Richard Kennon

Body scanning of dynamic posture

Purpose – Aims to check the validity of measurements of dynamic postures recorded by a body scanner.Design/methodology/approach – Measurements between various anatomical landmarks have been taken both manually and using a 3D body scanner so that the validity of the measurements might be assessed when dynamic postures are adopted. Mechanical measurements of changes in the body surface dimensions have been compared with figures produced by a body scanner for both the standard natural position and for five dynamic postures, which must be accommodated when designing high‐performance garments.Findings – Although the 3D body scanner collects data almost instantaneously and without physical contact with the target surface, the readings taken in respect of dynamic poses showed significant variations from manually‐taken measurements, with discrepancies as large as 6.8 cm over a 16 cm distance.Research limitations/implications – The research has only been carried out on a very limited number of subjects. However, s...

3D CAD systems for the clothing industry

The approaches for designing virtual garments may be categorised as ‘2D to 3D’ and ‘3D to 2D’. The former refers to draping flat digital pattern pieces on a virtual mannequin, and the later indicates the development of clothing design on a realistic body and subsequent flattening into 2D pattern pieces. Several computer-aided design (CAD) systems for garment visualisation in space from flat patterns have already been introduced into the clothing industry. Any industrial application of the pattern flattening technique is yet to be made, due to the non-availability of an appropriate CAD system on the market. This article reviews the historical developments of 3D CAD systems for the clothing industry, and assesses the features of currently available systems on market.

Design and Fabrication of Temperature Sensing Fabric

A temperature sensing fabric is described, along with the manufacturing techniques required to produce the fabric on a computerised flat-bed knitting machine. Knitted sensing fabrics with copper, nickel and tungsten wire elements have been produced with resistances ranging from 3 to 130 Ω. The most successful samples have been created using textile-wrapped, enamelled wire and not only the textile character of the sensing element was enhanced, but also its tensile strength. A mathematical relationship has been derived between the temperature and resistance of the knitted sensors and this can be used to optimise its dimensions to achieve a targeted reference resistance. The temperature-resistance curves demonstrate a linear trend with a coefficient of determination in the range of 0.99–0.999 and can be integrated into garments to monitor skin temperatures.

Resizable trouser template for virtual design and pattern flattening

A novel resizable design platform to execute three-dimensional (3D) design and grading as well as pattern flattening of lower-body outerwear is developed. A set of Point-Cloud data, captured by a modern body-scanner is used as raw material to generate a virtual model, which is further sliced at pre-determined horizontal displacements to extract a set of sectional curves. The extracted curves are modified, made symmetrical as necessary, scaled and programmed to be linked with size databases before using them to generate a new surface, which forms a resizable design platform. It has been found to be possible to use the resizable design platform as a 3D drawing board for the creation of virtual trousers and shorts and for the execution of 3D grading and automatic pattern flattening within the environment ofan available computer-aided design system. Hence, the processes of fashion illustration and pattern creation maybe combined into a single step. As far as is known, such a resizable design platform for combined virtual design, automatic pattern creation and 3D grading of outerwear has not been previously demonstrated.

Development Of Test Rig System For Calibration Of Temperature Sensing Fabric

Abstract A test rig is described, for the measurement of temperature and resistance parameters of a Temperature Sensing Fabric (TSF) for calibration purpose. The equipment incorporated a temperature-controlled hotplate, two copper plates, eight thermocouples, a temperature data-logger and a four-wire high-resolution resistance measuring multimeter. The copper plates were positioned above and below the TSF and in physical contact with its surfaces, so that a uniform thermal environment might be provided. The temperature of TSF was estimated by the measurement of temperature profiles of the two copper plates. Temperature-resistance graphs were created for all the tests, which were carried out over the range of 20 to 50°C, and they showed that the temperature and resistance values were not only repeatable but also reproducible, with only minor variations. The comparative analysis between the temperature-resistance test data and the temperature-resistance reference profile showed that the error in estimation of temperature of the sensing element was less than ±0.2°C. It was also found that the rig not only provided a stable and homogenous thermal environment but also offered the capability of accurately measuring the temperature and resistance parameters. The Temperature Sensing Fabric is suitable for integration into garments for continuous measurement of human body temperature in clinical and non-clinical settings.

Improving the Compromise Between Clothing Style and Dynamic Comfort from Sleeve Construction

The static and dynamic states of the human body directly determine the shape and construction of clothes. Ideally, clothing should provide comfort and protection for the wearer. However, if comfort and mobility are to be maximised, the garment designer has to sacrifice style. The design of clothes worn on the upper body, is predominantly constrained by the structure of the sleeve and armhole which have to accommodate the high degree of articulation of the arms. In response to movement of the upper limbs, the shape of the torso is inevitably affected. Similarly, movement of the sleeves causes deformation in other parts of an upper body garment. This work shows that fewer compromises of dynamic comfort and movement functionality have to be made in order to promote aesthetic style if the clothing panels are cut to follow the natural geometry of the human body and if appropriate pleating is incorporated into the garment. A number of exploratory approaches are considered, intended to guide the evolution of clothing engineering design so that the comfort and mobility of the wearer might be maximised, whilst retaining acceptable aesthetic design.

Cross-Cultural Research for Luxury Fashion Brands in the Chinese Market: A Review of Long- Versus Short-Term Orientation in National Culture Dimensions

This study reviews the culture dimensions and mainly summarizes and provides recommendations according to the fifth dimension of Hofstede cultural model. The target of this paper is to support the cross-cultural research for luxury fashion brands in the Chinese market via a review of long- versus short-Term orientation in national culture dimensions. The research method of this study is documentary analysis. The three future directions for luxury fashion brands in the Chinese market are presented including customization, improving the VIP experience, and innovative media technology.

Cross-cultural Study: Value Perception On Fashion Luxury Purchase

In this study, the value perception of the fashion luxury market between Indonesia (an emerging-collectivistic country) and the UK (a developed-individualistic market) is compared by using systematic equation modeling (SEM). Differences in value perception of the luxury market between the two countries are not significant.

The effect of link-length and vertex angle on mesh generation and pattern flattening for virtual clothing

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify optimum operating parameters, namely, link-length and vertex angle, for producing virtual clothing prototypes for the purpose of pattern flattening. Design/methodology/approach – Commercially available physically based simulation and flattening engines were utilized to carry out the computational part of this study. Two separately developed 3D garment templates were used for the creation of virtual garments in the form of a triangulated mesh and later for pattern unwrapping by taking differential link-lengths and vertex angles into account to ascertain their effects on the mesh quality and on the ultimate pattern flattening process. Findings – It has been found that a link-length between 10 and 15 mm and a vertex angle between 120° and 160° are optimum for the virtual clothing prototyping process. Practical implications – The findings of this study can universally be applied to simplify the tasks of virtual clothing prototyping and pattern unwrapping usin...

COMPARISON OF ENGLISH AND CHINESE CLOTHING PATTERN SYSTEMS

The introduction of clothing pattern cutting systems represented a significant technological and economic breakthrough for the garment designer, as they noticeably reduced the amount of time and skill required to cut a fashionable garment offering an acceptable fit. Many different types of pattern system are currently in use across the world, each being appropriate for specific measurement systems, tailoring methods and for particular types of figure. These pattern-cutting systems have developed to accommodate cultural predilections and diverse preferences in respect of fashion silhouettes. Modern clothing pattern design work is increasingly performed using computer-based pattern-drafting systems. This commonly results in conformance with international designs, with its attendant loss of traditional design cues. An examination has been made of the distinctions between the shapes of clothes created using the English block pattern system and those that result from using the Chinese Proportion Assigned Cutting Method. The analysis shows that English patterns are more closely tailored to the body whilst Chinese patterns offer more freedom of movement. This knowledge should inform the clothing pattern designer, so that appropriate features may be incorporated into drafted patterns in order to facilitate the tailoring of clothing with apposite design characteristics.