental health community Side by Side is a safe space where anyone aged 18 and over with experience of a mental health problem can share their story, connect with others, access Mind’s wider information and resources, and give support in return. Find out more at sidebyside.mind.org.uk. Mind operates nationally and locally, with around 100 local Minds across England and Wales. Find your nearest Local Mind here
