Karen LaBat

A three-stage design process applied to an industry-university textile product design project

Continual exploration and understanding of the design process is necessary to advance and encourage implementation of this valuable tool in the field of textiles and clothing. This paper examines design processes used in related fields, presents a common structure that links these working methods, and demonstrates how the structure was used by a university design team to work with an industry client. Design processes used in fields that focus on the design of three-dimensional structures and spaces were reviewed. Salient features were examined and organized into three common stages of problem definition and research, creative exploration and development, and implementation. The project also demonstrates the application of the design process to a textile product design problem.

Analysis of Body Measurement Systems for Apparel

Many methods have been developed to measure the body in an effort to capture its dimensions for clothing. Measuring the human body has been important in developing garments tofit the body, and systems have reflected technology, needs of the consumer, andfocus of the apparel industry. The U. S. apparel industry has developed many techniques to measure the body, including custom-fitted to the individual, mass-sized and produced, and now, mass-customized. This paper reviews and evaluates historic and current methods of capturing body measurements, which are presented as linear methods, multiple probe methods, and body form methods, that use one or more of the following elements: point, length, surface, shape, and volume.

Improving Pant Fit for Women 55 and Older through an Exploration of Two Pant Shapes

Relationships of sizing, body shape, and pattern shape to pants fit were explored for women aged 55 and older. Test pants were designed in two shape options (full/flat seat) in five sizes, produced, and tested on 176 participants in five states. Sizes were developed using ASTM D5586-94 data. Both participants and experts evaluated fit. Participants with flatter seat shape were significantly more satisfied with fit at the hip indicating that the introduction of a shape variable can improve satisfaction with fit for population segments with equivalent body shape variations. Experts were more critical, identifying areas of variation not addressed in the study. Results highlight the complexity of fit. Variations in body size, shape, proportion, and posture make creation of effective ready-to-wear sizing systems with a practical number of sizes difficult. Solutions to provide good fit may include creating sizing for a subset of mature women and developing custom fit methods.

Exploring the relationships of grading, sizing, and anthropometric data

Grading is the process used to accomplish the sizing of manufactured clothing. The focus of our research was to question the belief that the foundation for grading is size measurements that are based on anthropometric data. Our review of literature established that grading preceded size charts. Forty size charts for womens clothing were examined for correspondence with anthropometric research. Four structural assumptions that did not match anthropometric research were identified. Criteria were developed and applied to upper torso measurements. Only 17% of the measurements were found useful for grade rule formation. Grade rules were compared to size intervals from a concurrent sizing standard. Eleven of 38 grade rules corresponded to body measurements, and 6 did not match the related size interval. New measurements for grade rules were recommended.

Physical characteristics related to bra fit

Producing well-fitting garments has been a challenge for retailers and manufacturers since mass production began. Poorly fitted bras can cause discomfort or pain and result in lost sales for retailers. Because body contours are important factors affecting bra fit, this study analyses the relationship of physical characteristics to bra-fit problems. This study has used 3-D body-scanning technology to extract upper body angles from a sample of 103 college women; these data were used to categorise physical characteristics into shoulder slope, bust prominence, back curvature and acromion placement. Relationships between these physical categories and bra-fit problems were then analysed. Results show that significant main effects and two-way interactions of the physical categories exist in the fit problems of poor bra support and bra-motion restriction. The findings are valuable in helping the apparel industry create better-fitting bras. Statement of Relevance: Poorly fitted bras can cause discomfort or pain and result in lost sales for retailers. The findings regarding body-shape classification provide researchers with a statistics method to quantify physical characteristics and the findings regarding the relationship analysis between physical characteristics and bra fit offer bra companies valuable information about bra-fit perceptions attributable to women with figure variations.

Optimized pattern grading

Purpose – To evaluate current apparel industry Misses grading practices in providing good fit and propose grading practices to improve fit.Design/methodology/approach – Participants representing Misses sizes 6‐20 based on ASTM D 5585 were selected. The fit of garments from traditionally graded patterns was assessed. Garments were fit‐to‐shape on participants. Traditionally graded patterns were compared to fit‐to‐shape patterns using quantitative and qualitative visual analysis.Findings – Current apparel industry grading practices do not provide good fit for consumers. The greatest variation between the traditionally graded patterns and the fit‐to‐shape patterns occurred between sizes 14 and 16. For size 16 and up, neck and armscye circumferences were too large and bust dart intakes were too small.Research limitations/implications – This study was limited to a sheath dress in Misses sizes 6‐20. Future research should assess the fit of garments from traditionally graded patterns for other size ranges.Practi...

Global products, global markets: Jeans in Korea and the United States

This cross-cultural study illustrates how products selected for their basic similarities are distinguished in use by cultural context. Jeans, a product manufactured in both South Korea and the United States, were selected as the research stimuli. Subjects were regular wearers of jeans, 32 of whom were from the United States and 34 from Korea. All were females between the ages of 18 and 24, and students at one of two large metropolitan universities in their respective countries. Participants responded to four brands of jeans similar in appearance: two were U.S. brands (Levi’s and Gap) and two were Korean brands (GV2 and Bang Bang). Subjects’ perceptions of the products were explored for similarities and differences in criteria for wear and purchase of jeans. Country of manufacture mattered less than country of origin, appearance and other factors related to use in a cultural context. For both groups, color, fit, tactile qualities and price also were important criteria in wearing and purchasing jeans. Though respondents used similar criteria in this cross-cultural comparison, differences in weighting of those criteria yielded significantly different results.

Knitwear product development process: A case study

A well-defined product development process assists the organization to determine its future direction, plan for rapid changes, create new product line profits, and plan for technology adoption and implementation (Thomas, 1993). The goal of this research was to propose an optimal product development process for knitwear companies by examining the process used by a major U.S. sweater company and comparing its process to established processes. Yin’s (1984) single case study and Patton’s (1990) qualitative research approaches were adapted for data collection. Various methods of collecting data were employed, including interviewing key personnel, making direct observations, and examining written documents. Preliminary suggestions for improving the product development process included extending market research to include end users, using pre-costing early in the process, integrating quality assurance, and using computer-aided-design and product development management software.

Defining and testing the assumptions used in current apparel grading practice

Grading is the process used to create sized patterns. Our research continues from the finding that grading practice is not based on anthropometric data (Schofield & LaBat, 2005). The focus of this research was to establish proportional rules, set increments, and assumptions that form the basis of grading. The grade rules for a basic bodice pattern from 17 sources were examined to identify grading practice. Seven grading assumptions were identified and tested using regression analysis on body measurements of the upper torso from the 1988 Anthropometric Survey of U.S. Army Women. None of the assumptions were supported. Use of these assumptions results in sized garments that do not reflect the measurements and proportions of the human body. A comparison was made between a pattern graded with traditional grade rules and another graded with research generated experimental rules. New criteria for evaluating graded patterns are presented.

Predicting garment pattern dimensions from photographic and anthropometric data.

Traditional linear measurements (lengths and circumferences taken over the body surface with a tape measure) were compared with measurements of frontal and lateral view photographs for usefulness in determining pattern dimensions for the upper torso of the female body form. The statistical regression models developed indicated that, while linear measurements provided slightly more accuracy in predicting a few of the pattern dimensions, the photographic measurements were more accurate in predicting others, particularly pattern angles. Photographic measurements hold promise as an alternative to the more intrusive linear measurements for predicting pattern dimensions.