User-Centered Gym Bag Design: Hygiene, Identity, and Indigenous Textiles as Cultural Elements

Abstract

This study examines the cultural and social meanings embedded in gym bag practices among fitness enthusiasts in Northern Luzon, Philippines, using Material Culture Theory, Practice Theory, and user-centered design. It investigates how gym-goers construct meanings around hygiene, organization, and identity through everyday bag use, and how indigenous textiles influence perceptions of cultural value and sustainability. Although situated in the Philippine context, the research addresses a broader gap in the literature by exploring how traditional handwoven textiles are integrated into contemporary lifestyle objects within emerging fitness cultures—an intersection largely overlooked in Asian social science scholarship. The study developed a co-designed gym bag prototype incorporating Northern Luzon weaves such as Inabel and Binakul, highlighting how design thinking can merge functional needs with culturally grounded material expression. Findings reveal that the gym bag operates as a cultural artifact that mediates social expectations, supports bodily discipline, and expresses cultural identity through heritage-based aesthetics. The results resonate with wider South and Southeast Asian patterns in indigenous textile revitalization, hygienic social norms, and sustainable consumption. Overall, the study demonstrates how everyday objects contribute to cultural continuity, identity-making, and socio-material transformation in contemporary Asian contexts.