2009 ITAA Proceedings #66 Annual Meeting, Bellevue, Washington October 28-31, 2009

Design and Aesthetics Track

Barker, J., Lee, Y., Boorady, L., Ashdown, S., & Lin, S., (2009). Firefighter Turnout Gear: Assessment of User Needs

Boorady, L., (2009). Self-Directed Learning: A Student-centered Product Development Project

Burris, J., (2009). Go Red: Creative Learning for Fashion Students through Charitable Projects, which Raise Public Awareness to Health Issues

Campbell, J.R. & McDonald, A., (2009). Beasties Lab: Generating Kinetic Experiences in Textile Product Design

Chae, M., (2009). A Needs Assessment for Mature Female Golf Wear

Chae, M., (2009). Product Development Relevant to a Prototype Developing Creation Course: Mature Female Golf Wear

Chattaraman, V., Sankar, C. & Vallone, A., (2009). Developing a Multimedia Case Study about Rural Craft Producers: Benefits for Design Education and Rural Development

Delong, M., Wu, J., & Park, J., (2009). Touch Preference Shifts for Fabrics

Dragoo, S., (2009). Sustainable Living, Disposable Dress: Dissecting the Dichotomy in the Classroom

Eklund, A., (2009). Using Aesthetics Principles to Challenge “So-Called” Experts ‘How to Dress’ Advice for Apparel Choices of Plus-Size Women

Elsasser, V., (2009). Connecting to the Consumer: Developing a Human Connection between the Design Process and the Consumer

Gardner, L., (2009). Promoting Creativity in Fashion Design with the Use of Style Sheets

Gardner, L. & Young, A., (2009). Digital Fashion Design Competition

Goncu, G. & DeLong, M., (2009). Making a Difference through Product Design: A Case Study of Design Process in a Prominent Footwear Brand in Turkey

Ha, S., & Park, J., (2009). Characteristics of Design Elements in the Environmentally Friendly Fashion - Focused on Content Analysis of Previous Literature

Haar, S., (2009). Natural Dyestuffs: Sustainable Practices for Color Effects

Hahn, K., (2009). Challenging Diverse Inspired Design Through Overcoming Adversity

Han, H., Nam, Y., and Shin, S., (2009). Automatic Landmark Identifications for Various Body Shapes

Hayes, L., (2009). A Green Approach to Design: Integration of Sustainable Textile Sourcing and Garment Design in Fashion Studio Coursework

Heo, N., Yoon, D., and Ko, H., (2009). Population-based Body Generation

Kim, D., and LaBat, K., (2009). Apparel Fit Based on Viewing of 3D Virtual Models and Live Models

Kim, M., Choi, Y., Nam, Y., Han, S., & Yang, H., (2009). Evaluation and Improvement of Accuracy of Virtual Avatar based on 3D Scan Data

Ko, Y., Choy, H., Evaluation of the Clothing Simulation Technology in the Aspects of Color, Material, Structural Details, and Silhouette

Lee, J., Kim, H., Nam, Y. & Ryu, H., (2009). Drape Evaluation of 3D Garment Simulation

Lee, Y., (2009). Re-creation of Hanbok for the Global Market: Analyses of Lee Young Hee’s Designs

Lee, Y. & Gam, H., (2009). Motivating Students to Be More Creative: Using Visual Analysis of Costumes in Film as an Inspirational Source for Apparel Design Courses

Lee, Y. & Hwang, J., (2009). Second Life Integration into Three-Dimensional Textile and Fashion Product Design: Applications, Benefits, and Opportunities

MacDonald, N. & Matranga, M., (2009). Luck of the Draw: Determining Apparel Design Parameters

Manuel, M., Ulrich, P., & Connell, L., (2009). Assessing the Anthropometrics of Tween Girls Using 3D Body Scan Measurement Data

Mastamet-Mason, A., De Klerk, H., & Ashdown, S., (2009). A Comparison between the Kenyan-African and Western Distinctive Female Body Shapes

McRoberts, L., Barona, L., Cloud, R., Black, C. & Wang, X., (2009). Effectiveness of Two Methods for Measuring Postural Alignment Improvement of Postural Support Garments

Miller, P., (2009). Visual Design in Action: Developing an Industry-Sponsored Scrub-Design Contest to Give Freshmen Practical Experience with Creative and Functional Design

Ohrn-McDaniel, L., (2009). Circles of Creativity – A Never-ending Form in Fashion

Orzada, B., (2009). Connections: Apparel Design and Community

Orzada, B., Rogers, T. & Way, E., (2009). Exploration of Nonwoven Fabrics for Men’s Jackets

Peksoz, S., Starr, C., Choi, K., Kamenidis, P., Park, H., and Branson, D., (2009). Evaluation of Prototype Personal Cooling Interfaced with a Liquid Cooled Garment under Hazmat Suits

Petrova, A., (2009). Use of Body Scan Technology to Capture the Space Enclosed by a Garment: Case Study of Segmented Arm Body Armor

Regan, C., (2009). Teaching Product Development: Linking Apparel Design Strategy to Seasonal Product Line Creation

Sanders, E., (2009). Electronic Portfolios: Strategies for Web-Based Portfolio Creation for Students with a Product Development or Technical Design Emphasis

Shin, A., Nam, Y., & Han, H., (2009). Aesthetics/Design/Product Development. A Study on Three-dimensional Parametric Body Shape Variations

Sohn, M. & Bye, E., (2009). A Pattern Adaptation for Body Change during Pregnancy: A Case Study

Yoon, D., Heo, N., & Ko, H., (2009). Example-driven Landmarking of Human Body Scans

2009 Proceedings Bellevue, Washington USA

Firefighter Turnout Gear: Assessment of User Needs

Jessica Barker and Young-A Lee Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA

Lynn Boorady University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA

Susan Ashdown Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

Shu-Hwa Lin University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA

Keywords: firefighter, turnout gear, protective clothing

There are approximately 1.1 million career and volunteer firefighters in the United States who respond to a variety of community situations, including medical aid, fire, hazardous materials, and vehicle incidents (NFPA, 2007). Their clothing, therefore, must protect them from multiple hazards while allowing them to perform a wide range of tasks and movements. Due to the necessary insulative properties of firefighter turnout gear, it is bulky, heavy, and stiff. Such factors can create issues for the wearer, such as decreased mobility, increased workload, and diminished comfort. Identifying how the wearer is affected by protective clothing provides essential information for making design improvements, thus increasing the firefighter’s work performance.

Firefighter turnout gear comprises of a protective coat, pants, suspenders, gloves, boots, hood liners, and helmets. A self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) is worn over the turnout gear. Either station uniforms or casual clothing (e.g., T-shirt, athletic pants) are worn under the gear. Due to the number of clothing items and gear being worn by firefighters simultaneously, and the varying textile properties of each garment, it is critical to evaluate the entire system of clothing that a firefighter wears in his or her work environments.

The purpose of this study, therefore, was to explore the needs of firefighters when wearing turnout gear and determine ways the gear could be improved using a systems approach. This study is part of a larger, multi-state research project designed to enhance firefighter turnout gear through improving materials and design.

Focus group interview approach was used for this study. Participants are stimulated by the comments of the others and therefore will speak about issues of concern to them more in depth. In 2008, a total of six focus groups were conducted in four different states in the United States, utilizing 46 career and volunteer firefighters from six different fire departments. Focus groups were composed of 7 to 12 male firefighters from each fire department. Identical interview procedures were applied for individual focus groups to gather consistent data sets.

Each interviewer followed a script of questions to minimize interviewer bias. Questions were designed to explore successful and unsuccessful turnout gear designs. All focus group interviews were recorded and transcribed for data analysis purposes. Interviews lasted approximately one to two hours, depending on

the number of participants. Thematic analysis methods were used to identify recurring ideas from each focus group.

Interview participants represented a broad range of firefighter experience, from one month to 30 years. Firefighters identified a number of issues with their current turnout gear that are common challenges with protective clothing such as excessive weight of the gear, excess metabolic heat, and restricted mobility. Comments specific to turnout gear centered around the pants, suspenders, gloves, and boots. Participants indicated the fit of the pants, particularly in the crotch area, proved most problematic for firefighters. They noted that the crotch level for pants falls too low, affecting the wearer’s ability to step up into high trucks, climb ladders, and crawl through windows. The firefighters also reported that their suspenders stretched out over time, causing them to fall off or allowing the pants to fall lower on the waist.

Participants also addressed issues related to their gloves. They expressed their struggles to accomplish necessary tasks when wearing their gloves, caused by diminished dexterity and inability to grip objects when the gloves are wet. Similarly, the boots inhibit range of motion and lack adequate traction. Some firefighters preferred to wear leather boots for greater mobility, but found that traction provided by the leather boots is far inferior to traction provided by rubber boots, particularly in the winter. They also reported that the leather boots do not have adequate insulation to keep their feet warm in the winter.

Firefighters discussed ways in which parts of the gear did not work as a whole. For instance, when traditional helmets with large brims are worn with SCBA, the firefighters are unable to look up as the helmet brim hits the SCBA tank. In another example given, participants noted that they carry a lot of tools in their pockets. They appreciated that many of the pockets are deep and expandable; however, the large pockets allowed them to put too many tools in one pocket that would cause the pocket to catch as they moved through tight spaces.

In sum, this study clearly presents important common issues with turnout gear, despite the many styles and fabrications available. Male participants noted significant issues with pant fit, suspender design, glove dexterity, range of motion and traction when wearing protective boots, and conflicting gear components. Further testing and analysis is recommended to determine optimum design changes for the turnout gear that will maximize wearer protection, comfort, and performance. Conducting further focus group interviews with female firefighters will be also beneficial to understand any additional clothing needs for female firefighters.

References National Fire Protection Association [NFPA] (2007). The United States Fire Service. Retrieved March 21, 2008 from: http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files//PDF/Research/FireServiceFactSheet.pdf

Self-Directed Learning: A Student-Centered Product Development Project

Lynn Boorady, University of Minnesota

Self-directed learning is when teachers and students consider together how to assess knowledge and skills to certain objectives and topics. A review of literature finds this topic as far back at the late 1950s and though much of the research is on adult education, elementary education or area specific (such as health professions), it is certainly applicable to the typical university setting. Student-directed learning, as opposed to teacher-directed, allows students to assess their own strengths and weaknesses, determine what they need to learn and make decisions on how to obtain this knowledge. This approach allows for taking into account current student interests and has the potential to help students gain additional skills or knowledge they may need in their future workplace (Della-Dora, 1979).

People process new information in a range of settings and we should gear the classroom to help individuals conduct successful learning efforts. Self-directed learning allows students to design a learning program. This creates “ownership” of their learning and recognizes their knowledge of themselves. The most complete form of self-directed learning is one in which both learning and reflection of the learning takes place. The ability to step back from the process and asses oneself may require help and input from the teacher as first as it is often a learned skill but once the student has learned this method of critiquing oneself, the full process of self-directed learning is complete (Brookfield, 1985). The idea of self-directed learning was used to develop an educational experience in a senior-level product development course.

Background When I first started teaching, I was taken to lunch by my then department chair and given a talk about how to prepare for classes. Most important, I was told, was my syllabi because these pieces of paper create a contract between myself and the students and if there was ever a student upset about their grade, I needed a syllabus to protect myself. This started my pursuit of the perfect syllabus – complete with all due dates for the semester, all readings, all student expectations. I even had a paragraph on my absence policy, a policy on food in the classroom, a policy on arriving to class more than seven minutes late or leaving more than seven minutes before the class officially ended. I was strict and adhered to my syllabus down to the letter. That is, until last year.

Syllabi are a great benefit to the instructor and considered a great tool to help “manage” students. Syllabi have become much longer documents than when I was a student – I have created ones that are over 10 pages in length in an effort to cover all the “rules” of my classroom and respond to any situation the student may come up with. Yet, I hated the syllabus for its rigidness and lack of taking into account any of the positive experiences/situations many of my students bring to the classroom. This growing weariness was confirmed one day when I read an article that appeared in Tomorrow’s Professor, a faculty development tool sponsored by the Stanford Center for Teaching and Learning.

“Death to the Syllabus!” an article written by Mano Singham discusses the syllabus as a detriment to the learning environment and “diametrically opposed to what makes students want to learn” (Singham, 2007). Singham says that students are often conditioned to believe that grades and points are the most important things in school and that the learning process is not enjoyable. This takes away from the teacher as a mentor and puts them in the role of a “rule-enforcing tyrant” (Singham, 2007). To test his theory, Singham walked in to his classroom on the first day without a syllabus and a few weeks into the

semester, challenged his students to determine what good participation means, what components make a good paper, and developed rubrics together. He felt that this allowed his students to be invested in their learning and the success of this method continued for the following years.

Implementation I have taught the senior capstone course in product development for three years, each semester changing the projects and tweaking the requirements but I was never fully satisfied with the course. I wanted a course that could challenge the students to compile their four years of learning, stretch their abilities and yet create something useful for their portfolio. I also wanted each of the students to work on something that would be meaningful to every one of them. When I read the “Death to the Syllabus” article, I was amidst yet another struggle to compile a meaningful syllabus for this course. After reading the article and forming some ideas, I discussed my ideas with a number of friends and colleagues to receive input on how to accomplish what I wanted to do. The best advice: be sure to have a backup plan in case the students struggle with this concept.

I have always felt that projects which mimic what happens in the workplace are the most valuable ones for students to accomplish. To this end, before the first day of classes, I contacted some companies to develop the bare framework of some projects. When the students came to class that first day, I handed them a syllabus of sorts – it included the statements required by the university, the class meeting times, a blank class schedule and no grade chart. The students were charged with delving within themselves to determine what they wanted to get out of their learning experience in their capstone course – what did they feel would be most valuable to them?

The second day of classes, I asked them to take out their lists of desired learning experiences. Then I told them what they were going to be doing for their first project: developing garments for a specific target market for a multi- billion dollar company. We then went through the process of developing an outline of how the development process takes place and how each step may fit in with each of their personal objectives. Students drove the conversation determining the order of processes, how long it would take to work on each step and how we might accomplish this project.

The next week we visited the chosen company’s headquarters to meet with the product development team. The team told the students about their product, their target market, what products had been successful in the past and what their biggest challenges were. We were there for over two hours listening and taking notes. Afterwards, the students asked questions to clarify expectations.

Back in the classroom, the students determined that the best way to conquer this project was to create teams based on the seasons and each season would have two shipments. Therefore they would develop enough outfits to merchandise a typical retail store in this company’s chain for two shipments each season. They also discussed the grading process and how they wanted to be graded, the point value of each step and discussion was held on the group aspect of the project. The students felt strongly that the groups could keep each member honest about their work effort and that they did not need to have a separate grade for that aspect.

The students worked within each group to determine the workload responsibilities, intermediate due dates and design development. The groups created their own schedules, worked independently and asked for help when it was needed. Only a final deadline was given, the groups each had to plan their work accordingly.

When the deadline came, it was time to revisit the company and present the students’ ideas. The groups required themselves to practice their presentation skills and created storyboards to show their designs. The company’s vice-president of product development sat in on the presentations along with members of the product development teams and all gave feedback to the students on their trends and design ideas. Afterwards, the vice-president complemented the student work, stating how impressed she was with how much work the students had put into the project.

Description of Reflection and Effectiveness After the project concluded, each student was required to write a reflection paper on their learning experience. Students were overwhelmingly positive with respect to this experience. They enjoyed having control over their own learning experience and reported specific examples in which they felt they empowered. Some of the student quotes were:

“I never knew how a line was truly created from start to finish; this was an incredible learning experience”.

“I learned more than I ever imagined I would and gained confidence in the career path I have chosen; something I didn’t have until now. This project funneled my career focus and has enriched my overall college experience. One of my favorite aspects of this class is the method in which it is taught. I only wish there were more classes with this same organization and dynamic. I think it fuels creativity and creates an environment where students are encouraged to think outside the box and given the freedom to do so”.

“Working in a team environment helped develop my communication skills and taught me to have respect for other’s ideas. I, in turn, had to be patient, had to speak out, had to be a follower and had to take the initiative to be a leader. I have never had this experience in the other team projects I have done”.

“I didn’t realize so much of the work in product development was in research. Researching and analyzing your target market is the most important thing in developing products that sell. I’m glad we made the decision to concentrate on research, though I didn’t think so in the beginning”.

“It was really frustrating to have to determine for ourselves what to do and how to get it done. I’m used to having a list or more concrete goal to aim for. Then I realized that this is how it will be when I get out to the work force. It’s still frustrating but I am trying harder now”.

“I feel that the amount of information and instruction given was perfect because the openness allowed all of us to grab hold and run with it. We had so much freedom when it came to this project; I really feel it let us make it all we could”.

“I feel like I learned so much more with the failures and successes of this project than I ever would have with a complete success”.

“I liked how we critiqued the project as a group and nobody looked at the criticism as negative but instead as constructive and something they could build upon in order to make their presentation amazing!” Interestingly, out of the four groups, two groups had members with little to no knowledge of Adobe Illustrator, which all of the groups had decided to use to develop their designs. One of these groups decided to teach the members who had not previously learned this software so that they could contribute more equally to the final product. The second group decided to exclude their team members with little

knowledge of the software and did the extra work themselves, figuring that the others could contribute in a different way. The group which took the extra time to teach their members ended up being more satisfied with the equality of the work generated than the members of the second group. Members of the second group were upset with the students who couldn’t use the computer, even though they themselves made the decision not to teach them the tool.

Plans for Continuation Going syllabus-free and using aspects of self-directed learning is planned to be used again in this course. Based on the work done by the students, which was far and above better than any work they had previously done, this experience helped to bring the expectations to a higher level. They were not just working on a project to satisfy an instructor but to satisfy themselves and highlight their work to an actual company. There are recognized advantages to getting students to become invested in their own learning, the self-motivation and interest in taking their work to a higher level, and gathering information creatively. Future plans for this course include offering this opportunity again for student’s to create their own learning experiences and objectives. I was very impressed with the time the students were willing to put into this project, the professional level of work output and the fact that the students could recognize what they had learned outside the required learning objectives.

References Della-Dora, D. (1979). What is Self-Directed Learning? In Della-Dora, D. and Blanchard, L. J. (Eds.), Moving towards self-directed learning (pp. 5–16). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Brookfield, S. (1985). Self-directed learning: A critical review of research. In Brookfield, S. (Ed.) Self- directed learning: From theory to practice (pp. 5-16) San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Inc.

Singham, M. (2007). Death to the Syllabus! [Electronic version] Liberal Education (93) 4. Retrieved March 17, 2008 from http://cgi.stanford.edu/~dept-ctl/cgi- bin/tomprof/posting.php?ID=834&search=Death%20to%20the%20syllabus.

Go Red: Creative Learning for Fashion Students through Charitable Projects, which Raise Public Awareness to Health Issues.

Jacqueline Burris, University of Cincinnati

Creative Teaching Charitable Red

All Fashion student in their ‘freshman’ or ‘sophomore’ years depending on program type semester or quarters will take a series of core modules on which to build to create their basic foundation for fashion design. Currently in the fashion design program at the University of Cincinnati our sophomores will take classes in pattern making and garment construction starting in their first quarter with skirt blocks for a model and one for themselves. This course is aligned with their construction class which addresses basic sewing methods by applying them to skirts, zippers, pockets, hems and waistbands. As the students progress into the following quarters they then produce bodice blocks for them selves and model sizes. In their third quarter the students deal with designing a dress which develops their knowledge and understanding of bringing together the lower and upper body slopers. The reasoning of these methods was to provide the students with the tools to understand how lower body and upper body design are created from these basic garment construction methods. From this understanding creative pattern and fabric manipulation can create thoughtful and inspiring pieces. It did however become apparent that their ability to transform their concepts in to aesthetically interesting designs was limited in the use of surface manipulation and sometimes became theatrical. It was decided that a specialized project should be created where the students would literally have to use creative patterning techniques, surface manipulation and garments details in order to be different from each other as they all have to use the same color fabric. A well-known campaign Go Red For Women is a national movement founded by the American Heart Association, which raises awareness to the number one killer of American women, heart disease. The Go Red For Women Campaign now produces a local fashion show showcasing the finished garments of fashion design students at the University of Cincinnati. The criterion for the project was to use a woven fabric with less than 5% stretch that MUST be RED in color. The students were allowed to choose their own concept but in order to be individual when judged within their peers, they would have to interpret the concept through creative patterning techniques, surface manipulation and garments detailing. Each student was given a box and that box they had to fill it with as many objects and images, which related to their concept. Through gathering various objects and images, exploration through touching fibers and observing shapes and structure encouraged the students to interact more experimentally with the fabric beyond basic pattern design. (Insert Images HERE)

The student gained new skills by: • Exploring a variety of objects with various interesting textures and the interpretation through surface manipulation • Incorporating intricate patterning, seaming and finishing details • A better working knowledge of various textiles covering weaves, heavy to light weight fabrics combined with numerous surface aesthetics peach skin, velvet etc • Increased understanding of fibers types and possibilities for dyeing, as there are many shades of red. • Improved knowledge and understanding of foundations upper and lower body garments. • Proactive heart health awareness for themselves as young people and their family members

As a result the students who took part in this project successfully completed their criteria and now have a fully working comprehension of how to successfully translate texture, color shape and form into interesting and aesthetically pleasing garments. The Go Red luncheon and fashion show always sells out quickly, providing meaningful charitable connections with the local community and the University of Cincinnati and its fashion design students.

Beasties Lab: Generating kinetic experiences in textile product design

J.R. Campbell, Glasgow School of Art, United Kingdom Andy McDonald, Glasgow School of Art, United Kingdom

Keywords: textiles, design, re-interpretation, print production technology, user design, customization, product variety, digital textile printing

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the commercial implications and creative opportunities of digital technologies through the development of a dynamic workflow that enables the creation of highly interactive and collaborative retail experiences. We have termed the outcomes of this new approach as 'kinetic textiles'. The research addresses challenges faced by UK-based small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) in response to international competition in the fashion & interiors sector by providing an alternative way of designing and producing textile products, while simultaneously increasing their value through an enhanced user experience.

For this project, the Centre for Advanced Textiles (CAT) at the Glasgow School of Art (who, in addition to research, teaching and consulting functions, operate a commercial service bureau that provides digital fabric printing to a wide range of clients across the creative industries) partnered with the Timorous Beasties (TB), a surface design company whose core activities are the design, production and retail of high-end printed products for the interior design market. TB are recognized for their organic, often controversial imagery. The majority of TB’s product range is created at their Glasgow studio using traditional screen-printing techniques. From the outset, the project team recognized that the core value of TB’s company lies in their unique and recognizable visual aesthetic.

Using design and production innovations being developed at CAT, the research team created a collection of product templates that TB customers could engage with through a rich media interface located within the TB showroom. Researchers and developers at CAT worked to create a compelling retail experience by experimenting with different modes of interaction that purposely extend beyond simple product customization. Borrowing techniques common to less static mediums (eg: web design, video production, games development) the aim was to bring the well-known TB visual aesthetic to life through the use of content-specific behaviors that dynamically respond to user inputs (ie: plants grow, birds fly, people move, etc). The interface was piloted in their existing retail environments (Glasgow and London), allowing users to control certain design elements prior to purchasing – at which time an order specification is automatically generated and sent to CAT for printing. Given the inherent efficiency gains of on-demand production, the primary focus of the project was to add product value rather than simply cut process costs.

Methods and Approach The research team used an action research model, in which the creation of a designed interface and workflow had to be developed through practice so that feedback to the model could be used to generate understanding and effect a change in perception for both the designers within TB and their customers who would potentially use the system to create their own BeastiesLAB products.

Changing the design process: Paul Simmons and Ali McCauley, the designer/owners of TB, typically create their imagery for their hand-screen printed products through drawing and tracing of photographs. As designers, they develop a ©2009, International Textile and Apparel Association, Inc. ITAA Proceedings, #66 – www.itaaonline.org 2009 Proceedings Bellevue, Washington USA

bank of images and motifs that can be arranged to create a variety of compositions. Each of the motifs is drawn separately so that they can be reconfigured for use in multiple product templates. This modular approach means there is a huge potential for a variety of compositions to be explored through the arrangement of motifs. Unfortunately, producing designs for screen printing requires them to limit the number of compositions to one per product due to the costs associated with exposing photo-emulsion screens (including time involved) thereby restricting the ability of the designer to follow numerous ideas through to production. The research team spent time in consultation with the designers learning about how they approached their own practice, in order to determine how to best translate this design process into a dynamic workflow that (wherever possible) compliments rather than supplants their existing methods. (Refer to “Building image conversion applications for designers” below).

We then discussed how their imagery could be developed and/or captured for use in dynamically- generated versions of their compositions. Techniques including the use of generative algorithms, 3D modelling, green-screen video-recording, and other motion capture technologies as well as more conventional frame-based animation could be means for which their compositions could be brought to life. This led to initial discussions about how enhanced meaning could be added to the narrative of each composition through the use of these dynamic elements, such as allowing customers to direct the human ‘characters’ in the BeastiesLAB printable ‘scenes’ or determining how much growth or decay the plants in a given composition would undergo. In this sense, our intention was to move beyond simple product customization towards interactions that engage the customer with the content. In addition to these software-based methods, the team was keen for the customer experience to involve an extended physical dimension. Rather than standard keyboard and mouse, we experimented with a variety of alternative input devices that could be used to navigate/control the interface. As well as making use of the built-in microphone and webcam, these hardware peripherals ranged from off-the-shelf tools including a graphics tablet and Nintendo Wii-mote Controller, to custom devices built from electronic components such as touch sensors and RFID readers. Throughout this phase of development, it became clear that our ability to drive content-specific behaviors using an expanded set of gesture-based input methods greatly amplified the scope for creativity, both for designers and customers.

Building image conversion applications for the designers: Recognizing that all designs started as hand-drawn sketches before being scanned, the developers on our research team built a plug-in for Adobe Illustrator® CS4 that enabled TB designers to convert bitmap- based scans of the original artwork into vector-based symbols within Illustrator at the click of a button. The plug-in could then be used to export sets of these symbols where they could subsequently be loaded into the retail interface (itself a desktop application built using the Adobe Flash Platform®). Using the same plug-in, the team also developed a method for translating footage from a low-tech ‘green screen’ video shoot (literally filming the subject in front of a green fabric backdrop with a consumer video camera) directly into the Illustrator symbols library. This meant that realistic motion could be easily added to characters/objects within scenes (such as those shown in the ‘Bloody Hell’ design below)

whilst preserving the aesthetic style of TB imagery. In the future, this capturing phase of the design process will be integrated into the retail environment so that customers can become part of the interactive ‘scenes’.

Determining parameters for the design space/interface: Subsequent consultation and review sessions with TB focused on determining the limits to the interactive design environment that customers would use to create their BeastiesLAB products. Initially, the designers were willing to allow complete control over certain design elements such as color. As such, they gave the research team creative freedom over the initial interface. After having witnessed early demonstrations of the possibilities, though, both Paul and Ali began to realize that they preferred to have greater input into the design parameters for the use of their imagery. The creation of the first interface served as a stimulus to help them visualize their design process in a different way. This raised interesting questions concerning the balance of control/ownership between designers and customers (and developers). As a result, ongoing development of the interface became more about negotiating degrees of design control between designers and customers in which ‘creative spaces’ could be defined for customers to safely engage with compositions in a designerly way without compromising the original intent/vision.

Optimizing the digital production workflow: Once the interactive software and hardware capabilities had been calibrated with the designers’ directions for mediating the experience, the research team began creating a mechanism for linking design interface directly with the manufacturing stage. The significant challenge for the developers involved converting the dynamic graphics into high-resolution print files suitable for output to a wide format digital textile printer. The final solution involved exporting compositions from the design interface as structured data and forwarded to CAT to be automatically processed by another custom-built application developed by the team. Known as the ‘rendering engine,’ this application first instructs Adobe Illustrator® to regenerate the composition at full scale using the original symbols library. This vector-based file is then passed onto Adobe Photoshop® to be rasterized, converted to Lab color mode and saved in the TIFF format ready for printing.

Recording the experience as a component of the product: To encapsulate the overall BeastiesLAB experience, the research team determined to visually record their experience of creating the product design. This was accomplished by continually capturing on-screen activities whilst simultaneously recording the customer using the in-built webcam. Once the design session was complete, the application super-imposed the two synchronized video files together to create a

single composite video, which was then automatically saved as a Quicktime movie file on a BeastiesLAB branded USB flash drive. A still shot of this process in the development stage is shown below.

So in addition to having used the interface to create their own Beasties design, customers would walk away with a record of their experience that they could share with friends, post to You-Tube, etc. The hypothesis for engaging in this activity was that the researchers wanted to test whether the video file and USB drive served to strengthen the customers’ emotional connection in the product and experience. It was felt that this could also provide a helpful means of viral marketing. Initial feedback has been very positive on this aspect of the process, but further testing is required from a larger sample of participants to determine general effectiveness as well as what other digital artifacts might also be appropriate (eg: video interviews with the designers, a behind-the-scenes tour of the printing process, an application that would allow the design of complimentary products from home).

Generating individualized ‘Beasties’ products on-demand: A key impact of this project was in demonstrating how digital design software and manufacturing hardware could be used in conjunction with rich media interfaces to create a dynamic workflow that enables the on-demand production of Timorous Beasties products. The ability to install the BeastiesLAB interface into their two small retail environments allows TB to conceptually have an accessible inventory far beyond what could actually be stored within the physical space. With products being made on- demand, manufacturing costs are only incurred once the item has been paid for, resulting in improved cash flow (vital to any small enterprise). Aside from the obvious benefits for the business, the project succeeded in enhancing customers’ perception of value with many participants expressing an emotional attachment to the item they created. Viewed within the context of an increasingly disposable consumer culture, this ability to associate value with an engaging experience rather than just the physical product marks a radical departure from the conventional cost-benefit analysis on which the fast-fashion model is based.

Outcomes This project used design-led enhancements to lead a more appropriate and responsive alternative to the current Timorous Beasties business model. The primary outcome of the study was an independent business model that exploits the creative potential of emerging digital technologies. This parallel system sits comfortably alongside the existing business model in the company, but represents: 1) a new approach to their design process - changing the way TB capture their vision, 2) a new class of products that are unique to each interaction and 3) a new compelling retail experience that mediates the relationship between TB and their customers.

Beyond this specific implementation, wider adoption of this business model could have a significant impact on the domestic fashion and interiors market in the face of increasing global competition. Further research will focus on the creation of a more modular platform for the interactive/generative design environment deployable across a wide range of creative businesses, tying directly into a network of digital production providers. By abstracting the system design and development phase of the project into a standalone software framework, the concept can be trialed in other UK-based SMEs within the creative industries.

A Needs Assessment for Mature Female Golf Wear

May Chae, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho

Key words: Golf wear, Mature Females, FEA needs, Needs Assessment

Today, there are approximately 5,466,000 adult women golfers (Berkley 2006). Although, the population of women participating in golfing is tremendous, a needs assessment, specifically for mature female golfers who are 55 and older, has not been explored by many researchers. The purpose of this paper was to investigate perceived golf wear needs among mature females. The functional, expressive, and aesthetic (FEA) consumer needs model developed by Lamb and Kallal (1992) provided the framework for this study to identify a needs assessment for this target group.

Krueger and Casey (2009) suggest the ideal size of a focus group interview for most noncommercial topics is five to eight participants. For this study, the focus group interview was conducted with 6 mature women using a prepared list of open-ended questions modified from Bye and Hakala’s study (2005). The participants were recruited from the Golf and Country Club in the Northwest region to collect useful information of clothing needs associated with golfing. The age of the participants ranged from 59 to 71 years old, and the length of their participation in golfing ranged from 32 to over 40 years.

The major findings of FEA needs for mature female golfers were as follows: for functional needs, free movement for arms and shoulders, comfort, sizing, protection from sun, flexibility, and wearability; for expressive needs, flattering, feeling good about herself, and confidence; and for aesthetic needs, bright colors (e.g., red, yellow, blue, lime green), the combination of feminine and athletic features, and unique styles. In addition to FEA needs, the results found that the participants perceive that much golf wear now that is form fitting for younger people but does not flatter the over-50 body. Consequently, the participants revealed greatest dissatisfaction with lengths (too short), styles (lack of variety), and pockets (too small) of golf wear.

Further findings revealed that collars (e.g., stand-up collar) and sleeves (e.g., cap sleeve) should be well designed to provide appropriate functionality so that mature females would feel more comfortable while golfing. Deep, serviceable pockets would be another important functional issue for mature females to carry golf tees and ball markers. To improve aesthetics, accentuated trims, coordinated colors, and the combination of matching outfits such as pants and a shirt were identified. Therefore, the colors, design, style features, and details should be well integrated to provide a high quality outfit with an aesthetically pleasing look.

Future study can expand on needs assessments for mature women who participate in other sports such as tennis, cycling, running, and hiking.

References

Berkley, N. (2006). Golf is a game for women and girls. Retrieved March 22, 2009, from http://www.nancyberkley.com

Bye, E., & Hakala, L. (2005). Sailing apparel for women: A design development case study. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 23 (1), 45-55. ©2009, International Textile and Apparel Association, Inc. ITAA Proceedings, #66 – www.itaaonline.org 2009 Proceedings Bellevue, Washington USA

Krueger, R. A., & Casey, M. A. (4th ed.). (2009). Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Lamb, J. M. & Kallal, M. J. (1992). A conceptual framework for apparel design. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 10 (2), 42-47.

Product Development Relevant to a Prototype Developing Creation Course: Mature Female Golf Wear

May Chae University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho

Key words: Prototype Development, Golf wear, Mature Females

The purpose of this project, funded by the Cotton Incorporated, is to familiarize students with the features and benefits of cotton using a semester-long product development assignment. Clothing, Textiles, and Design students work in small groups (3 students in a group) to develop an ensemble that meets the needs and wants of mature female consumers (55 and older) who play golf.

This target market is selected for three reasons. First, this market is very different from the student’s own experience, which reflects “real world” work. Second, this market is composed of Baby Boomers, who often prefer natural fibers such as cotton for their comfort and easy care (Cotton Inc., 1997). Baby Boomers also travel a great deal, so that cotton and cotton blends are preferred. Third, this is a growing demographic and evidence of experience with this target market strengthens the student’s portfolio.

To approach a team fairly, students were asked to reflect on their comfort levels with research, creativity, sewing, pattern making, team work, and leadership. In addition, students identified their career goals in design, merchandising, or product development. As a result, balanced, three-person teams containing a designer, merchandiser, and product developer were established.

The design process focuses on functional, expressive, and aesthetic (FEA) requirements developed by Lamb and Kallal (1992). This process is used to not only identify but also to solve existing clothing problems identified by mature female golfers. The focus group interviews are conducted with women from the Golf and Country Club in the Northwest region. The interview helps students obtain a deeper understanding of participants’ views and perceptions about golf wear, specifically for their target group.

Throughout the semester, students follow standard design steps as follows: 1) use commercial patterns to sew muslins for basic slopers; 2) check slopers against muslins with their fit models; 3) develop flat patterns using the slopers; 4) check their muslin fitting for final garments with their fit models; 5) develop prototype garments of golf wear ensembles. By the final week, students have prototypes of golf wear ensembles to present to faculty judges.

The final project presentation is evaluated using rubrics for three criteria such as design and marketability, technical proficiency, and team work. The design and marketability criterion consists of three main criteria 1) course criteria, such as research, creativity, and storyboard; 2) Cotton Incorporated criteria, such as the benefits of using cotton; and 3) judges’ criteria, including overall presentation. The technical proficiency criteria include 1) accuracy of pattern making; 2) accuracy of the tech pack; 3) quality of construction, and 4) appropriate fitting. The team work criteria contain 1) individual participation; 2) distribution of group tasks by each member; and 3) contribution of group tasks by each member. Lastly, overall professionalism is added throughout.

At the conclusion of this product development relevant to a prototype developing course, students gain valuable insight into the role of research, creativity, team work in the process of new product development in the real world. The results will be included in student professional portfolios.

References

Cotton Inc. (1997, November 20). Baby boomers prefer an apparel diet high in natural fibers. Retrieved March 22, 2009, from http://www.cottoninc.com/lsmarticles/?articleID=329

Lamb, J. M. & Kallal, M. J. (1992). A conceptual framework for apparel design. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 10 (2), 42-47.

Developing a Multimedia Case Study about Rural Craft Producers: Benefits for Design Education and Rural Development

Veena Chattaraman, Auburn University, Auburn, AL Chetan S. Sankar, Auburn University, Auburn, AL Amanda Vallone, Auburn University, Auburn, AL

Keywords: multimedia, design, rural, craft production

Innovative Approach This paper describes the development of a multimedia case study that showcases the production of textile- based products among disabled craft producers in rural south India. The case study has the potential to bring rich in-field international research experiences back to the classroom, where it can vicariously inform and transform undergraduate and graduate education. Grounded in action-learning theory, this case study creation process suggests a model for involvement of students in international rural development as well as a new approach for design education.

Objectives The case study was conducted with several objectives geared toward undergraduate apparel design education and graduate education: 1. Introduce undergraduate students in apparel design, merchandising and production management to an international perspective in the apparel industry, and particularly artisan microenterprises in developing countries. 2. Introduce undergraduate students to craft production sector and handcrafted cultural products through an understanding of the handloom weaving process. 3. Challenge students to think about issues of social responsibility and sustainability in the global market. 4. Encourage students to think about physical disabilities of the craft producers and how this impacts the product development process. 5. Develop a model for graduate student engagement in international rural development. 6. Provide assistance to disabled craft producers in product development and market diversification.

The case study development was grounded in the action-learning, which can be described as an experiential learning approach that combines the processes of problem-solving, reflection, and action and emphasizes self-development by doing (Gregory 1994). It originates from action-research, a process that emphasizes four cyclical stages including: 1) diagnosing, which deals with the identification of issues or the problem; 2) planning, involving forethought about the intervention or solution to solve the problem/issues; 3) taking the action, which deals with implementing the intervention/solution; and 4) evaluating action, which compares the outcomes of the action with the desired goals (Coghlan & Brannick 2001). Action-learning was thus considered an effective approach to structure the development of the case study, which was undertaken as part of an international research experience for graduate students facilitated by the university’s Laboratory for Innovative Technology and Engineering Education (LITEE) and funded by the National Science Foundation. Implementation As part of the international research experience, a graduate student worked with a faculty member from the LITEE team and a faculty member from apparel design, merchandising and production management over the course of two semesters. During the first semester (at the University), the student was prepared

for an intensive research program, involving the use of research methodologies to analyze the problem experienced by rural craft producers, come up with solutions, and then document it using a multimedia case study methodologies including photos, simulations, animations, videos, audio clips, and on-line references, which help to bring the problem alive. The first semester consisted of a defined sequence of class room sessions, that were interactive, and provided the student with the broad base of knowledge needed to develop a multimedia case study. During the second semester, the student traveled to India and worked with Gandhi Rural Rehabilitation Center (GRRC). GRRC is located in the small village of Alampoondi, in the Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu and began in 1983 as a weavers’ collective and training center and has diversified its activities since then to better meet the needs of the disabled rural community through several initiatives:

1. Livelihood initiatives including weaving, tailoring and embroidery. 2. Healthcare initiatives including the identification, treatment and rehabilitation of people with physical and mental disabilities.

During the second semester in India, the graduate student first identified and defined the key issues and problems faced by artisan microenterprises such as GRRC. The student also identified key goals with respect to diversifying their existing textile-based product lines for the U.S. market. Before initiating the design process in this case study, a framework was collaboratively developed to outline the various goals and constraints involved for GRRC in designing for the U.S. market. Littrell and Dickson’s (1999) model identifying key issues in product development for Alternative Trading Organizations and Bloch’s model of consumer response to product form (Bloch 1995) were adapted in creating this framework. The framework identified the following constraints as being critical to the product development process at GRRC: 1) material constraints pertaining to the use of hand-woven fabrics produced at GRRC, 2) human resource constraints related to the physical handicap of the weavers, embroiderers and sewers, 3) designer’s constraints related to the product aesthetics at GRRC and tastes and preferences of U.S. consumers, 4) production constraints related to appropriate division of labor among weavers, embroiderers and sewers, 5) performance constraints relating to sizing and fit issues involved in expanding to the U.S. market, and 6) regulatory constraints, and 7) cost constraints related to the factoring in of social costs associated with the maintenance of social programs that pay for healthcare, transportation, and lunch meals for employees. Following the development of the framework, the student developed a design solution that took into consideration all key issues that needed to be considered in the design of textile-based products at GRRC. The design solution was then evaluated against the delineated goals and constraints for the design problem. The student stayed in India for a two-month period and worked with other graduate students of the LITEE team to develop the multimedia case study. The case study included photos of the village, the craftsmen, documentation of the handloom-weaving process, the process of apparel production, and information on the different factors considered in the design solution. It also provided a description of the steps that were taken in coming up with the design solution and how it was implemented.

Effectiveness and Plans for Continuation The opportunity to develop a multimedia case study allowed the graduate student to work with dedicated social workers in rural India and contribute towards change at the grassroots level. It also gave the student the opportunity to design and develop a line of apparel-related products for the U.S. market. In addition, the multimedia case study that was developed is being used in two undergraduate courses in apparel design curriculum at the university. Last but not the least, the project paved the way for the development of a meaningful collaboration between GRRC and the University’s War on Hunger initiative, which has commissioned the design, development and production of new products at GRRC. This has provided a

sustainable approach for the continuation of this project with other groups of students, both at the graduate and undergraduate levels.

References Bloch, P. H. (1995). Seeking the ideal form: Product design and consumer response. Journal of Marketing, 59, 16-29. Coghlan, D. & Brannick, T. (2001). Doing action research in your own organization. London: Sage Publications. Gregory, M. (1994). Accrediting work-based learning: Action learning – a model for empowerment. Journal of Management, 13(4), 41-51. Littrell, M. A. & Dickson, M. A. (1999). Social responsibility in the global market. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Touch Preference Shifts for Fabrics

Marilyn Delong, University Of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108 Juanjuan Wu, University Of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108 Juyeon Park, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523

Keywords: Touch, Preference, Fabric, Apparel

In this high-tech society, understanding the substance of high touch is an imperative aptitude for successful design professionals (Pink, 2006). Especially in the apparel industry, discerning consumers’ desire for personal touch, namely high touch, is key for engaging the current consumer market. Touch preferences play a critical role not only in consumers’ decision-making process when purchasing apparel products, but also in post-purchase satisfaction. Besides applications for design professionals, learning touch preferences of consumers can also lead to innovations in marketing and retailing strategies. For example, with a goal to propose a new approach to merchandise display in retail store environments, fabric touch can be emphasized as an alternative to the conventional display mode by color and size. In order to satisfy consumer’s quality needs in touch Pense-Lheritier et al. (2006) categorized 43 different types of fabrics with various fabrications into four sensorial attributes of touch: softness, limpness, slipperiness, and tightness. Recent research efforts have been made to determine external factors that affect consumers’ touch preferences. Delong and Park (2008) focused on gender comparison in touch preferences in different types of haptic properties. Interestingly, similar patterns of touch preference occurred, regardless of gender. Additionally, Delong et al. (2007) indicated that touch preference is contextual and varied form one culture to another. For example, based on their early childhood memories most Chinese subjects liked the touch of woolens but most US subjects did not. These recent findings have led to a burgeoning interest in more in-depth research on consumers’ touch preferences. To this end, this study aims to explore the mechanism of consumers’ touch preference shift, with emphasis on fabric types and the associated reasons that cause the psychological preference changes.

Data Collection and Analysis Only U.S. natives of both genders were invited to this study and one hundred and twenty-three usable questionnaires were obtained. The mean age of the subjects was 20 with a 23/100male to female ratio. A content analysis of the subjects’ answers to each open-ended question was conducted with the help of a customized computer program. This program was designed to count the frequency of single words in the answers to a few questions. It will only count the same word once for one subject even if the subject mentioned the same word twice.

Silk (18%), cotton (17%), and fleece (17%) were the highest ranked fabrics that subjects liked to touch. On the other hand wool (41%), polyester or synthetics (9%), and corduroy (5%) were the three highest ranked fabrics that subjects disliked to touch. When subjects were asked to describe the fabric that they liked to touch, soft (80%), smooth (42%), and warm (34%) were the three most frequently listed touch properties. And “rough” (42%), “itchy” (34%), and “scratchy” (31%) were found to be the three most disliked touch properties. Moreover, analysis of the analogies that subjects used to describe the touch of a fabric gives clues to what associations subjects liked to make with fabrics and touch properties. When describing liked touch properties they tended to associate the fabrics with the things that they are fond of touching. The following are two examples extracted from the data: “It is like a cocoon I can wrap myself in.” “…that is extremely soft – almost like a bunny.” In this research subjects often associated the touch of fabrics they most liked with the touch of animals. This discovery seems most useful for designing and marketing products constructed of fabrics. For example, an advertisement for a line of apparel could ©2009, International Textile and Apparel Association, Inc. ITAA Proceedings, #66 – www.itaaonline.org 2009 Proceedings Bellevue, Washington USA

emphasize the softness and warmth of the fabrics by making an explicit association with touching a bunny.

“Wool” (30%), “denim/jean” (18%), and “leather” (7%) were reported as the three fabrics most commonly associated with a shifting preference from “disliked” to “liked.” On the contrary, “velvet” (16%), “wool” (14%), and “cotton” (12%) were the three fabrics most commonly associated with a shifting preference from “liked” to “disliked.” Results showed that in most cases shifted preference for a fabric is a result of subjects’ changed focus on various features or discovery of new features (41%), changed attitude or taste (21%), changed thermal preference (6%), and changed textural preference (5%). 23% of the subjects indicated that their shifted preference was due to physical changes of the fabric related to surface, structure, and quality. Finally, the influence of social context (10%) was another reason subjects shifted their preference (see table 1).

Conclusions In summary, this study identified fabric types that subjects liked and disliked to touch and the reasons. The fabrics that most frequently cause consumers’ touch preference shifts and their associated reasons were also examined. These findings will help apparel industry professionals develop an effective strategy to increase consumer satisfaction levels by designing and marketing products that satisfy consumers touch preferences.

Table 1. The reasons that subjects shifted their preference for a fabric.* Number of Number of responses (%) responses (%) From disliked From liked to Total number of Reasons for shifting preference to liked disliked responses (%) Product Surface/Structural/Quality Change 13 (21%) 14 (24%) 27 (23%) Subject’s Changed Focus/discovery of new features 22 (36%) 29 (50%) 51 (41%) Subject’s Changed Attitude/Taste 18 (30%) 7 (12%) 25 (21%) Subject’s Changed Thermal Preference 3 (5%) 4 (7%) 7 (6%) Subject’s Changed Textural Preference 4 (7%) 2 (3%) 6 (5%) Influence of Social Context 9 (15%) 3 (5%) 12 (10%) Total number of responses 61 58 119 *Number of responses does not add up to the total number of responses because multiple reasons could be given by one respondent.

References: Delong, M. & Park, J. (2006). Touch memories and the influence of gender. Senses & Society 3(1), 23-44. Delong, M., Wu, J. & Bao, M. (2007). May I touch it? Textile 5(1), 34-49. Pense-Lheritier, A.M., Guilabert, C., Bueno, M.A., Sahnoun, M. & Renner, M. (2006). Sensory evaluation of the touch of a great number of fabrics. Food Quality and Preference 17, 482-488. Pink, D. H. (2006). A whole new mind. New York: The Berkeley Publishing Group. ©2009, International Textile and Apparel Association, Inc. ITAA Proceedings, #66 – www.itaaonline.org 2009 Proceedings Bellevue, Washington USA

Sustainable Living, Disposable Dress: Dissecting the Dichotomy in the Classroom

Sheri L. Dragoo, Texas Woman’s University, Denton, Texas

Key Words: Sustainability, Fashion, Eco-friendly, Recycling

Introduction

Media today is full of messages of eco-friendly and sustainable products and lifestyle approaches, from Going Green to DIY’s Planet Green programming. Terms used in the “green” movement are as diverse as ecofashion, sustainability, green-friendly, renewable, recycled, composted, regenerated, pesticide free or organic. In fact, there is an entire marketing campaign based on environmental design which focuses on conservation, design for disassembly, and source reduction which limits packaging pollution into the atmosphere. Over the decades, consumer segments have used different, yet appropriate terminology in addressing pollutants and toxins within our world. Consumers approached sustainable living through solar heated homes and agrarian products, composting and solar and energy conservation. Not entirely new, the message of creating a better world through the use of green practices has become much more prevalent and of greater concern. Many industries have been impacted by the customers desire to live with a sustainable focus and resultantly, have developed products or tweaked production to align with the demands of the customer. In fact, in the USA, green has even spread to annual festivals promoting environmentally friendly ideas, products and keynote speakers. In 2008, the Sustainable Living Roadshow presented artists from a solar stage, a bike-powered stage, and a biofuel powered stage. Some festivals even feature concession food served with biodegradable wraps, plates, cups and cutlery manufactured from a renewable resource and a festival wide recycling and composting project. It is no surprise that it has even become the focus of many universities to bring issues of sustainability to students across the disciplines. With this focus in mind, a project was implemented within the classroom as a trial with great success. The “pilot” project led to the presentation of a full-fledged, year long, sustainable design project.

Purpose

Lecturing students on the terminology of sustainability is a strong beginning to teaching ecofashion topics. Students are rapidly digesting media messages on green and ecofriendly terminology with little education and legislation to support the verbal campaigns. The goal of the project was to increase knowledge while impacting the personal philosophy of the design students. Since fashion students learn through sensory and tactile approaches, a project was created to build both knowledge and appreciation for the concept of sustainability and eco-friendly living, specifically through recycling and regeneration. The teaching goal was to encourage students to re-think the planned obsolescence that infiltrates the fashion industry and re-invent the process of design with an eco-friendly approach.

Methodology

An assignment was given to the students to read and research activities in the fashion industry where eco-friendly and “green” design prevailed. They were to research eco-friendly and “green” movements in the design industry. Students were directed to take the Green knowledge quiz on Cotton Incorporated’s website (www.thefabricofourlives.com) to begin their research. Then, students had to

write a paper defining a variety of ecofriendly terms, create a branding campaign of their own relating to recycled and ecofriendly fashion, and summarize with a personal statement where they stood on the subject. Once students gained a foundation of knowledge in sustainable products, they were given the pilot task of repurposing apparel products that had been donated to the fashion program from a local company. Specifically, the garments were samples from overseas that had been cut or destroyed in some way or had been sent through an analysis lab and had holes cut in them or parts cut off of them. The students were able to pull multiple garments from those donated and were to develop a plan for recycling and redesigning the garments into a wearable ensemble. Additionally, the students were asked to create a design statement which could be used to market the products and tell the story of sustainable living through apparel repurposing.

Students gained knowledge regarding the destruction of overseas samples, reconstituting designs from existing damaged materials and some elementary skills in knitwear management. Most importantly, the students gained exposure to concepts of longevity and repurposing of apparel products, both new and exciting concepts for the students. With the excitement from the first pilot project, two follow-up projects were implemented. The second project began with a campus opportunity to host a fashion show supporting a local women’s shelter charity. The charity ran a thrift store which worked with the students to provide used garments for the project. Students were directed to the thrift store to select two garments to regenerate from used to “new again.” (Insert File 5 about here.) Students were given the goal of creating excitement and contemporary styling in the regeneration process. Students accepted the challenge, creating dynamic from dated garments. Garments were shown in a fashion show at a dinner event to much audience applause. Several garments were auctioned off at the end of the evening to benefit the charity and the garments were returned to the thrift store for increased revenue and sales. (Insert File 6 about here.)

A final project rounded out the year with a sustainable flair. Old sample stamped fabrics, trims and findings were donated to the university. The fashion program’s archives of former student garments from decades prior were made available to fashion students to select, restyle, regenerate and refreshen for the contemporary market. Students made good use of sample trims to liven up old garments. Students took seams apart and re-used fabric, shortened hemlines and refit body styles. The created work was inspiring to them and many students said they would rethink throwing away apparel “before its time” because of the assignment.

Conclusions

Students gained knowledge, expertise, and insight into sustainable fashion. In the pilot project, students took the liberty to create very wearable and fun garments in the repurposing of the sample garments. Additionally, students came up with fun slogans such as “Green, the new black,” “I Believe – and that is why we recycle” “YES we CAN if we all pitch in together to make a difference”

“WHY Not REPURPOSE?” “The Generation of RE-Generation” Relating to garment design, holes were filled, bottom halves of garments were replaced with middle portions of other garments, sleeves were used for leg warmers, and new life was infused into what might have been discarded clothing. A sense of freedom was noted as students infused their creativity into the project. Traditional limitations of developing flat fabrics into 3-dimensional were lost, and students had

great fun with the project. In the second project, students gained insight into regenerating thrift store items, while taking an approach that fresh doesn’t have to mean new. Students gained psychologically as well as academically in this project with a new sense of give back not only to the community, but also to the environment. The final project was about give back to the university. Designers took fashion from the old and regenerated it to be new. New garments will be displayed during the summer break in the university library.

Evaluation

Aside from the fact that local media found numerous opportunities to write stories about the student learning process and photograph their work in the process of design, the success of the project was in the emotional connectivity of the student with the environment and the concept of green. At the start of the year, student response to “what does green mean?” was surface and media derived. At the end of the projects, students had a personal sense of sustainability that classroom lecture of itself could not have provided.

Using Aesthetics Principles to Challenge “So-Called” Experts ‘How to Dress’ Advice for Apparel Choices of Plus-Size Women

Andrea Eklund, MA Assistant Professor, Central Washington University

Aesthetics, Design, Plus-Size

The strategy of this project was to investigate the accuracy of ‘how to dress’ advice directed toward plus size women in popular literature. Examples of the advice given to plus size women are: they should not wear large prints or pants with straight legs, chokers, dangling earrings, and strappy shoes. In general, most experts suggest that plus size women should de-emphasize the body. Therefore the strategies are to decrease the visual impression of apparent size. They aim to disguise the body. They advise women to hide their bodies under clothing and give them numerous guidelines to follow so they can look “better”. An expert is defined in this context to be anyone who has published a book on what women should wear or how to dress and the book is available in bookstores. I believe these people are considered experts because individuals buy their books, read them, and often follow what they say. Therefore the public would consider them experts in how people should dress.

The strategy of the project was to properly use aesthetics principles of proportion and line in designing and constructing twenty. Each ensemble was designed to visually refute the advice in popular literature for plus size women. The ensembles designed are targeted toward women aged 18-28 that are plus size, a size 14 and above. This target market is neglected within retail establishments in terms of apparel with a fashion edge. Also since women aged 18-28 have difficulty finding apparel and are unsure what is best to wear, they often read and go by the advice given in popular literature.

Theoretical Framework Marilyn Delong’s work was chosen as the base for the aesthetic theory framework. Aesthetic theory provided a framework for elements and principles of design, emphasizing proportion, line, and properly fitted garments as a perceptual guideline for a pleasing visual effect. Perception must be considered because when individuals examine what someone is wearing, each person brings his or her own taste to the visual analysis. This causes variations in viewer judgment of the appeal of the clothing in relation to the wearer’s body.

Aesthetic Theory DeLong in The Way We Look: Dress and Aesthetics (1998) defines aesthetics as understanding how viewers’ focus on what they think is important, how they view and how they respond to the clothed body. This is done in a systematic way with evaluation being the end of the process. This explanation of aesthetics is geared toward considering the process of looking at a clothed body and evaluating it. The order of aesthetically viewing an ensemble is 1) observing the form by paying attention to what is immediately apparent, 2) looking at the parts and the relationships among the parts, 3) interpreting what is seen by summarizing the impressions and meaning of the form, and 4) evaluating what is seen by considering the visual effectiveness (Delong, 1998, p.56-60).

Observation is the first step in aesthetically viewing an ensemble. The goal is to observe and describe what is immediately apparent when first viewing in order of focal points. What causes you to see the clothed body form in a general way? This could include body parts, clothing, accessories, and shoes.

In the second step of aesthetically viewing an ensemble, differentiation is used to categorize focal points and viewing paths that are most apparent to the eye. There are six subcategories in step two that are gone through by the viewer to establish what parts of the ensemble are catching the eye and why the eye moves in a certain direction, this is the essence of the viewing path. Some of these would include: does the viewer see the whole first and the parts? Or does the viewer see the parts first and then the whole? When viewing the whole first and then many secondary parts the clothed body seems visually simpler than when viewing many focal points in order to create a visual whole. Does the ensemble have a plain smooth surface with few but regular or no shapes or is there considerable surface texture and many irregular shapes? This factor contributes to the number of focal points and resulting visual simplicity/ complexity and a sense of a visual whole versus visual parts.

Next is interpretation in which the viewer summarizes the form. This step builds upon steps one and two. The viewer needs to recognize the visual themes in the ensemble, understand the intended purpose of the ensemble, and how that intended purpose is communicated. This component has cultural input such as appropriateness to occasion and body type and is subject to individual taste.

The final step is evaluation, where in the viewer considers the visual effectiveness. This is when the viewer combines steps one through three to visually integrate the clothed body in terms of visual attributes such as line, proportion, proper fit, and viewing path that is visually effective.

Proportion Proportion fits within the aesthetic theory and must be considered when designing a garment. Proportion as seen by a viewer is the relationship among visual parts. This relationship has horizontal and vertical visual features. The goal is to have a corresponding relation between the parts to make it pleasing to the eye (Connor & Mathis, 1994).

Line Line is another key visual attribute of the clothed body. The line is where the viewers’ eye follows along the clothed body. Horizontal lines draw the eye across the body adding width and vertical lines draw the eye up and down increasing the visual impression of height. Vertical lines are more appealing than horizontal because most people want to look taller rather than looking wider.

Proper Fit Proper fit is also essential to having a garment be aesthetically pleasing. A garment with proper fit flatters the body, smoothly skims over the form, and is proportioned so it is not so big as to disguise the body or too tight as to cause stress lines in the clothing. Proper fit also has to be pleasing to the eye and be comfortable for the wearer. If someone is not comfortable in a garment it will show in how they act, move, stand, and carry themselves. Perception

Finally, perception must be considered within aesthetics because an individual’s perspective will alter how they view things. When individuals examine garments upon the wearers, each person brings his or her own taste to the visual analysis. Elements of individual perspective influence perceptions of the clothed body. Perspective is important because it influences how people view and interpret others and the interpreting of others will in turn guide an individual’s future action towards others.

Visual Effectiveness All of these areas are related and come together to support the belief that the “don’ts” can actually be “do’s”. If aesthetics, proportion, and line are all considered and applied to the properly fitted garment it will be aesthetically successful and therefore be visually effective. If a viewer gains this knowledge of the four step process of aesthetically viewing an ensemble then they will have the visual literacy needed to properly analyze an ensemble instead of just jumping to a incorrect conclusion. Giving the views this process will increase their knowledge therefore eliminating many stereotypes given to plus size women.

Design Process The strategy for the project was to properly use aesthetic principles of proportion and line in designing and constructing twenty ensembles. Each ensemble was designed to visually refute the advice in popular literature for plus size women.

The initial phase of the project was to find and choose the most extreme or strongest “don’ts” from popular literature. Most of the experts in the popular literature advice offered to plus size women focuses on what plus-size women should not wear. Most of the publications that have “don’ts” for what plus size women shouldn’t wear give the same general advice, only some authors expand more than others. Some authors offer more don’ts than others but they all have a similar aim, which is to suggest plus size women to look slimmer using fabrics, style lines, colors, and placement of clothing. Each author suggests that plus size women should de-emphasize the body. Therefore the strategies are to decrease the visual impression of apparent size, they aim to disguise to body. They tell these women to hide their bodies under clothes and give them numerous stipulations and guidelines to follow so they can look better. Next was sketching designs which encompassed all of the “don’ts” that were found. Fabric then had to be taken into account to go with each ensemble. “Don’ts” for fabrics were also used, this included fabric color, print, and texture.

A body form was made of each model giving an exact replica of their bodies from the lower hips to the neck. Muslin was then used to drape all the garments on the body forms. Patterns were then made of the muslin drapings, a fitting shell was made of each garment, which was then fitted on the models as to be able to alter the patterns to have proper fit. Subsequently the garments were made out of the fashion fabric and then accessorized with jewelry, shoes, and bags, which were also “don’ts” used from popular literature. Each garment had to be accessorized according to what was most flattering which in the end gave the final ensemble.

Photographs of the twenty designed ensembles modeled by the fitting models were taken. These photographs were then reviewed by a trained expert jury, which evaluated the ensembles for success

resulting in only the strongest ensembles being in the project. The photographs of the ensembles were included in an exhibition. Photographs from three different angles (front, side, and back) of the ensembles demonstrate if the designs in fact prove the “don’ts” advice given by popular literature is incorrect. Aesthetic analysis also accompanied each photograph to show that the designs were successful.

The final outcome of this project was to post photographs of the designed ensembles along with aesthetic analysis to a web site. This site would be a valuable resource to the apparel, merchandising, and textiles discipline as a teaching tool for understanding real body types, commonly occurring sizes, and successful designs for dressing plus size women in current fashions. The overall goal was to enhance perceptions of the fashion options for plus size women; stamp out ignorance that plus size women should only cover up the body; and to show that advice directed toward plus size women in the popular literature is more or less futile and all that is needed is a good understanding of aesthetic principles and trained visual literacy.

Arbetter, L.. (2002, January). Dress 10 pounds thinner. Style, pp. 65-71 Conner, H. V., & Mathins, C.M. (1994). The triumph of individual style. Timeless Editions. DeLong, M. R. (1998). The way we look: Dress and aesthetics. New York, Fairchild Publications. Farro, R. (1996). Life is not a dress size. Pennsylvania, Radnor. Fiore, A. M., & Kimle, P. A. (1997). Understanding aesthetics for the merchandising and design professional. New York, Farichild Publications. Glazer, B., & Tate, S. L. (1995). The snap fashion sketchbook: Sketching and design the fast way. Englewood Cillfs, Prentice Hall. Lennon, S. J., Davis, L. (1989). Clothing and human behavior from a social cognitive framework. Part 1: theoretical perspectives, Part 2: the stages of social cognition. Clothing and Textile Research Journal, 7 (4), 41-46, 8 (1), 1-6.

Connecting to the Consumer: Developing a Human Connection between the Design Process and the Consumer.

Author: Virginia H. Elsasser, Centenary College, Hackettstown, NJ

Key words: interdisciplinary linkages, target marketing, product development

(1) Innovative teaching strategy – New/creative/innovative strategy, approach, or practice that merits sharing with others “Connecting to the Consumer” is an innovative teaching strategy that introduces college students to the special needs market. This activity succeeds on two levels. It serves as an introductory activity to a project that requires the students to develop a product for the special needs market. Additionally, it is a valuable mini-service learning project since it creates an open forum for college students and 20-21 year old special needs students to explore the challenges that await them as they graduate and enter the job market. The special needs students in this activity were enrolled in a career training program at a school for students with developmental disabilities. They have the opportunity for several job training experiences such as light assembly, maintenance, food preparation, and packaging.

(2) Clear purpose/objective of strategy for identified audience The purpose of this teaching strategy is to present a learning activity that motivates college students to move beyond their comfort level and interact with special needs students in a collegial discussion. It is an introductory activity for an assignment that requires the college students to design a product for a special needs person. It calls for the college students to develop a human connection between the design process and the consumer. They are encouraged to develop sensitivity to the clothing preferences of the special needs market by observing the special needs students’ apparel, discussing clothing preferences, and developing an awareness of the importance of clothing as a means of communication for all people. The secondary purpose of “Connecting to the Consumer” is to serve as a mini service- learning activity. It provides a forum for the college seniors and 20-21 year old special needs students to discuss their feelings about graduation, moving away from home, and getting a job. Both groups are facing this life- altering change in the near future.

In summary, the specific learning objectives for “Connecting to the Consumer” are to: a. Introduce college students to the special needs market b. Provide a forum for college level students and special needs students to discuss the challenges they will face as they graduate from school.

(3) Implementation of strategy/practice clearly delineated “Connecting to the Consumer” was first used early during the Spring 2003 semester in The Social and Psychological Aspects of Clothing, a senior-level course. The special needs product development assignment had been included in the course for 10 years. In 2003 the “Connecting to the Consumer” component was added to increase the students’ sensitivity to the special needs market. The timeline for the strategy and its integration into the special needs product development assignment are:

1. At the beginning of the semester, the special needs product development assignment guidelines are distributed with the syllabus. 2. During the 4th week of the semester the instructor presents a PowerPoint of examples of clothing adaptations for the special needs market. The instructor leads a discussion that evaluates the

effectiveness of the designs and considers how the designer was sensitive to the needs and desires of the special needs consumer. 3. During the 5th week of the semester the job training students send personal letters introducing themselves and their work experience to the college students. 4. During the 6th week of the semester the job training students visit campus and discuss their mutual anxiety about graduation, job searches, and independent living with the college students. Job training students have prepared questions such as “Where do you want to live?” “Where will you look for a job?” “What is an internship?” and “What kind of job do you want?” 5. During the 7th week of the semester the college students write personal letters to the job training students. 6. The special needs product development assignment is due at the end of the semester. Students write a 2 paragraph refection to describe how this activity helped them in their development of their special needs product.

(4) Description of effectiveness or success of the strategy or practice in fostering desired teaching/learning outcomes

“Connecting to the Consumer” is an overwhelming success. It provides an outstanding introduction to the special needs market and encourages college students to interact with special needs students on personal levels. It increases their sensitivity to the special needs market.

(5) Indication of plans for continuation, revision, or follow-up

This teaching and learning activity will be continued. It was very popular with both the college students and the job-training students. It certainly met its objectives and college-wide learning outcomes of service learning.

Promoting Creativity in Fashion Design with the Use of Style Sheets

Linda Gardner, Alabama A&M University, Normal, AL

Key Words: creativity, design, fashion, style

In the area of fashion design creativity is very important. Designers have to develop creative apparel designs for each season and they may have as many as four or five seasons per year. For each season the designs should look fresh, new, and exciting in order to entice consumers to purchase their designs and not their competition’s. Inspiration is very important in this field.

Students of fashion design should also be creative. They look in many places for ideas to make their designs stand out from the crowd. Style Sheets were one resource of inspiration that students of fashion used to develop ideas for garment designs. In the apparel industry a Designer Worksheet (Frings, 2008) would be presented. The Designer Worksheet would include identifying information such as style number, season, selling price, and size range as well as other manufacturing information. The Style Sheets that were used by the advanced clothing and design class were similar to the Designer Worksheet but the Style Sheets did not include as much information as the Designer Worksheet.

Purpose/Objective: To promote creativity in developing apparel designs with the use of Style Sheets.

Method: Students enrolled in the advanced clothing and design class used Style Sheets to get input on ways in which they could make their designs more imaginative. Students first did flats/sketches of possible designs they were interested in constructing. They then selected the top two designs and incorporated the information onto two Style Sheets. The Style Sheets consisted of a flat/sketch of the design details with front and back views. The flats/sketches were executed either by hand, with fashion illustrating software or by tracing or coping similar designs. A description of the garment was also given. The Style Sheets also included suggested fabric swatches that would be used for the designs.

Once the Style Sheets were complete, the students then had to get at least five other opinions about each of the suggested apparel designs. These opinions came from other students, faculty or staff. Information on the Style Sheets included likes, dislikes, and suggested changes. Along with the teacher, the students in the class analyzed the suggestions and selected one of the designs to construct. The students as well as the instructor also determined whether to make any or none of the suggested changes from the Style Sheets.

The Style Sheets gave the students a chance to find ways in which to improve their designs or they gave the students a chance to make their designs have more creativity and originality. Some of the possible changes included either raising or lowering the hemlines. Other suggested changes were related to the color or type of fabrics being used. Still other changes were whether to use lace as an overlay or not in certain places on the garment. Changing the garment opening from front to back were other suggestions. There were many other suggestions for each garment.

Comparisons of the Style Sheets were made. These comparisons were made from Style Sheets done at the beginning of the process and also after the garments were completed. Style Sheets definitely influenced many of the decisions for change to the garment designs while other influences came as a result of the actual design process.

Outcomes: Previously, students presented flats/sketches to the instructor and either she approved or disapproved the designs. If the designs were not approved other flats/sketches were presented. The Style Sheets presented the opportunity for students to get input from other students from both inside and outside the class as well as other faculty members. This gave the students a chance to get a broader idea of ways in which their designs could be improved. Each Style Sheet counted for 15 points. Students were required to present at least four designs for the semester. Therefore, the students could earn up to 60 points for this activity.

Some problems arose with students not having a professional looking flat/sketch. Some students enrolled in the apparel CAD class used a fashion illustrating software to present nice looking sketches. Other students enrolled in fashion illustrating used manual drawings and still others did tracings made copies of similar designs with needed changes.

Overall, students found that others could give them ideas that would be useful in executing creative apparel designs. This Style Sheet project will continue to be used in the advanced clothing and design class and will be considered for the draping class.

Frings, G. (2008). Fashion from Concept to Consumer. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice- Hall.

A Digital Fashion Design Competition

Linda F. Gardner, Alabama A&M University, Normal, Alabama Allison P. Young, Alabama A&M University, Normal, Alabama

Key Words: digital, fashion, design, competition

Fashion design competitions are very common in today’s society. These competitions involve industry professionals as well as high school and college students. It is through design competitions that students interested in becoming fashion designers and merchandisers showcase their talents and their work. This is a way in which students have an opportunity to gain real world experience, network with industry professionals, and possibly meet with potential employers. This is also one way in which students gain a better understanding of the actual nature of the fashion business.

Fashion students of today are considered a part of the millennium generation and are also a part of the “digital revolution” (Negroponte, 95). These students are different than previous generations of students and their methods of communicating are also different. The Internet plays a major part of their lives; they are also considered a part of the internet generation. They play, shop and communicate using digital technologies with ease. Students of the millennium generation have grown up with the internet, mobile phones and digital music (The new digital environment, 2009).

Digital Fashion Design Competitions provide a way in which student designs are showcased. The designs are posted on the Internet and participants interact by selecting winning designs.

Purpose/objective: To allow apparel, merchandising, and design students to present their designs for online competition.

Method: Students enrolled in apparel, merchandising, and design (AMD) classes presented their designs on the Internet for online voting by other university students. The designs were developed and created in apparel classes. These classes included an advanced clothing design class and a draping class. The projects were created as part of the normal requirements for the individual classes.

Categories of designs were bottoms (skirts), tops (blouses/jackets), animal prints, restyled, recycled, and draped designs including: plaid, line-for-line, and original garments. The designs were presented in three formats. The first format was the style sheet. This included the sketch with a front and back view, the fabric swatch, and a description of the garment. The second format was the garment made up with front and back views. The last format was the garment on a model that had been accessorized and styled. The designs were rated on a 5-point Likert Scale with 1 being least liked and 5 most liked.

In the past, fashion students presented their designs in a live fashion show. This live fashion show continued along with the online competition starting on the Monday after the Saturday night show. The designs were posted for one day. Only university students with a campus email and password were allowed to vote. Results were immediately compiled.

The award categories were Best Design, Best Styled Design, and Best Overall Designer. Scholarship money was awarded to the winners.

Outcomes: Students related very well to this activity because they frequently use the Internet as a common means of communication. This was also a recruitment activity because it gave much needed visibility to the Apparel, Merchandising, and Design area across campus.

There were some changes that were recommended if this type of competition is used in the future. Instead of allowing all of the students in the class to participate, pieces would be screened and only the top designs would be selected for online competition. Another factor that needed to be evaluated was the total number of categories for voting. If there were fewer categories, this would also limit the total number of garments; therefore, the total amount of time for voting would be less.

Also, other types of digital technology needs to be considered for future competitions. This may include texting the preferred designs. This technique could be used in addition to online voting.

Negroponte, N. (1995, March 6). The digital revolution., retrieved March 24, 2009 from http://www.mediamente.rai.it/mmold/english/bibliote/intervis/n/negrop02.htm

The new digital environment: The digital revolution. Retrieved March 24, 2009, from http://www.digitalstrategy.govt.nz/Resources/Publications/digital-strategy-2- draft/Draft_environment/21-...

Making a Difference through Product Design: A Case Study of Design Process in a Prominent Footwear Brand in Turkey

Gozde Goncu, MA University of Minnesota, Minnesota, U.S.A. Marilyn DeLong, PhD University of Minnesota, Minnesota, U.S.A.

Keywords: Footwear, Design, Process, Failure

Introduction Encouraging innovative product design within a country’s development strategies is vital to insure that country’s sustainability. Footwear manufacturing in Turkey was a labor intensive craft production until the 1950’s when the industry started investing in design and product development and was encouraged through initiatives of industry and government. In 2002 Brand K, one of Turkey’s largest footwear brands operating within Company S and specializing in sports shoes, invested in design activities. Company S started a new design department, hired a design team, and created new collections for Brand K. However, just five years later, Company S stopped all its design functions for Brand K. Company S is a marketing and distribution company responsible for the facilities of Brand K under the larger Group Z; therefore the study analyzes functions of both Company S and Group Z to understand the development pattern of Brand K. The focus of the paper is limited to an analysis of the processes related to design activities influencing Brand K. The product outcome of the design process is not addressed. The Design Atlas framework was used to analyze the functions of Brand K and assess the design success strategies within the business. The Design Atlas framework is a systematic tool that helps to analyze a company under headings of planning for design, processes for design, resources for design, people for design, and culture for design. In this way, the design process, personnel, and resources were examined within their context of the development of the Turkish footwear industry, the history of the specific Company S which houses Brand K. The history of the footwear industry in Turkey functioned as background information to understand the development process of Company S. Company S and its Brand K were analyzed in depth in terms of its size and structure, production capability and markets, the strategic use of design by the company.

Method and Framework In this study, Yin’s (1984) single-case study approach was employed. This approach allows investigating an empirical topic to learn of potential problems in a situation where the researcher has little opportunity to control events. Several data sources were collected and used in this study; observations, interviews and investigation of written materials. Using multiple sources minimized the weakness of the single approach (Yin, 1984). The data collection period started in 2002 and continued up to 2008. Focused observations were conducted for the data recorded in 2006. Interviews an hour long were conducted in the company in 2006 with the product manager, an industrial designer in visual merchandising, and a designer in the apparel design department. A phone interview was conducted in 2008 with a former designer of the company who supported the company as a design consultant for one year. During the interviews a tape recorder was used for voice capture and they were transcribed verbatim. The written materials included statistical reports, annual company reports, and industry magazines, reports by industrial associations, news clippings and articles.

The Design Atlas framework (British Design Council, 2000) employed in this research is an assessment tool for analyzing the design success factors within a business. This systematic framework

contains five sections, each of which contains questions and a business score card from one to four on each question. These five sections are as follows: Section 1 Planning for Design-focuses on whether a strategic plan exists in the business. Section 2 Process for Design-evaluates the business in terms of a formal design process. Section 3 Resources for Design-contains questions related to resource allocation for design. Section 4 People for Design-deals with the network of design skills available to the business. Section 5 Culture for Design-evaluates design values of the business.

Development Pattern of the Turkish Footwear Industry and Company S In 1950’s Turkish footwear industry started to develop with small scale production workshops (Ulusoy, 2002). In 1995 Turkey focused its efforts on exporting which by 1997 were mostly to Russia. However, the 1998 crisis in Russia severely affected Turkish footwear exports (Yildiz, 2006). Thus, the Turkish footwear sector started a series of activities in 1998 to support its development potential in view of the improved export performance. One of the most important initiatives was to search for alternative markets and concentrate efforts on training and design. In this context, the Turkish Footwear Industry Research, Development and Education Foundation was established in 2001 with the initiative of footwear. In order to meet the lack of qualified personnel in footwear design, a new department of education, The Footwear Design Department was opened at Mimar Sinan University in Istanbul. In addition, various competitions are being organized to discover new talent in the field of design (Yildiz, 2006). Also, in 2005 the Leather Promotion Group was founded to promote the Turkish leather and footwear sector in the global market (Yildiz, 2006; Tuzmen, 2006).

Group Z is one of the most important footwear manufacturers in Turkey with its 8 different companies related to production and marketing of shoes and shoe parts. The owner of the Group Z started to work in this sector in 1956 as a shoe maker. In 1983, he started Z Sole Production Company. It only took 2 years to develop its first registered sports shoe brand (Haskebapci, 2001). Brand K was the second sport shoe brand created by Group Z in 1989. Group Z founded Company S for marketing and distribution facilities of Brand K. In 2005 Brand K widened its product range which was sports shoes and leather boots with apparel and accessories collections. Group Z with its experience capability in shoe production functions as the main supplier for Brand K. Group Z is mainly a supplier for boots and shoe soles. However, Brand K has a production office in China where ten different suppliers manufactured sports shoes (Product Manager of Brand K, personal communication, November 28, 2006).

Design Activities in Company S The role of design in achieving the goals determined by corporate strategy was to design products suitable for the needs and preferences of target consumers and contribute to communication of the brand through designing retail stores of Brand K. The methods used for fulfilling the requirements of this role were through a professional design consultancy and developing its own in-house design group, and designing collaborative collections with well known designers. Prior to dissolution of design activities of Brand K in 2007 there were three different design departments; footwear design, apparel design and visual merchandising. In addition to its in-house design team product design (apparel and shoe) for Brand K was accomplished through an experienced design consultant until 2007. In 2004 Brand K also collaborated with an internationally well known Turkish fashion designer D. K. who designed for Brand K for four seasons (Product Manager of Brand K, personal communication, November 28, 2006). Brand K created and launched successful footwear collections during the collaboration period with external designers. However, today Brand K has closed both apparel and visual merchandising departments and employs only two foot wear designers.

Analysis Using the Design Atlas Framework Section1. Planning for Design: Strategic plans in relation to design activities There were determined strategic plans and objectives for Brand K; however the plans were not updated regularly by analyzing the changing structure of the market. Brand K had been following the same strategy for six years, which was in place since 2001. Brand K gave importance to design and had objectives for design but no clear understanding about where design fitted into its overall strategic corporate plan. The place of design activities was obscure in the overall structure of the company. Additionally, Brand K had long term expectations from design activities but did not give long term decision authority to design managers.

Section 2. Processes for Design: Recognition of management of the design process There was no formal role for design management in Brand K. Design Departments were under control of Product Managers who were highly marketing oriented and a Design Consultant who was not an in- house asset. While the design process was informally determined, there was no decision making authority on critical situations. Also the company used informal and undocumented mechanisms for establishing time scales and design requirements within design projects.

Section 3. Resources for Design: Allocation of investments for design Brand K was able to understand the potential of design investment. Brand K received design consultancy and invested in collaborative collections with well known designers. The company also invested in international travels and exhibition participations of designers as well as in well known trend forecasting tools. Brand K heavily invested in opening stores in high end malls which required high rentals and also which were not regarded as the shopping medium for Brand K’s target market. However Brand K did not invest in technological innovation. Group Z had a high capacity shoe sole manufacturing, but there was no R&D to develop new sole technologies for sports shoes. Also Brand K did not invest in hiring a quality work force for its in-house design team.

Section 4. People for design: Network and organization of design skills Brand K had limited capacity to handle design activity with in-house designers. Because the in-house designers were not experienced in their fields, the company handled the design activities through external designers.

Section 5. Culture for design: General insight into design values of business Senior management for Brand K demonstrated some interest in design with individual projects and made key decisions about design activities, but with frequent delays. Brand K had an organized plan for bringing foot wear and apparel designers and external contributions together at appropriate points during the design process. But the design teams were not multidisciplinary; for example they did not employ a sociologist or a psychologist to understand target consumers and forecast their needs.

Conclusion The case study focused on those relationships that would help to determine and explain those aspects that caused design activities in Brand K to cease. The use of the Design Atlas framework to analyze the design functions and strategies was useful and helped to point to the complex relationships, processes and methods surrounding the design activities within the business and therefore the reasons behind the dissolution of the design unit in Company S.

The implementation of design and design management in a company is a continuous and iterative process. The design activities bear fruit in terms of business success and higher design awareness in the

company over time. Although Company S had long term expectations for design activities, it failed to supply long term design functions. First, the company failed to develop the understanding about where design fitted in the overall corporate structure of the company and therefore decision authority for design managers was very limited. Second, the design processes were not formally determined and time scales or requirements of the design process were not documented. Additionally, resources for design were not distributed evenly and Brand K failed to sustain its long term financial support for the repositioning of the brand. In addition, Brand K was not able to manage the product design process with its in-house designers. Instead, Brand K invested in design consultants which discouraged the development of an in- house design asset in the company. The limited pool of foot wear designers in Turkey also affected the in- house design capacity of Brand K. Higher education focused on foot wear design has just started in Turkey; however there is a pool of industrial designers who can handle foot wear design and who are knowledgeable about formal design process. Instead of hiring Technical Trade School graduates, Brand K could have hired higher quality work force. In the context of Brand K understanding the nature of the current design process and how it could be improved and where it fitted into the overall structure of the company were crucial shortcomings. The in-house design teams of Brand K should have improved their capacities by reflecting on the problems and successes associated with the design process. Appropriate software tools could be used by the company to plan and track the progress of these design projects. Individuals from design teams could have received training to improve the use of different design tools and techniques instead of just relying on the external design consultants. Finally, priority should also have been given to establish design commitment from senior managers; this could have been achieved by clear presentation of progress by the design department. The design commitment of senior management would have led to higher decision authority for design management and therefore to potentially better and more systematic management of design activities.

Further research is needed to explore other activities of the Company S such as sales, marketing or finance and understand the role of these activities in the dissolution of design in Brand K. Further research is also needed in terms of products of Brand K whether they were influential in the failure to sustain design activities.

References British Design Council. (2000). Design Atlas: A tool for auditing design capability. Retrieved January 15, 2009 from http://www.designinbusiness.org.uk/ Haskebapci, A. (2001). Shoe veteran. Zaman. Retrieved December 21, 2006 from http://arsiv.zaman.com.tr/2001/06/25/roportaj1/roportaj1.htm Tuzmen K. (2006). 11th Footwear and fashion exhibition opening speech by Foreign Trade Minister. Retrieved December 21, 2006 from http://www.dtm.gov.tr/basin/aciklama/AYMOFKONUSMA.doc Ulusoy A. (2002). Turkish footwear industry and foreign trade. Undersecratriat of Prime Minister for Foreign Trade. Retrieved December 20, 2006 from http://www.foreigntrade.gov.tr/ead/DTDERGI/Ekim2002/ayakkabi.htm Yildiz, A. E. (2006). Center of attraction: Footwear. Turkish time. Retrieved December 23, 2006 from http://www.turkishtime.org/21/104_tr.asp Yin, R. K. (1984). Case study research design and methods. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

Characteristics of design elements in the environmentally friendly fashion - Focused on content analysis of previous literature -

Seung Yeon Ha, Jae Ok Park, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea

Environmentally friendly, Fashion, Design elements

I. Introduction Lennart Y. Ljungberg(2005) pointed out that excessive consumption, use of resources, pollution and rise of population are the main problems in the future environment. For prevention, they underlined that people should consider the way of lowering impact on the environment in the whole process of product manufacturing, and choose easily recyclable and creatable materials and designs to use the least energy. Also, according to a Samsung design report(2007.02.09) of Korea, environmentally friendly designs and moral products became the most important issue, and interest in organic items has been extended due to the rise in the interest in the environment. In the current fashion design, functionality, comfort and practicability rather than formality became the important part, and the issue of ‘environmental friendliness’ emerged as a major theme in the fashion industry. That is, ‘environmental friendliness’ is the super ordinate concept above any other trend, and it is affecting practically and conceptually on all the sectors of industry and culture. Therefore, this study seeks to examine concrete contents of design elements in the environmentally friendly fashion affected by the major issue of environmental friendliness.

II. Theoretical background The environmentally friendly fashion design means the socially moral products which help contribute to human health and psychological satisfaction and reduce environmental pollution and conserve the natural resources. Such concept of environment-friendly fashion goes back to the concept of LOHAS(Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability), well-being, sustainable development, eco and naturalism. Design element is the means and resource to express the idea of design, and can be classified as line, space, shape, light, color, texture and pattern(Marian L. Davis, 1987). Meanwhile Delong(1998) classified the elements as line, shape, point, surface texture and color. This study classified the factors as line, color, material and texture.

III. Research method and process The subjects for the design elements analysis on environment-friendly fashion design are studies on the Korean and overseas scholarly journals, and are confined to those from 1990, when naturalism and ecology trend started to be in fashion industry, to the moment of search of February 2009. Data was collected mainly on the well-known KISS(Koreanstudies Information Service System) which is professional search site for Korean scholarly treatises and NDSL(National Digital Science Links) which is that for domestic and abroad ones. This study used 'Naturalism', 'Green', 'Environmental-friendly', 'Eco', 'Sustainable', 'Well-being' and 'Lohas' as key words for the search based upon terms in considering the concept of environmentally friendly fashion above. The number of treatises which adopts one of the keywords as part of their titles were Korean ones 36 and overseas 8 totaling 44, among which finally only 22 Korean treatises which are directly related to environmentally friendly fashion design elements were chosen for analysis. Analysis method was quality analysis focused on content analysis. The unit of collection was confined to the above treatises searched by the above mentioned search sites. The unit for content analysis was based upon theoretical frame used by Marian L. Davis(1987) and Eun-young Lee(2003). To express the line,

color, material and texture, related adjectives, nouns and phrases were collected and classified by noun and phrase with similar content. When nouns and phrases representing environmentally friendly design elements were redundant in a study, they were counted as one material. When they were used in different studies, they were counted as separate frequencies. By doing so this study finds out how the elements have changed in the researched period.

IV. Result and discussion

1. The environmentally friendly fashion and line 1) The silhouette of the environmentally friendly fashion The most frequently mentioned line factor was natural style to make comfortable atmosphere with expressions of ‘comfortable and natural style’, ‘drapery silhouette’, ‘loose silhouette’ and ‘beauty of the bodyline without any reduction or exaggeration’. Meanwhile, next was various styles combination of old styles and contemporary factors, which includes the expression of ‘layered styling’, ‘many style mixture’, ‘ethnic style’, ‘vintage style’ and ‘redesign style’ and some of ‘ecology style’ and ‘primitive style’. We classified such most frequent feature of line as natural style generally. The second frequent feature of line is simple and modern silhouette. This style is a style maintaining the entire silhouette and not sensitive to trend. It includes expression of ‘simple silhouette’, ‘minimal style’, ‘basic style’, ‘timeless silhouette’ and ‘retro style’. It is classified as minimal style. The third frequent feature of line is the fashion of affecting reduction of energy saving and wastes by transforming the fashion into several uses and maximized functionality helping save wearing time and manage conveniently with many various ways of wearing and materials such as zippers and snaps. The related expression includes ‘multi-functional’, ‘function-intensive’, ‘reversible clothing’, ‘modular design’, ‘use of zipper and Velcro’, and ‘A-POC making’. It is classified as transformable style. The last feature of line is the style of healthy, psychologically easy, natural, comfortable sports ware style introducing sports wear’s decoration, style and oriental motif to casual ware or daily clothes. The expression includes ‘carports style’, ‘sportive style’, and ‘wellness style’. It is classified as sportive style.

2) Silhouette structure line of environmentally friendly fashion Structure line found out from literature research was construction structure line classified as ‘clear and cut line with weakened structure line’, ‘open-structure’, ‘wrap over’, and ‘unfinished margin to seam’. Detail line includes shaping nature in some of clothes, ‘using drape such as long box turtle neck’, ‘pointing the beauty of emptiness with oriental physical beauty’ and ‘adding handcraft details’. Meanwhile, ‘zip up’, ‘Velcro’, ‘magnet arrangement’, ‘hood’, ‘draw string’, ‘code lock pulling string’, ‘string along waist’, ‘legging pants’, ‘crop pants with the length of knee’ and ‘sneakers’ were found out. Folding and pleating line created by ‘shirring’ and ‘drape was presented’. Decoration and trimming line presented includes ‘natural materials’, ‘shell’, ‘fruit seed’, ‘flower-shaped corsage’, ‘feather’, ‘shell necklace’, ‘necklace and belt made of tree seed and raw crystal necklace’ as well as decoration with ethnic features such ‘beads decorated belt’, and sportive features such as ‘rubber trimming on the edge of sleeve’, ‘various piping line’ and ‘lateral line of jogging suits’.

2. Colors in environmentally friendly fashion The result of analysis of colors in environmentally friendly fashion from previous literature research is as follows. ‘YR(yellow red)’ tops the Munsell’s 10 colors. Warm colors with high brightness such as mainly ‘R(red)’ and ‘Y(yellow)’ and ‘G(green)’ and ‘B(blue)’ were frequent. Besides, non-processed color such as ‘ivory’, ‘beige’, ‘ecru’, ‘brown’ and ‘earth color’ were also presented, which is classified as YR in this study.

The tone of PCCS system was frequent in the order of ‘soft’, ‘pale’, ‘dull’, ‘light grayish’, ‘bright’, and ‘vivid’ tone. ‘Whitened natural color’, ‘pastel color’, ‘natural dyeing color’ were also presented, and classified as soft tone. In achromatic color, ‘white’ top the list followed by ‘grey’ and ‘light gray’. ‘Off white’, ‘cream color’, and ‘elegant white’ were classified as white, and the ‘neutral colors’ were included in achromatic color.

3. The material and texture of environment-friendly fashion The result of analysis of materials and textiles in environmentally friendly fashion from previous literature research is that the ‘traditional natural fabrics’ such as cotton, linen, wool, silk including natural fabrics produced by organic farming top the materials. Next is ‘renewable fabrics’ produced by environment-friendly process, which means the new fabric produced from synthetic fiber or used pet bottle. It is followed by ‘healthy functional natural fabrics’ from natural materials such as bean, green tea, yellow earth, bamboo, milk, corn and Chitosan. Besides other materials ‘recycled for clothes’, ‘knit wear possible to be recreated with its yarn’, ‘functional synthetic fiber for sports wear’ also found out. In terms of surface texture, ‘rough’, ‘wrinkle’, ‘soft and tenderness’ and ‘warm’ were the most frequent features. The terms of form followed by ‘elastic’, ‘light’ and ‘draped’. In terms of response to light, expression such as ‘transparent’, ‘semi-transparent’ and ‘stained’ was presented. In terms of composition technique includes sewing-focused method such as ‘patchwork’, ‘hand knit’, ‘appliqué stitch’, and ‘mesh technique’ and after-sewing method such as ‘embroidery’, ‘tied dyeing’, and ‘print’ were presented. Also, ‘natural dying’ was the most prominent in the processing of environmentally friendly fashion. Besides, there are many other processing methods for functionality including ‘waterproof’, ‘windproof’, ‘deodorization’, and ‘fast dry’ for pleasant wearing, ‘heat absorption and interception for adjusting body temperature’ and ‘processing for prevention of ultra-violet ray, static electricity and electromagnetic wave’.

References Davis, Marian L. (1987). Visual Design in Dress(2Ed.). Prentice Hall College. Delong, Marilyn Revell. (1998). The way we look.(2Ed). NY: Fairchild Publication, a division of ABC Media Inc. Eun Young Lee. (2003). Theory of Fashion Design. Seoul: Kyomunsa. Hae-Joo Choi, Hye-Soon Lee. (2007). A study on the aesthetic characteristics of Korean wellbeing fashion. Journal of the Korea Fashion & Costume Design Association. Vol. 9, No. 2, 139-154. Hee-Yeon Kim, Youngin Kim. (2006). A study on the characteristics of naturalism in fashion design with the change of times. Journal of Korean Society of Color Studies. Vol. 56, No. 7, 31-41. Hyejin Huh, Youngin Kim. (2007). A study on the characteristics of color in ecology look in modern fashion. Journal of Korean Society of Color Studies. Vol.21, No.1, 10-19. Ji Eon Kim. (2007). A study on characteristics of well-being fashion design in digital environment. The Research Journal of the Costume Culture, Vol. 15, No. 5, 796-809. Kyung Ah Lee, Hye Jung Jeon. (1998). A study on naturalism style of fashion – concentrating on the 1990s -. The Costume, Vol 37, 253-273. Ljungberg, Lennart Y. (2005). Materials selection and design for development of sustainable products. Materials & Design, Vol.28, 466-479. Namkyung Jang, Yunjung Kim, and Zanna Joo. (2007). Design for environment within fashion industry. The Research Journal of the Costume Culture. Vol. 15, No. 6, 952-964. Samsungdesign Report. (2007.02.09). Sustainable clothing. Search on 2008.08.04. From www.samsungdesignnet.com So Won Hahn, Youngin Kim. (1999). Ecological image in fashion during the early period of 1990’s. Journal of Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles, Vol. 23, No. 2, 296-306.

Soo Cheol Rhee, Jae Yeun Chung. (2003). A study on the use of organic fabric materials in the 21th century. Journal of the Korean Society of Design Culture. Vol. 9, No. 4, 93-102. Soo-Hyun Kim, Jae-Jung Lee, and Hyun-Sook Chung. (2007). A study on the sustainable fashion design by organic cotton. Journal of Korean Society of Color Studies. Vol. 57, No. 2, 115-131. Su Min Park, Young Sun Yoo. (2008). Characteristics of lohas fashion represented green design in 2000s. Journal of Korean Society of Color Studies. Vol. 32, No. 2, 307-318. Youn Hee Lee, Hyun Ah Lee, and Jae Ok Park. (2007). Sustainable slow design in comtemporary fashion design. Journal of Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles, Vol. 31, No. 1, 21-32.

Natural Dyestuffs: Sustainable Practices for Color Effects

Sherry J. Haar, Kansas State University, Manhattan

dye, solar, decomposition, design

Introduction

Harvesting and dyeing with natural dyes can have both positive and negative impacts on the environment and its inhabitants. From a positive viewpoint, growing natural dyestuffs are beneficial to the environment, provide an alternative to petro-chemical based dyes, can provide employment to regional groups, and support the sustainable tenets of slow design, small scale production and regional expertise (Fletcher, 2008). On the negative side, the typical process of extracting natural dye color consumes water and thermal energy, large amounts of dyestuff are needed compared with the amount of dye released, and some of the chemicals cited to mordant (fix the dye to the fabric) fabrics can be harmful (Fletcher, 2008).

Immersion dyeing is the typical process used to extract dye from plants. The plant material is soaked, simmered, and strained; additional water is added to the dye bath; the bath is simmered, then fabric is added and simmered. Decomposition and solar dyeing are strategies that use minimal amounts of water and no thermal energy as the plant material is placed in a container, just covered in water, and allowed to decompose. Decomposition dyeing relies on time for the dyestuff to decay and solar dyeing utilizes the sun’s heat to enhance the decomposition (Richards & Tyrl, 2005).

Use of decomposition methods allows the dyer to create unique color effects on fabric if the fabric is also in the container and in contact with the plant during extraction. Kadolph and Diadick-Casselman (2004) refer to this method as contact dyeing. Flint (2008) folds fabric around plants and tightly secures the bundles to create plant imprints or “eco-prints” (p. 154).

Purpose and Rationale

The purpose of this presentation is to share methods and results of dye extraction from flowering plants that focus on sustainable methods of decomposition and solar dyeing. Use of these methods allows the dyer to create fabrics with variegated color effects. The rationale for the research is to further the understanding and use of natural dyes as an alternate and sustainable dye method and to provide the designer color options to explore.

Methodology

The process followed practice-based methodology of “developing and making creative work as an explicit and intentional method for specific research purposes” (Gray & Malins, 2004, p. 104). Practice- based methodology supports experimentation as a means to discover and revise methods and techniques with the end result being an artifact (Gray & Malins, 2004).

Process

Dye plants. While natural dyestuffs are commercially available, the author grows dye plants to increase the amount of oxygen in the environment, to reduce the global footprint by not importing dyestuffs, and

to more fully understand the process from seed to end-product. In addition, nurturing the plants allows for interaction with nature and serves as inspiration through a photographic journal.

The plants grown can be categorized by the dominate color that is extracted. Yellow is yielded from weld, marigold, and chamomile; orange from cosmos, coreopsis, and safflower; green from hibiscus and purple basil; blue from indigo and woad; brown from walnut hulls and black hollyhock; beige from rudbeckia and zinnia. See Buchanan (1995) for recommendations on planting a dye garden.

Flower heads, leaves, and hulls are collected throughout the growing season and can be used fresh, dried, refrigerated or frozen. To extract blue from indigo and woad, Buchanan’s (1995) procedure is followed which requires fresh leaves.

Fabric Mordanting. Most plant dyestuffs are adjective or mordant dyes, meaning that the dye needs an assistant to bond the dye molecules and fiber molecules (Niles, 1990). Fabrics made from fibers that are rapidly renewable (hemp, bamboo), organic (cotton), and fair trade (silk) were scoured (washed) and pre- mordanted (mordanted prior to dyeing) with either potassium aluminum sulfate or aluminum acetate following the procedures and amounts recommended by Wipplinger (2005).

Dye Extraction for Color Effects. Decomposition and solar methods were used to extract dye from the plant material. Plant parts were placed amongst damp, pre-mordanted fabric and the fabric was bundled by scrunching, twisting, layering, folding or binding. The bundle was placed (at times, crammed) in a container (stock pot, jar, or self-sealing plastic bag), just covered in water, and allowed to decompose either outside or inside.

Findings

Decomposition methods and contact between the plant and fiber resulted in effects not possible through the typical immersion method. The first effect was variations in color intensity. Direct contact between fabric and plant resulted in more intense color compared to areas where the dye seeped through the fabric. Kadolph & Diadick-Casselman (2004) reported color strength based on amounts of moisture and contact area. Plate a. (see Figure 1) shows variation created from solar dyeing red hibiscus amongst jersey knit of bamboo/organic cotton/spandex.

Insert Graphic 1 about here.

Second, some flowers yield different colors when compared to the immersion method. Black hollyhock yields brownish-gray on silk from immersion extraction, yet when bundled, bagged, and decomposed the color is purple (see Plate b of Figure 1). The orange colors are from cosmos and coreopsis. Cardon (2007) suggests that the prolonged maceration (seeping) allows for molecular changes which can result in color change. Another example, but not pictured, is rudbeckia and gaillardia flowers yield beige when immersion dyed, yet with decomposition and bundling, blue and green is evident from the center of the flower head and from the leaves.

Third, by bundling different flowers, multiple colors can be created on one fabric with one dye process (see Figure 1, Plates b. and c.). Plate c. (see Figure 1) shows analogous colors from yellow-orange to red- orange on an organic cotton t-shirt solar dyed one day with marigold, cosmos, and coreopsis. As zinnias yield little color they were placed throughout to create patterns of resist. Flint (2008) also used planned placement of plants, but in tightly wrapped bundles to create plant imprints or “eco-prints” (p. 154).

From a sustainable viewpoint, decomposition methods are energy efficient in reducing the amount of water used and eliminating the need for thermal energy. The tenet of slow design is supported as the plants are given time to release their color and unique fabrics are created. Growing dye plants is beneficial to the environment and could be developed into small scale production with regional expertise (Fletcher, 2008). Future research will be conducted to compare colorfastness between methods of immersion, solar, and non-solar decomposition.

References

Buchanan, R. (2005). A dyer’s garden. Loveland, CO: Interweave Press. Cardon, D. (2007). Natural dyes: Sources, traditions, technology and science. London: Archetype Publications Ltd. Fletcher, K. (2008). Sustainable fashion & textiles: Design journeys. London: Earthscan. Flint, I. (2008). Eco Colour: Botanical dyes for beautiful textiles. Sydney, NSW: Murdoch Books. Gray, C. & Malins, J. (2004). Visualizing research: A guide to the research process in art and design. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Company. Kadolph, S. J. & Diadick-Casselman, K. (2004). In the bag: Contact natural dyes. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 22(1/2), 15-21. Niles, J. N. (1990). The art and craft of natural dyeing. Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press. Richards, L. & Tyrl, R. J. (2005). Dyes from American native plants: A practical guide. Portland, OR: Timber Press, Inc. Wipplinger, M. (2005). Natural dye instruction booklet. Seattle, WA: Earthues.

Challenging diverse inspired design through overcoming adversity

Kim HongYoun Hahn University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI, USA 54751

Key words: creative design process, cultural inspiration, adversity

Innovative Strategy The goal of this project was to help students learn how to overcome adversity within the creative process by using design constraints based on diverse cultural queues. This was achieved by stressing the idea that design inspiration can emerge from an unprecedented combination of unfamiliar cultural elements. Students were encouraged to think unconventionally and from a new cultural frame of reference by randomizing the cultural selection process and then being told that they had to incorporate their cultural inspirations toward another randomly picked garment category. The motivation behind this project was to use culture as an inspiration by requiring students to think beyond their conventional thought processes and find inspiration for a garment in unexpected places. According to Paksoy and Yalç›n (2005), a design process consists of research, analysis and decision making. A designer needs fresh, innovative ideas and should be able to find inspiration anywhere. Therefore, this project idea was created to encourage students to be a good designer by being a researcher, an interpreter, and a creative thinker.

Purpose of strategy The purpose of this design project was to encourage creativity by using the awareness of a global culture as an inspiration. The students were encouraged to learn how to read clues from different cultures, to absorb them and produce fresh and unique designs. Through this project, students learned how to research, interpret and analyze certain elements of a culture and make decisions for fabric, color and design style that applied to their cultural inspiration and assigned design category.

Implementation of strategy This project was used in a junior level Advanced Pattern Development course in the fall of 2008 and spring of 2009. Students were first asked to pick a category out of a bag. Each student had to pick one of four garment categories (career, casual, cocktail evening wear and theatre costume/wearable art). They then had to randomly pick the name of a culture from a bag. The following geographic locations were used: Africa, Brazil, China, Cuba, England, France, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Russia and Spain. Students were instructed to design a garment from only randomly selected category and culture.

Then, students had to research extensively about the culture they had selected in order to create their designs. Students often used culture as the basis for fabric selection or they used style, color, composition and balance. Some students used architecture as a source of inspiration; others borrowed ideas from traditional dress. Several students found ideas in the people and environment of the culture. For example, they selected brighter and lighter weight fabric if they had chosen a culture from a warmer environment. Some students were inspired by the plants, flowers or fruits that were unique to that culture. Based on their selections, they then had to design; for example Mexican-inspired business wear or Greek-inspired casual dress.

Effectiveness of Strategy

It was evident that the students enjoyed working on this project. Forcing students to explore a culture and design a garment stimulated their creativity. Students learned how to cope with design constraints using a creative process by drawing inspirations from unfamiliar cultural environments. Through the process of overcoming adversity, students discovered ways to apply details of a culture to their garment designs and then go on to create unique and innovative designs. Due to the high number of successful design outcomes, students were encouraged to enter their garments into a design competition.

Plans for Continuation This design project, with slight modifications, will continue next semester. Other design constraints such as getting inspirations from architecture, furniture, fruits, plants and so forth will be applied to this project in order to challenge students to work with other unfamiliar sources that are outside of their comfort zone for inspiration.

Reference: Paksoy, H. & Yalç›n, S. (2005). Architectural Inspirations in Fashion Design: Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium of Interactive media Design, 5-7 January 2005. Istanbul, Turkey.

Automatic Landmark Identifications for Various Body Shapes

Hyunsook Han, Ph.D., Yunja Nam, Ph.D., & *Su-Jeong H. Shin, Ph.D. Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea, *Texas Tech University, Lubbock TX, USA.

Keywords: 3D body scan, Body shapes, Landmarks, Anthropometry

A 3D body scan technology has been used for mass customization in the apparel industry. The accuracy of body measurements is very important for apparel manufacturers to develop patterns and sizing systems. However, most automatic body scan methods often show landmark location errors when dealing with nonstandard body figures (Ashdown and Dunne, 2006). The errors nullify the advantage of saving time for automatic body measurement system, and it creates inaccurate body scan measurements. The inaccuracy causes ineffective sizing systems for apparel mass production. The accuracy and consistency of measurements are related to algorithms of the automatic landmark extraction that are usually predefined by 3D body scan developers.

There are three approaches to automatic landmark extraction. The first approach is to identify a landmark by using geometric characteristics of body surfaces around each landmark. The second approach is to use a statistical relationship among landmarks. The third approach is to match individual body figures to a template model. In the first approach, Dekker et al (1999) detected landmarks based on the relation between the surface shape of each body part to other landmarks (Dekker et al, 1999). A limitation of the study (Dekker et al, 1999) was that only the accuracy of sizes was verified rather than the landmark positions. Wang et al. (2003) extracted feature points using fuzzy logic, and the feature points of the human body were extracted from the relation between the surface shape of each body part and other landmarks (Wang et al, 2003). However, Wang et al. (2003) did not verify the accuracy of the feature points because it focused on the generation of a body feature model. Iat-Fai Leong et al. (2007) automatically detected landmarks through image processing and computer geometry by logically and mathematically analyzing feature point definitions (Iat-Fai Leong et al, 2007).

In the second approach, Ben Azouz et al. (2006) used the “learning of spatial relations” among the characteristics of landmarks and body scan data with landmark sets (Ben Azouz et al, 2006). The learned information was formalized into a pair-wise Markov network. Each node on the network corresponding to the landmark position was a random variable. An edge on the network indicated the positional relation between a pair of landmarks. In addition, Ben Azouz et al. (2006) performed statistical inference on the Markov network for positioning landmarks. The study (Ben Azouz et al, 2006) verified the accuracy of the extracted landmarks.

In the third approach, Au and Yuen (1999) recognized features by creating an original feature model. Landmarks were placed on a torso mannequin, and the original feature model is scanned. Then, each individual landmark in the original feature model was compared and matched to the point clouds in the scanned feature (Au and Yuen, 1999). These approaches have both advantages and disadvantages. However, none of them provide consistency of identifying landmarks on various body shapes. The purpose of this study was to provide algorithms of the automatic landmarks identification that are applicable for describing any various body shapes. In this study, algorithms were developed for the automatic identification of the five landmarks of the torso: bust points, underbust, waist, abdomen, and hip.

In this study, a methodology of identifying landmarks was based on the maximum value, the minimum value, the radical slop changes in front view, the silhouettes, and the cross sections. In addition, statistical position of each landmark was used when any distinct geometrical feature and criterion was not identified. Algorithms of the automatic landmark identification were implemented with C++, and the following coordinate system was used: the leftward direction is to be the x-axis; the upward direction, the y-axis; and forward direction, the z-axis. The x, y, z value of a landmark referred to as width location, height location and depth location, respectively.

The automatic landmark identification written in C++ was tested on a data set of various subjects from Size Korea National Sizing Survey. The WB4 body scanner (Cyberware Co. Ltd., USA) was used in this study. The automatically identified landmarks were compared to the manually marked points. The accuracy and consistency of the automatic landmark identification were verified by evaluating both Mean Differences (MD) and Mean Absolute Differences (MAD). The MD was calculated by subtracting the measure of each manually marked point from the measure of each corresponding automatically identified point. A positive (+) MD means that the measure of the automatically identified point is larger. In addition, one-way ANOVA and Duncan test for multiple comparisons were used to verify if there were any MAD value differences among body figure groups in the significance level set at P≤0.05 level (a>b>c). The MAD of each measurement was compared with the allowable technical errors in the ANSUR Natick/TR-89-044 technical reference (Gordon et al, 1989).

Results Bust landmark identification: The height of bust point (=Y axis) was determined as a ‘first point where slop degree change from minus to plus value (PslopC) on the side silhouette (Sils) from up (armpit height) to down’ (PslopC(Sils)). The difference in width location was calculated between side silhouette bust point (PslopC(Sils)) and actual bust point. As a result, the actual bust point was more outward than the side silhouette bust point by 18~35mm. The bust point of obese body type was more outward than that of normal type. Therefore, this study adjusted the width position of the side silhouette bust point to be mean ratio position of ‘distance between bust points’ to ‘bust width’. There were differences in bust height and width position between ‘automatically identified (AI) bust point’ and ‘manually marked (MM) bust point’ by sex and body figure. The MAD of height was less than the allowable error, 10mm according to ANSUR (Gordon CC et al, 1989). The MAD of width was small and much less than that of the non- adjusted bust point of side silhouette point. By the body figures, the width MD was not significantly different among body types. However, the height MAD of overweight was significantly smaller than other body types. This result indicates that bust point location is easily identifiable in overweight. Underbust landmark identification: The underbust point was identified on a sagittal section. Among many sagittal sections, we used a sagittal section (Ssbust) which passing through the bust point point because the underbust position was clearly revealed at the section and in physical measurement also the underbust point was determined at just under the bust point. There was no significant difference among body shapes in the underbust category. The MAD of height was small and was less than the allowable error 10mm according to ANSUR. This result indicates that the under bust is easily identifiable with high accuracy.

Waist landmark identification: There were two ways to define waist landmarks by body scan developers. One was based on “the small of the back point” and the other was based on “statistical mean value of the waist. The two different methods were tested in this study. “The small of the back” was defined as the point where the spine had the largest indent in side view. In the result, “the small of the back point” had no correlation with the waist point. The mean difference was -30.4mm and the standard deviation was 28.1mm. When the statistical mean waist height (y value) was based on ‘mean ratio of waist-crotch

distance to back neck-crotch distance’, the statistic approach of defining waist was more accurate than using “the small of the back point”.

The front silhouette consisted of a set of points with maximum and minimum x-value on each cross section. According to the ISO definition, a waist landmark is the most concave position. However, the concave position was not easily identifiable for various body shapes. Therefore, in this study, first classify the waist shapes by using three points on the front silhouette; point of underbust height (Pup), point of middle hip height (Pdown) and point of the largest distance from the line connecting those two points(Pconcave).

After the waist classification, two waist shapes were categorized: hourglass waist shapes (X) and rectangular waist shapes (H). The hourglass waist shape (X) had the concave point that was determined as the waist point while the rectangular waist shape (H) did not have any geometrical body surface features around the waist. In this study, two different methods were used for identifying landmarks on waist: ‘waist concave point method’ was used for waist type X (=Hourglass shape) while the ‘mean waist height method’ was for waist type H (= Rectangular shape). When the accuracy was tested separately with two waist types, X and H, the women’s waist type X had height MAD of 4.5mm and waist type H, 7.1mm. The both MAD were less than the allowable error 11mm according to ANSUR.

Abdomen landmark identification: The abdomen point has been set at the most forward protruded point between underbust height and hip height. Abdomen point was determined as the most forward prominent point at the front side silhouette similar to the definition of physical measurement. The search range was limited to the statistically possible range, using the ratio of ‘vertical distance from abdomen to crotch’ to ‘vertical distance from back neck to crotch’. The accuracy was tested on two abdomen types; prominent abdomen and obscure abdomen. For the prominent abdomen type, the MD and MAD of height were between 0mm ~ 5mm in the search range. However, for the obscure abdomen type, the MD and MAD were large 0mm ~47mm and the difference of μ ± 2σ range was greater than that of μ ± 1σ range. The allowable error of abdomen height was not listed in ANSUR. According to the allowable error of waist, 11mm, the MAD of prominent abdomen shape was within the allowable error. However, the MAD of obscure abdomen shape was not within the allowable error.

Hip landmark identification: The hip point was determined at the most backward prominent point when viewed from the side. We limited the search range to μ ± 3σ of ratio of ‘vertical distance from hip to crotch’ to ‘vertical distance from back neck to crotch’. When the identifying landmark method was tested on the various hip shapes, hip point was easy to find on all bodies because buttock was protruded clearly regardless of body types, and the MD of height was small and less than the ANSUR’s allowable error, 7mm.

Conclusions and Suggestions Landmarks were related to body figure factors: the body weight, the waist shape and the abdomen shape. Each body figure was grouped by body weights (= body figure factor) to identify the landmarks of bust points and under bust. The waist was determined with the waist shape (=body figure factor). The waist landmark was identified with a concave point on the upper body from the front view, and the existence of concave point was different by the waist shapes (e.g. Hourglass shape or Rectangular shape). The abdomen landmark was identified with the most forward protruded point on the abdomen shape from the side view. The existence of the protruded point was different by the abdomen types (e.g. Protrusion type or flat type). The hip landmark was identified with the most backward protruded point from the side view.

The body figures could not be grouped by the hip shapes since all body figures had the same protruded point.

Except unclear landmark definitions in physical methods (ISO 8559), the results showed that our algorithms of defining landmarks were valid for various body shapes. When the accuracy of the developed automatic identification in this study, we found problems of identifying landmark locations were due to unavailable ISO physical landmark definitions for various body shapes. Certain definitions of the physical landmarks could not be applied for all different body shapes. For example, abdomen landmark location was not easy to be identified in obscure abdomen shape. The waist landmark location with a definition, “the small of the back point”, had no correlation with the waist location. Most women’s concave points were found in the range between the under bust height and garment’s waist band height. Therefore, it will be necessary to define landmarks based on body figure factors and body shapes. Algorithms in this study will be useful for body scan developers to enhance accuracy of the 3D scan data so that apparel manufacturers and researcher can develop consistent sizing systems for various body shapes.

References Ashdown S. and Lucy Dunne (2006), “A study of automated custom fit: Readiness of the technology for the apparel industry”, Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, Vol. 24 No. 2, pp.121–36. Azouz BZ, Shu C and Mantel A. (2006), “Automatic location of anthropometric landmarks on 3D human models”, Third International Symposium on 3D Data Processing, Visualization and Transmission, 3DPVT 2006, pp. 750–7. Au C.K., Yuen M.M.F. (1999), “Feature-based reverse engineering of mannequin for garment design”, Computer-Aided Design, Vol.31 No. 12, pp.751–9. Dekker L, Douros I, Buxton BF and Treleaven P. (1999), “Building symbolic information for 3D human body modeling from range data”, Proceedings of the Second International Conference on 3-D Digital Imaging and Modeling (3DM’99), pp. 388–97. Gordon CC, Bradtmiller B, Clausen CE, Churchill T, McConville JT, Tebbetts I, et al. (1989), “Anthropometric survey of US Army personnel: Methods & summary statistics. Natick/TR-89-044”, Natick, MA: US Army Natick Research Development and Engineering Center. Iat-Fai Leong, Fang JJ and Tsai MJ. (2007), “Automatic body feature extraction from a marker-less scanned human body”, Computer-Aided Design, Vol.39 No. 7, pp.568–82. ISO 20685 (2005), “3D Scanning Methodologies for Internationally Compatible Anthropometric Databases”, Switzerland: ISO. ISO 8559 (1989), “Garment construction and anthropometric surveys—body dimensions”. Reference no. 8559–1989. Switzerland: ISO. Wang C.C.L, Chang KK and Yuen M.M.F. (2003), “From laser-scanner data to feature human model: A system based on fuzzy logic concept”, Computer-Aided Design, Vol. 25 No. 3, pp.241–53.

A Green Approach to Design: Integration of Sustainable Textile Sourcing and Garment Design in Fashion Studio Coursework

Lisa L. Hayes Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA USA

Keywords: sustainability, design, apparel

Every day there are new technological advances to reduce textiles’ environmental impact. This is an exceptional occasion; we can not only learn about these developments abstractly but should implement them as well (von Furstenberg, 2007). Designers in the future will be expected to deal with complicated environmental, ethical and economic issues and employers will be seeking designers who are competent in these areas. To gain a better understanding of how students perceive sustainability and how to integrate it into the curriculum, a small pilot program was designed. By introducing methods for the identification, sourcing and application of sustainable textiles into an existing junior level studio design course (FASH-352, Sportswear Design), students will gain the confidence necessary to utilize sustainable concepts. After the completion of this course, students will be able to implement sustainable practices throughout their approach to fashion design within the curriculum and in the industry.

Concept The concept of garment design using sustainable materials was integrated into this sportswear course. The course focuses on the creation, sourcing and execution of a set of two “looks” utilizing at least 50% (sustainable) environmentally neutral fabrics or 100% recycled textiles. The students are required to complete a concept board, sketch board, patterns and a tech pack. Concept boards include sustainable fabric research, contact information and swatches for two final looks (3 pieces). Encouraging the students to expand their research and discover not only what sustainability means within our industry today, but also to develop their own strong personal vision, is an important part of this class. For the introductory class, as well as throughout the course, the use of industry terminology and references regarding sustainability is used. Students get an overview of 21st century corporate accountability (the new triple bottom line for textile brands and retailers) and become familiar with international “eco- labeling” (from textile to full-cycle labels). The students are encouraged to create pieces within this course for submission in a local “Green with Fashion” show including 25 industry designers and retail stores. The preparation for the show helps students to understand the scope of the market that currently exists for sustainable design. The projects completed in this class can be added to the students’ portfolio to show perspective employers that the students are embracing environmental and sustainability concerns in fashion and that they see the importance of adopting sustainable practices from a design perspective.

The ten week course is divided into four sections. First, there is an introduction to sustainability and an overview of the current issues facing our industry. There is a student report and oral presentation where the students present research findings on one “green” designer and one “green” company or current product line. Target market, price-points, consumer and aesthetics are all addressed (2 weeks). Second, is the fabric sourcing and concept phase. Students identify and source available organic, sustainable or recycled fabrics available to them. This process presents some significant challenges in comparison to the “traditional” sportswear design course. Often with these new, more innovative, exclusive or costly textiles, everything the students wish to find is not always available. Students revised concepts and reworked sketches to best suit the available colors and fabrics. The students learned to be problem-solvers and to design creative solutions to maintain sustainability without sacrificing style: this is an important

exercise in learning to be a successful designer (2 weeks). The third section of this course includes patternmaking, fitting, and construction in muslin. Students are guided through the process of testing their fabrics to make sure they understand what proper percentages to build into their patterns. After final fittings and completion of the two “looks” (three garments each), the students complete tech packs including a cutters musts, technical sketches and garment spec sheets (5 weeks). In the fourth section of the course (1 week), students are guided through the professional finishing of their looks and the completion of their presentation boards. The final projects are presented at a critique with a sportswear designer. The students present concept boards, designs and an oral presentation on the sourcing of their sustainable fabrics. The students must exhibit a thorough understanding of their fabrics and include information about the supplier. This includes discussing how the fabrics are manufactured, dyed and finished. It is strongly encouraged that the students show any other important developments or fabrics in the supplier’s line.

Research Objectives The primary objective of this pilot project with the junior level sportswear design course was to investigate how practices of sustainability could be successfully incorporated into existing coursework. The following were three goals of this small pilot program: 1. To evaluate the students’ understanding of sustainability in fashion prior to the course 2. To assess whether students gained a better understanding for sustainability in the industry after completion of the course 3. To determine students’ willingness to adopt these practices in their design philosophy for the future

Procedure Students on the first day of class were given a set of questions to establish their level of knowledge on the subject of sustainability and how to see how they valued the importance of implementing sustainable practices in fashion design. All of the basic requirements for the course remained the same with the addition of sustainable fabric sourcing. The first section of the course was extended to two weeks to allow for the delivery of information on best practices for sustainable sourcing and implementation. In addition, the students were required upon completion of the course, to report on the sustainable fabrics they used and other important developments from the same suppliers if any. On the last day of class, the students were again asked the same questions.

Results The initial survey at the onset of class determined that only 10%, or one student total, inherently felt that understanding sustainability was an important skill set for securing a good job following graduation. These findings show that the majority of the students were not consciously practicing sustainability in their current design practices and that they did not possess a thorough understanding of sustainability. The same two study questions were asked at the completion of the course and 80% or 8 students responded that they did feel understanding sustainability and its applications was an important skill set for a young designer. These findings illustrate that the majority of the students are comfortable learning about this new concept and were able to successfully integrate sustainable sourcing into their design process. This was especially successful when designing projects for the “Green with Fashion” show.

Conclusion Addressing sustainability in fashion design studio coursework is an effective way to help students gain a better understanding about the role of sustainability in the industry. Although this was a small

study group (one section), the students appeared eager to solve problems and look for solutions to integrate sustainability. As many of the students worked within the constraints of the design process utilizing sustainable fabrics, their interest in the subject grew. There were some quality issues with the students’ final design projects. Some students settled for available fabrics that were not their first choice or failed to redesign concepts successfully. Finding the best color choices with the limited selection of safe eco-friendly dyes was another problem. With a wider range of resources, some of these problems could potentially be reduced or eliminated. Four students participated in the “Green with Fashion” show. Because of the research for this class, one student decided to do her internship the following term with Lutz &Patmos who are committed to sustainability and to socially responsible production.

The focus on sustainability and green design requirements could be applied to other studio design classes within the curriculum.

References Easton, John (2009) Laws, Labels and Logos: The Key Drivers for Sustainability in the Textiles Supply Chain, AATCC Conference Earth Pledge and von Furstenberg, Diane.(2007) Future Fashion White Pages. Lincoln Park, New Jersey: Greg Barber Co. Siao, Nien. (2008) Towards a Culture of Sustainability in Design, Sustainability of the Textile Fashion Industry Chain: Crop-to-Shop Conference, New Delhi, India: Pearl Academy of Fashion and the North India Section of Textile Institute

Population-based Body Generation

Nambin Heo, DongWook Yoon, Hyeong-seok Ko Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.

Keywords: 3D body scan, anthropometric measurements, virtual human body generation

Introduction Clothing production is targeted to a certain body. Here, the body used to mean a real human body. As clothing field is computerized, however, a body represented and displayed on the computer is gaining more significance. 3D scanning of human bodies and its various uses in clothing production are actively experimented [4]. Meanwhile, the capability – in this work we will call the technology realizing this capability as digital clothing – to construct a garment and preview various aspects of it on the computer before realizing it with real fabrics is also being exercised, in which a completely novel 3D character (contrasted from the 3D scan of a real human) can be the target of the clothing construction. This paper proposes a body generation technique in the context of digital clothing.

There are various modeling techniques which are developed for creating 3D geometries. But, those methods are targeted to professional animators, thus can require a large amount of work for a clothing expert to master the usage. In fact, even for trained animators, satisfactory modeling of a human-like body is not a trivial task. For the digital clothing technology to become a convenient tool to clothing experts, therefore, it is imperative to develop an effective framework for creating a desired human body with intuitive control. This paper proposes a body generation technique which is targeted to clothing experts (rather than 3D animators).

In this work, we propose a population-based optimization framework for human body generation. For generating a natural-looking human body, proposed method looks at the tendency residing in the given population and tries to generate a 3D human body which follows such tendency. For the control of the body shapes, we use the conventional body measurements (such as waist girth and stature) as the control parameters.

Characterization of Body Shape Variation The judgment of human-likeliness of the generated shape is based on the range of shape variation in the given population. This work used the population included in the Civilian American and European Surface Anthropometry Resource Project (CAESAR) [2], which contains about 2,400 individuals along with the anthropometric landmarks.

Systematic handling of the population data calls for the establishment of correspondences across human bodies. The correspondences should be established for arbitrary points of the body surface. We call establishing the correspondence over the entire body as the parameterization. To this end, we adopt an optimization framework [1] for transforming a template body to a scanned body such that the topology of the mesh remains the same but its geometrical shape is deformed into the scanned body shape. For the parameterization of the population, we used the template mesh shown in Figure 1(a). Here, we manually placed the body landmarks on the template mesh. Then, we ran Allen et al.'s optimization technique [1] so that the template mesh is fitted to each individual in the population while constraining the body landmarks of the two bodies coincide each other. The landmark positions of the scanned body are used as a prior knowledge in establishing the correspondence. Figure 1(b) shows the results of the body transformation. We can observe that the transformed meshes closely resemble the scanned bodies in the ©2009, International Textile and Apparel Association, Inc. ITAA Proceedings, #66 – www.itaaonline.org 2009 Proceedings Bellevue, Washington USA

geometrical shape, but the transformed bodies now have complete geometries (without any holes) with the correspondence established.

“Insert Graphic1 about here” Figure 1: Body parameterization: (a) Template Body. Each green cone represents the position of the body landmarks. (b) The results of body transformation: the original scan bodies (top) and their transformed results (bottom).

To judge the plausibility of a shape, we extract the major shape variation components of each segment in the population by performing the principal component analysis (PCA). Through PCA, we can identify the most prominent and insignificant components of the shape variation. When the PCA components are identified, then the 3D mesh of a segment can be expressed in terms of a linear combination of the components. If the weights for prominent components are dominant then we conclude that the shape of the segment follows the general tendency in the population. If weights for insignificant components are large, however, we can conclude the segment is not plausible in that population.

Optimization-based Body Generation Although PCA space is effective for identifying the principal components spanning the shape variation, in general the principal components are not in intuitive shapes. Therefore, generating a desired shape by taking a linear combination of the principal components is a non-trivial task. To overcome this limitation, we develop an optimization framework which establishes the relationship between the body measurements (intuitive control) and the PCA-based shape variation (non-intuitive but mathematically sound shape variation).

When the user needs to generate a new body, he/she just needs to specify the size constraints. Then, the proposed technique automatically generates optimally plausible body shapes from the parameterized population. The overall generation algorithm consists of two steps: 1) the system generates each segment of body independently, and 2) those segments are seamlessly joined according to another optimization process.

Results Experiments were performed on the Windows XP environments. All computations are performed on Intel 2.4 GHz Core 2 Quad processors and 3.0 GB of memory. Our method was embodied with Visual C++ and visualized with OpenGL API.

In our experiments, 250 scan bodies are used to set up the shape variation space for each gender. Our implementation provide eleven size parameters, which consist of four length measures (stature, crotch height, arm length, and head length) and seven girth measures (head, bust, waist, bicep, wrist, knee, and ankle). The size control interface is implemented via the simple MFC user-interface as shown in Figure 2(a). A few results are depicted in Figure 2(b), which are automatically generated to meet the user-given sizes (Table 1). The average error in the realization of the size constraints is about 0.3 (cm).

Table 1: User-specified Size Constraints Crotch Head Arm Bust Waist Head Bicep Wrist Knee Ankle (cm) Stature height length length girth girth girth girth girth girth girth Male 1 177.4 79.7 24.8 53.5 91.8 80.9 58.0 26.4 16.8 34.3 24.9 Male 2 184.5 83.0 25.2 55.2 128.3 87.7 59.7 33.8 20.8 38.1 27.4 Female 1 170.5 78.0 24.5 49.0 96.4 76.0 57.2 24.5 15.2 36.0 24.3 Female 2 171.0 78.5 24.5 49.0 120.8 121.0 62.3 35.1 19.1 43.8 29.3

“Insert Graphic2 about here” Figure 2: (a) User-interface for the body generation. (b) Results of the body generation

Conclusion and Discussion This paper presented a novel population-driven approach for body generation. The proposed method can easily create a plausible human body shape from user-given size constraints. As shown in the results, the proposed method produces natural-looking bodies. Controlling the body shape is intuitive, thus a clothing expert can use the technique without any prior knowledge. During the experiments, we found out that the torso has the most complex shape variations. Realistic torso shape can make the whole body look more appealing. Generation of the torso from just a few sizes cannot cover the entire range of shape variation. The work proposed in [3] might be a effective way to complement the limitation of the technique proposed in this paper.

Acknowledgment We would like to thank Prof. Cindy Istook at North Carolina State University for the suggestion of using the body transformation technique [1] at the early stage of this research. This work was supported by the Brain Korea 21 Project in 2009, Seoul Metropolitan Government R&BD Program (10581), Ministry of Culture Sports and Tourism, ASRI (Automation and Systems Research Institute at Seoul National University), and Ministry of Science and Technology under National Research Laboratory (NRL) grant M10600000232-06J0000-23210.

References [1] B. Allen, B. Curless, and Z. Popovic (2003). The space of human body shapes : reconstruction and parameterization from range scans. ACM Transactions on Graphics, Proc. ACM SIGGRAPH 2003, 22(3):587-594. [2] Robinette, K.M., Daanen, H. and Paquet, E., ``The CAESAR project: a 3-D surface anthropometry survey,". 3-D Digital Imaging and Modeling, 380-386, 1999. [3] Simmons, K.P., Istook, C. and Devarajan, P. (2004) Female figure identification technique (FFIT) for apparel. Part I: Describing female shapes. Journal of Textile and Apparel Management and Technology, 4(1), 2004 [4] Loker, S., Ashdown, S. P., Cowie, L. & Schoenfelder, K. A. (2004). Consumer interest in commercial applications of body scan data. Journal of Textiles and Apparel, Management and Technology, 4(1), 2004.

Apparel Fit Based on Viewing of 3D Virtual Models and Live Models

Dong-Eun Kim and Karen LaBat University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA

Consumers purchasing apparel online are unable to “try on” products. A consumer must determine his or her apparel size by interpreting information from size charts provided by a company. When consumers order customized products and they are not satisfied, especially after a long wait for delivery of the product, the results are what some researchers label cognitive cost and the actual premium cost (Piller, Schubert, Koch, & Möslein, 2005). To prevent these problems, mass customization researchers emphasize the importance of developing well-designed software tools that consumers can use in the product selection process (Dellaert & Stremersch, 2005; Franke & Piller, 2004). With the development of 3D body scanning and 3D virtual garment simulation technologies, online shopping is becoming more promising. However, little research has been done on the fidelity and accuracy of 3D virtual dressing software to prove that it can represent a real person in a garment so that the virtual try-on can be used reliably for apparel fit assessment.

The purpose of the research was (1) to investigate the fidelity and accuracy of a 3D virtual garment simulation tool in assessing fit on a 3D virtual model by comparing the resulting fit on the 3D virtual model and on the participant real body through participant evaluation and (2) to evaluate the effectiveness of the tool for 3D online virtual clothing shopping for consumers.

Ferwerda (2003) presented a conceptual framework to explain functional realism for computer graphics. Measuring functional realism has two criteria: (1) accuracy and (2) fidelity. When the computer graphic image is accurate, it means that its physically measurable property of the image is correct, which can be measured with instruments. When the image has fidelity, the image is true to the reality that the image is representing. This only can be measured by checking if the viewers are able to perform tasks with the image as they do in the real world. Ferwerda’s framework for functional realism in computer graphics is adapted as a framework for this study.

The methodology for this study was developed to replicate an online shopping experience. Participants were recruited from students and employees at a Midwest University. Thirty-seven participants whose measurements were between size 2 to size 20 as specified in the ASTM D 5585-95 size standard (“D 5585-95 standard”, 2001), were recruited. The age range of the participants was 18 to 35 years. Two questionnaires and an interview were used to collect data for the study. The interview used open-ended questions. First, the participants were asked to rate their evaluations on a 7-point scale. Immediately after the participants gave their rating score for one question, the researcher asked the specific reasons for their rating score. Two types of participant fit evaluation questionnaires were used: one for fit evaluation of the virtual pants on the virtual model and one for fit evaluation on the body.

A 3D virtual garment simulation software package developed by a leading US company was selected. Size 8 sloper patterns were revised as dress pants patterns and they were graded down and up to different sizes using the software. The test pants were constructed based on the patterns. A 60% cotton and 40% polyester blend twill gabardine in a medium grey color was selected as the fabric for the test pants. The test fabrics were tested in a professional textile testing lab using the FAST testing method, and the results were input into the software.

During the participants’ first visit, each participant was scanned wearing their bra and panties with a VITUS/smart 3D Body Scanner produced by Human Solutions. Virtual models were made from the participant’s scan. The participants returned to the lab for a second session to evaluate the fit of the virtual and real pants. The participants evaluated the fit of the selected pants simulation using the fit evaluation questionnaire on the virtual model. The evaluation protocol conformed to the following order: overall fit, front waistband, back waistband, abdomen, hip, front thigh, back thigh, front crotch, back crotch, left side, right side, inseams, and hem. After the participants evaluated the pants simulation on their virtual model, they were asked to change into a t-shirt and the test pants over their own bra and panties. The pants were evaluated by the participants on their body in front of a full length mirror using the fit evaluation questionnaire on the body.

The quantitative data from the questionnaires were analyzed using descriptive statistics, two-way repeated measures ANOVA, independent t-test, and Chi-Square test. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Studies. The qualitative data obtained from participants’ interviews was categorized and analyzed according to emerging themes using the content analysis techniques.

The results of the two-way repeated measures ANOVA showed that there was no significant main effect of participant major in the fit evaluation ratings of any of the fit factors (p>.01). There were no significant two-way interactions of the participant major and the fit evaluation type in the fit evaluation rating score of any of the fit factors (p>.01). There were significant main effects of evaluation type (i.e., fit evaluation on the virtual model and fit evaluation on the body) in the fit evaluation rating score of the four fit factors: overall fit, abdomen, back thigh, and front crotch. There were no significant main effects of evaluation type at nine fit factors: front waistband, back waistband, hip, front thigh, back crotch, left side, right side, inseam, and hem. All the fit factors that had significant mean differences between the two evaluation types had higher mean scores from the fit evaluation on the virtual model than the fit evaluation on the body; overall fit had a higher mean score by 0.78, abdomen by 1.00, back thigh by 1.46, and front crotch by 1.43. This indicates that fit representations of the virtual simulation at those fit factors show better fitted appearance than the actual fit on the body.

The participant responses from the interview supported the quantitative results. The general participant responses were that the visual information from the virtual model provided them with an overall idea and feel about the pants fit. The visual information performed as a good starting point to judge fit. They were especially impressed that the visual information of overall pants look or silhouette in relation to their body shape was very accurate. However, participants commented that there were some aspects of the virtual simulation that made the pants fit image inaccurate. The main inaccuracy in the visual information found was that the virtual simulation did not give correct information about fabric texture. The fabric on the virtual model was draped smoothly and did not accurately represent wrinkles that were found with the test pants on the body. Additionally, the visual information on the degree and the location of tightness and looseness was noted as not accurate. Many comments were that the pants simulation on the virtual model looked tighter when compared to the actual test pants on the body.

The results led to the conclusion that the overall accuracy of the virtual simulation tool was moderately good but not to the extent that the participants could perform all the aspects of the meaningful task of the fit evaluation that were important. This indicates that the fidelity of the virtual simulation tool was moderate as well. The results of the study will help software developers in improving the 3D virtual dressing technologies that are accurate enough for consumers to make a satisfactory and reliable online purchase decision.

Piller, F., Schubert, P., Koch, M., & Möslein, K. (2005). Overcoming mass confusion: Collaborative customer co-design in online communities. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 10(4), article 8. Dellaert, B. G. C., & Stremersch, S. (2005). Marketing mass-customized products: Striking a balance between utility and complexity. Journal of Marketing Research, 42(2), 219-227. D 5585-95 standard table of body measurements for adult female misses figure type, sizes 2-20. (2001). Annual book of ASTM standards. section 7, textiles (pp. 777-780). Philadelphia, PA: American Society for Testing and Materials. Ferwerda, J. A. (2003). Three varieties of realism in computer graphics. Paper presented at the SPIE Human Vision and Electronic Imaging' 03. Franke, N., & Piller, F. (2004). Value creation by toolkits for user innovation and design: The Case of the watch market. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 21(6), 401-415.

Evaluation and Improvement of Accuracy of Virtual Avatar based on 3D Scan Data

Min Kyoung Kim, Young Lim Choi, Yunja Nam, Sul Ah Han, Heesoon Yang, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea

Keyword : virtual garment, 3D avatar, intellifit scanner, garment simulation,

Introduction Owing to fast developing computer graphics and IT technology, and changing ideas about fashion among consumers, the new environment known as the online shopping mall has become established. Internet shopping in virtual space is appealing to consumers because it allows them to shop without limitation of time and space and provides them with valuable information, a wide variety of choice and convenience of purchase. The use of internet shopping has steadily increased as an alternative to existing off-line stores (Park & Koh, 2008) but has limits for the customer, in that it is not possible to physically touch the clothing or to try them on. Efforts have therefore been made to develop technology to simulate the fit of the items on the customers themselves (Xu et al., 2002; Loker et al., 2008).

To achieve this goal a 3D Avatar (Imaoka, 1996; Volino et al., 2005; Kim & Park, 2006; Noël, 2008) is being developed, mostly using an avatar with simplified information of body shape. A simplified avatar helps to provide the necessary simulation with increased data process time on the web. However, in order to provide an exact forecast for the look and fit of the apparel, some improvement is required.

There are various three-dimensional body scanners available, using lazer beams or white light. The most accurate and widely used are TC2, Cyberware, Human solution, Telmat, Hamamatsu, NEC, and Gauss. However these scanners cause opposition since they work only if the body to be measured is naked (Loker et al, 2004). In order to improve on this, a scanner called Intellifit which uses low power radio waves is developed. This can scan a fully clothed individual, using the signals that reflect off their skin which is, basically, water. It has certain limitations in terms of exact body measurement, but it is still suitable for customer service. This type of scanners measuring fully clothed individuals, such as Intellifit, is being used for 3D avatar production, as it is considered to be suitable for customer service (www.ifashionmall.co.kr). Therefore it will be necessary in the future to improve on avatar production algorithm using body measurement, such as with the Intellifit scanner, to provide an exact avatar, since it is expected that it will be widely used.

This study aims to evaluate the virtual model composed in 3D scanning technique in order to provide fitting on-line, and suggest a new algorithm to improve the reproduced avatar form.

Methodology In order to evaluate 3D avatar re-productivity and to suggest improving ideas for the existing avatars, we used a questionnaire given to evaluation group, and allowed them to experience 3D scanning and avatar production together with virtual fit, and also measured avatar for the study. The evaluation group consisted of 64 female university students.

We allowed them to experience direct measurement by the Martin's anthropometer as well as a 3D scanner, in order to check the pros and cons of 3D scanning and virtual fit and to evaluate the application method. For 3D scanning, an Intellifit scanner (Intellifit Corp.) was used. Among the sizes measured using the intellifit scanner, 19 body sizes were decided upon and the evaluation group individuals were prompted to produce their own 3D avatar in ifashionmall (www.ifashionmall.co.kr). We tried to identify the problems in avatar production algorithm currently used, by asking the students via a questionnaire about the suitability of the 3D avatar produced. We also aimed to suggest a regression equation improving avatar accuracy by comparing the 3D avatar and the real body. For the 3D avatar measurement, AutoCAD 2005(AUTODESK, Inc) and RapidForm2006 (INUS Technology, Inc, Korea) were used and for the statistical analysis, SPSSWIN 12.0(SPSS Inc.) was utilized.

Results 1. Reappearance evaluation of virtual avatar offered by existing system. As a result of the questionnaire on the virtual fit provided by the current i-Fashionmall, we had a positive response with high favor towards shopping with a virtual avatar. It was found that a 3D virtual fitting would improve customer trust and fitting satisfaction for online shopping. On the other hand, 43.4% of the respondents expressed dissatisfaction about visual expression of the reproduced avatar and replied that the exact evaluation of fitting is difficult due to the gap with the real body shape, in addition to the slow data loading speed.

So, with further studies for improving avatar reproduction and technical improvement for the loading speed of the website, the consumer usage rate should increase as a useful online shopping service.

2. Algorithm suggestion to improve accuracy of virtual avatar In order to analyze the accuracy of avatar reproduced through three-dimensional scanning, we compared the human body proportion and sizes between three-dimensional body scan data and 3D avatar (figure 1). As a result, it appeared that the inexact measurement of bust height and shoulder width was the main reason of dissatisfaction. Also, there were differences in measuring circumference and inseam height between direct measurement and 3D measurement.

2009 Proceedings Bellevue, Washington USA

To solve the high inaccuracy rate problem in the measurement of shoulder and arm widths and bust height when changing into avatar, it was suggested to use the average measurement per group according to the height measurement which was turned out to be highly relative with these three items. The average measurement of those three items was based on the group with the least inaccuracy in the standard errors in each item measured according to different heights, using female body between 18- 24 of ages produced from Size Korea. Considering the height of candidates who participated in the experiment which ranges between 155 and 175 cm, we divided them into four groups and applied the average measurement for each item for the modified avatar production.

3. Verification of modified virtual avatar by new algorithms For the main problems that were identified in virtual avatar modification, i.e. bust height, inseam height, shoulder width and arm length, they were designated according to height groups and the basic avatars were produced accordingly. Among these various avatars, the most similar avatar to individual measurement was selected to be modified so that the size application causes the least problems. For other items including bust circumference, waist circumference, hip circumference and thigh circumference, regression equation was applied to make it close to real human body. The existing basic avatar and the suggested method of modified avatar were compared and checked and as a result, it was proved that avatar's shape reproduction has been improved.

Conclusion To evaluate and improve the accuracy of avatar by 3D scanner to measure the body measurement, a set of evaluators were constructed and they went to make use of avatar and body measurement. According to the survey, by using the 3D virtual simulation, customer satisfaction should increase as they can shop for apparel on-line with full confidence in a good fit.

It appeared, though, the avatar on the web did not reflect exact body measurement when the avatar and human body measurement were compared. It is for sure that the more accurate body measurement is reflected, the more accurate information on apparel fit would be possible, but certain inaccuracy caused during the simplifying process on the web would be unavoidable. And there were some other errors of measurement found during the process of human body measurement on fully clothed individual. As the method used to measure the fully clothed individual using low power radio waves is considered to be the best to suit various customers in the open space, it is necessary to improve on those errors. As an alternative, the regression equation using three-dimensional measurement is suggested to foresee the real measurement in this study. It has been found that bust height has to be added to the modified avatar parameter to improve its accuracy, which can cause difficulty in providing real time service on the web because increasing the number of parameter means slow speed. As a solution to that, it is suggested in this study that rather than having one model avatar to be modified to individual 3D avatar as in the existing method, various avatars with different heights should be presented to be selected and modified into individual avatar.

Reference Imaoka, H. (1996). Three models for garment simulation. International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, 8(3), 10-21. Kim, S. M. & Park, C. K. (2006). Basic garment pattern generation using geometric modeling method. International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, 19(1), 7-17. Loker, S., Ashdown, S., & Carnrite, E. (2008). Dress in the third dimension: online interactivity and its new horizons. Clothing & Textiles Research Journal, 26(2), 164-176. Loker, S., Cowie, L., Ashdown, S., & Lewis, V. D. (2004). Female consumers’ reactions to body scanning. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 22(4), 151-160. Noël, P. L. (2008). Extensible dress: the future of digital clothing. Clothing & Textiles Research Journal, 26(2), 119-130. Park, E. J. & Koh, S. B. (2008). Effects of internet shopping interest, shopping mall attribute, and emotions on impulse buying behavior for fashion products in internet shopping mall. Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles, 32(1), 1-11. Volino, P., Cordier, F., & Magnenat-Thalmann, N. (2005). From early virtual garment simulation to interactive fashion design. Computer-Aided Design, 37(6), 593–608. www.ifashionmall.co.kr Xu, B., Huang, Y., Tu, W., & Chen, T. (2002). Body scanning and modeling for custom fit garments. Journal of Textile and Apparel. Technology and Management, 2(2), 1-11.

Acknowledgement This work was supported by the Technology Infrastructure Foundation Program funded by the ministry of Knowledge Economy, Republic of Korea.

Evaluation of the Clothing Simulation Technology in the aspects of Color, Material, Structural Details, and Silhouette

Dr. Young-A Ko, Graphics & Media Lab, Seoul National University Professor Hyon-Sook Choy, Dongduk Women’s University Professor Hyeong-seok Ko, Graphics & Media Lab, Seoul National University

Keywords: 3D clothing simulation, resemblance evaluation, animation

Introduction Recent technologies in the physics-based simulation of clothes enable fashion designers to preview a clothing product by putting it on the 3D character in the virtual space before producing it with real fabrics. This work is an experimental study on the clothing simulation technology. We tried to estimate the quality the technology can create by (1) reproducing a number of real outfits with the simulation technology, and (2) comparing the results with the real clothes. For this purpose we used six outfits (products of 2008 F/W) sponsored from “École de PARIS” of Raeman Co., Ltd. A group of researchers majoring in clothing were asked to observe the results and score the evaluation sheet. The evaluation sheet was composed of 46 questionnaires covering the following four aspects: color, material, structural detail, and silhouette. The scores were given according to the resemblance of the simulated results with reference to the real outfits, with five points being the highest score and zero point being the lowest score.

Figure 1: Comparison of Real and Simulated Outfits

Steps for the Experiment The outfits sponsored from “École de PARIS” were for the female body with bust 84cm, waist 64cm, and hip 92cm. For this experiment we hired a fashion model with that body size. We captured the 3D motion of a person who took the pose shown in Figure 1 for the simulation. Then, following the steps summarized in Figure 2, we simulated the draping of Outfits #1~#6 and rendered the front, side, and rear views of each outfit. We asked the model to wear the same (this time real) outfits and take the same pose.

We took pictures of the model from the front, side, and back. For each outfit, we provided a total of six pictures (three from the simulation and the other three from the real outfit) for evaluating the resemblance.

(a) (b) (c)

(d) (e) (f)

(g) (h) (i) Figure 2: The simulation was performed by taking the steps (a) through (i) in that order: (a) Loading the pattern-making file. (b) Loading the body. (c) Creating the panels. (d) Constructing the garments by specifying the seams. (e) Draping simulation. (f) Textile design. (g) Textile mapping. (h) Texture mapping. (i) Rendering.

Experimental Results Reproduction of clothes in this work was based on the immediate buckling model proposed in [1, 2, 3]. Forty seven clothing experts were asked to evaluate the resemblance between the real and simulated outfits. Table 1 summarizes the average scores in the aspects of color, material, structured details, and silhouette for Outfits #1~#6. In some cases, scores do not describe the whole situation. In this section we put some explanations which are complementary to the collected scores.

Outfits #1 Outfits #2 Outfits #3 Outfits #4 Outfits #5 Outfits #6

Color 2.91 2.54 3.28 2.18 3.36 1.88

Material 3.65 2.92 3.51 3.17 3.47 2.98

Structural 3.39 3.59 3.48 3.34 3.34 3.56 Details

Silhouette 3.74 3.7 3.74 3.6 3.77 3.67 Table 1: Average scores for Outfits #1~#6

(1) Color

The evaluators noticed some differences in the color between the simulated and real clothes, particularly in Outfits #1 and #6. But we note that the color comparison could have scored higher if the experiment had assistance from a rendering expert; the color in the rendered images is sensitive to the location, intensity, and color of the light sources; the textile/texture mapping on the simulated clothes could have been done in a better quality. In the aspect of color, therefore we estimate that the simulation technology has more potential than what is indicated in the scores.

(2) Material

In the aspect of material, the evaluators could not make a substantial comparison from the given images, except for the differences in the specular reflection on the fabric surfaces.

(3) Structural Details

Although the simulated and real clothes did not match in the minute details, in the aspect of structural details, the resemblance was higher than what the evaluators normally expected. As a result, it got high scores. Figure 3 shows closer shots for the comparison of the structural details.

(4) Silhouette As can be observed from Figure 1, the real and simulated clothes showed strong match in the silhouettes.

Conclusion We conclude this paper by noting that (1) the clothing simulation technology can now simulate fairly complex outfits with striking realism, (2) when the technology is used to reconstruct real clothes, it produces quite comparable results, and (3) unfortunately the present work does not seem to have exploited the full capacity of the technology. A more through experiment might reveal if this technology can be used for more significant purposes in clothing (e.g., substituting the sample clothing production).

Figure 3: Comparison of the structural details in the real and simulated clothes.

Acknowledgments This work was supported by the Brain Korea 21 Project in 2009, Seoul Metropolitan Government R&BD Program (10581), the IT R&D program of MKE/MCST/IITA (ITAA1100090201260001000100100, Development of Digital Clothing Software Technology), ASRI (Automation and Systems Research Institute at Seoul National University), Ministry of Science and Technology under National Research Laboratory (NRL) grant M10600000232-06J0000-23210, and Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism(MCST) and Korea Culture Content Agency(KOCCA) in the Culture Technology(CT) Research & Developement Program 2009.

References

[1] Kwang-Jin Choi and Hyeong-Seok Ko. Stable but Responsive Cloth. ACM Transactions on Graphics (Proceedings of SIGGRAPH 2002), Volume 21, No. 3 (July 2002), pp. 604-610. [2] Kwang-Jin Choi and Hyeong-Seok Ko. Extending the Immediate Buckling Model to Triangular Meshes for Simulating Complex Clothes. Short Presentations in EUROGRAPHICS 2003, pp.187-191, Granada Spain. September 2003. [3] Kwang-Jin Choi and Hyeong-Seok Ko. Research Problems in Clothing Simulation. Computer Aided Design, Volume 37, Issue 6 (May 2005), pp. 585-592.

Drape evaluation of 3D garment simulation

Joohyun Lee, Hyunah Kim, Yunja Nam, Hyoseon Ryu Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Keywords: virtual garment, 3D garment simulation

1. Introduction With the increased desire among customers for individualized and customized fashion products, an interest in 3D virtual garment simulation has been growing throughout the world. 3D garment simulation has used for many things, such as virtual fashion shows, online fashion communities, the virtual trying-on of garments, and more. To represent garments accurately, 3D garment simulation must be accurate and realistic. To achieve this, it is necessary to analyze the correlation between the characteristics of the fabric and the visual image of garment. Such an analysis could be used as a database for 3D garment simulation, and help in the simulation of various fabrics for garments. The objective of this research is to identify the characteristics of 3D garment simulation compared to real garments, with a focus on draping behavior and visual image, using various types of fabrics.

2. Literature review Some researchers(Bae, 2004; Kim, 2000; Kim, 2002; Yoon, 2001) in clothing and textiles used 3D garment simulation as a tool for express clothing design. They identified a possibility that the simulation can be used in the planning step of garment product. In order to use the simulation as a tool for garment product planning or providing product information, it should be more accurate and realistic. In recent years, there were some studies related to developing a method for accurate evaluation of garment simulation using fabric mechanical properties(Jeffrey, 2003; Joohyun 2007; Traci, 2005). However, it is necessary to identify the relation between fabric mechanical properties and visual image.

3. Methods

3.1. 3D garment simulation Five fabrics were selected for 3D garment simulation: fabric 1 (cotton), fabric 2 (Linen), fabric 3 (silk), fabric 4 (wool), and fabric 5 (polyester). When simulating, the mechanical properties of the fabric as measured by KES-FB(Kawabata, 1980) were used. A draping measurement system was used to measure the 3D fabric drape coefficient.

5 flare skirts were simulated in a virtual 3D environment using ‘i-designer,’ a commercial 3D garment simulation software application. The flare skirt pattern(Yunja Nam, 2007)made using 2D pattern CAD software. For comparison, 5 real garments in 5 different fabrics were made using the same pattern. A dress form used to drape the real garments was converted into a virtual body model, and used in 3D garment simulation.

2.2. Evaluation of visual images The visual appearance of 10 flare skirts (5 garment simulation and 5 real garments) was judged subjectively for 32 evaluative terms using a 7-point Likert Scale. The images of 10 flare skirts printed on paper were presented as front, side and back, and shown to the evaluation group of 60 women in their 20s majoring in clothing and textiles.

3.3. Analysis of 3D shape A three dimensional body scanner was used to capture the 5 real draped garments. The scanned data for each garment was processed using reverse engineering software (Rapidform 2006) to create the cross sections of 5 real garments, and then were compared with the cross-sections of 5 virtually draped garments. The drape coefficient, node index, average distance between nodes were chosen as comparative parameters.

3.4. Data Analysis Factor analysis was performed on the subjective evaluation result by applying the criterion of the eigen value of 1 and Varimax orthogonal rotation. To confirm the level of 1 and reliability, the value of Cronbach’s α was calculated. Correlations between subjective and draping evaluation category are examined.

4. Results

4.1. Real garment and 3D garment simulation

Figure 1. Images of real garment and 3D garment simulation

Real garment Real 1 Real 2 Real 3 Real 4 Real 5 (Cotton) (Linen) (Wool) (Silk) (Polyester)

3D garment simulation Simulation1 Simulation2 Simulation3 Simulation4 Simulation5 (Cotton) (Linen) (Wool) (Silk) (Polyester)

4.2. Statistical analysis between visual images and fabric drape evaluation category

4.2.1. Factor analysis In order to identify correlation between visual image and fabric drape coefficient, Factor analysis and Correlation analysis were carried out. The major factors were Factor1(drapeability), Factor2(attractive), Factor3(bulkiness), Factor4(body compensation), and Factor5(activeness).

We analyzed the correlation between the elements of Drapeability factor and five adjectives related to Drapeability factor and 2D fabric drape coefficient. The five adjectives are ‘stiff’, ‘drapable’, ‘flossy’, ‘clingy’, and ‘soft.’ As the results, the correlation of real garment’s Drapeability factor is significant with the five adjectives at the level of 0.01. On the other hand, the correlation of 3D garment simulation’s Drapeability factor is significant with the former two adjectives, ‘stiff’ and ‘drapeability,’ but not with the other three adjectives. That is, the image of 3D garment simulation about the adjectives that can represent real fabrics’ drape, such as ‘flossy’, ‘clingy’, and ‘soft’, is differently estimated from that of the real garment image. Therefore, more studies are required to be performed on the actual mechanical properties of the fabrics affecting the mentioned three adjectives in the simulation.

4.2.2. Correlation between factors and drape evaluation category Regarding the result of the analysis about the correlation between drape coefficient and the node index of a flared skirt and the average distance between nodes are significant both in the real garment and the 3D garment simulation. Thus, correlation analysis was performed to find the correlation between the visual elements related to Drapeability factor. The result convinced us of the close relations of the node index, the average distance between nodes and drape coefficient and Drapeability factor. As a result, in the simulation of flared skirts, we expect the node index, the average distance between nodes and drape coefficient to be important variables.

Table 1. Correlation between factors and drape evaluation category Correlation between node index, distance of nodes and drape coefficient node index (3D) distance between nodes (3D)

Real Virtual Real Virtual -0.955** -0.320 0.942** 0.516** Drape coefficient (2D) **P≤0.01 Correlation between node index, distance of nodes, drape coefficient and Drapeability factor distance node index (3D) drape coefficient (2D) between nodes (3D) Real Virtual Real Virtual Real Virtual Drapeability factor 0.507** 0.337** -0.470** -0.355** -0.504** -0.150* (Factor of visual **P≤0.01, *P≤0.05 evaluation)

5. Conclusion This study analyzed to the correlation between the characteristics of the fabric and the visual image of garment, with a focus on draping behavior and visual image, using various types of fabrics. Firstly, according to analysis of correlation between and 2D fabric drape coefficient, the image of 3D garment

simulation about the adjective items that can represent 2D fabrics’ drape, such as ‘flossy’, ‘clingy’, and ‘soft’, is differently estimated from that of the real garment image. Secondly, according to analysis of correlation between factors and drape evaluation category, in the simulation of flared skirts, we expect the node index, the average distance between nodes and drape coefficient to be important variables. The results of this research are expected to be useful as guidelines for the use of 3D virtual simulation and references for improving the accuracy of the garment images. The further study needs to be made on the characteristics and images of garment for other fabrics and garment items.

References Kim, H. Y.(2000). A Study on the application of 3D digital animation model for fashion design 1. Journal of the Korean Society of Costume, 97–109 Kim, J. E. (2002). Fashion design by 3D simulation based on characteristics and images of rainbow colors. Unpublished Ph. D. dissertation. Yonsei University Bae, L. S.(2004). A Study of Clothing Design in the Digital Age. The Journal of the Korean society of costumes, 63-74 Jeffrey, E.Traci, M. Narahari, K. Pradeep, P.(2003). Accurate 3d Virtual Drape Simulations: A Development Method. ITAA Proceedings #60 Joohyun Lee. Yunja Nam. Ming Hai Cui. Kuengmi Choi. Young Lim Choi. (2007). Fit evaluation of 3D virtual garment. HCI International 2007, 550-558 Kawabata, S.(1980). The Standardization and Analysis of Hand Wvaluation(2nd ed.). The Textile Machinery Society of Japan. Yunja Nam. Jaikyung Park. Hyoungsuook Lee. Kuengmi Choi. (2007). Apparel making. Skirt & pants. Seoul:Khohaksa Traci, M. Narahari, K.(2005). Model for Evaluating Quality of 3D Garment Drape Simulation. ITAA Proceedings #62 Yoon, J. S.(2001). Fashion Illustration thru the application of 3D computer animation technology. Unpublished master Thesis. Ewha Womans University

Re-creation of Hanbok for the Global Market: Analyses of Lee Young Hee’s Designs

Yhe-Young Lee, Assistant Professor, Korea University, Seoul, Korea

Key words: Hanbok, Korean, design, analyses

Introduction Asian styles have forever intrigued western society in the past. For example, the asymmetrical elements of Chinese art were explored in the Rococo style, and exotic Japanese aesthetics attracted many European artists’ attention in the nineteenth century (Mackrell, 2005). In the 1990s, Asian fashion set outstanding trends throughout the world with the release of Asian-themed movies such as M. Butterfly and Indochine; with the opening of David Tang’s Shanghai Tang boutique, which sold Chinese-inspired clothing in New York; and with the popularity of the Dalai Lama (Jones & Leshkowich, 2003). In response to the world’s growing interest in Asian culture, the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced a plan in 2005 to support the globalization of Korean society, with special emphasis on Korean language, cuisine, clothes, Korean paper known as Hanji, Korean-style housing, and Korean studies. Beginning in 2007, the Korean government aggressively promoted the country in order to popularize, industrialize, and globalize Korean culture, which is called Han Style (Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, 2007). The traditional Korean dress, Hanbok, has been one of the central elements of the Han Style promotion plan launched by the Korean government. Although many people have tried to expose Hanbok to the global market, arguably the most successful person to spread Hanbok to the world has been the famous Korean fashion designer, Lee Young Hee. In this study, Lee’s designs were analyzed to search for a successful way to re-create Hanbok for the global market.

Hanbok has influenced Lee ever since she opened her first shop in Korea in 1977. Lee’s first fashion show in Seoul in 1981 not only displayed Hanbok in traditional styles, but also offered a more westernized style to promote and popularize Korean traditional dress alongside the Japanese kimono and South Asian sarong among westerners. In order to introduce the beauty of the Hanbok, Lee attended the Paris prêt-a-porter collection in 1993 and debuted to a huge success. She opened a boutique in Paris and presented designs inspired by Hanbok through 22 fashion shows in Paris. It was during this time that she decided to start a business and spread Hanbok to the United States. In the U.S., she was the first designer to have a fashion show at Carnegie Hall in 2000. Later on, she opened a Hanbok Museum called the Lee Young Hee Museum in Manhattan, New York to display her collection of old traditional Hanbok and accessories. She started to have her fashion shows in New York in 2004. Lee’s popularity was so high that she even contributed her Hanbok designs to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in D.C. In 2007, she donated 16 ensembles of her work, including Korean traditional wedding outfits, for the Korean section of the Smithsonian, which will conserve these works of art for 100 years. Her designs will be analyzed through a fashion criticism model.

Art and Fashion Criticism Models Feldman (1967) proposed an art criticism procedure that consisted of 4 stages: description, formal analysis, interpretation, and judgment. In the description stage, objective properties, including lines, shapes, and colors of an art object, are described and technical features are defined. In the second stage, the qualities of lines, shapes, and colors are discussed, which serve as evidence for interpretation. In the third stage, the meanings of art objects are interpreted in relationship with human lives. A logical interpretation can be made based on objective descriptions and the analyses from stages 1 and 2. Critics

often refer to the artist’s thought or perspective. However, a critical approach is followed to determine an unbiased and underlying meaning of the art object. In the final judgment stage, the art object is evaluated and a rank is given in relation to other pre-existing art works. However, this stage is unnecessary if an in- depth interpretation has already been conducted in the previous stage. Another method of criticism is Carney’s (1994) the style-relative model of art criticism, which consists of 7 stages: locate the style, descriptive features and structures, primary aesthetic features, value features, low-level interpretation, high-level interpretation, and critical judgment. In the first stage, the characteristics of an art object are drawn from historical context. The influence of art movements and schools of artists on the art object and its artist is analyzed in order to locate the style. This style located in the first stage serves as a basis for the direction of the remaining stages of the criticism. The next stage – descriptive features and structures – is similar to Feldman’s description stage. In this stage, critics scrutinize significant properties of an art object including colors, shapes, arrangements, and textures. In the primary aesthetic features stage, non-value features such as “representational, expressive, and exemplified features” are sorted (Carney, 1994, p.19). In this stage, Carney (1994) shows an example of delineating the scene of a painting. In the fourth stage, value features are found from the art object, thereby avoiding the intervention of personal tastes. An interpretation based on visual and external features of an art object comes in the next stage, low-level interpretation, while high-level interpretation stage studies the meanings of an art object in a cultural and historical context taking into consideration social, political, and ideological changes. The final evaluation is performed in the final stage. Based on Carney’s art criticism model, Kim (1997) developed a fashion criticism model composed of six stages: identification of style, description of formal features, description of value features, formal interpretation, socio-cultural interpretation and critical evaluation. Kim’s model was almost identical to Carney’s except she omitted the primary aesthetic features stage.

However, Lee (2006) proposed a fashion criticism model developed from Feldman and Carney’s models, as shown in Figure 1. By identifying the limitation of locating the style in the first stage, before the formal and value features are described, both inductive and deductive ways of identifying the style of fashion objects were proposed. The term descriptive features is used instead of description of formal features, as not only visual but also the auditory, olfactory and tactile features of fashion objects should be considered. Similarly, the term external interpretation was used in place of formal interpretation.

According to Feldman (1967), there are four types of art criticism: journalistic, pedagogical, scholarly, and popular criticism. Scholarly criticism is in-depth analyses and interpretations of past or present art. In

this study, a scholarly fashion criticism was conducted to analyze fashion designer, Lee Young Hee’s Hanbok-inspired designs, based on a fashion criticism model proposed by Lee (2006). The visual features including line, color, and texture, other than auditory, olfactory and tactile features, were the center of focus in the descriptive features stage since photographs were the primary sources of analyses. Photographs of her designs from New York collections, including ’05 S/S, ’06 F/W, ’07, ’08 F/W fashion shows, uploaded in her homepage (http://www.leeyounghee.co.kr) were used for the analyses. Among the photographs shown in her homepage, photographs of the same designs, finales, and traditional Hanbok were excluded from the analyses. A total of 63 designs from 60 photographs were used for the research.

Result: Design Analyses Descriptive Features Most of Lee Young Hee’s designs were A-line silhouettes. Skirts were pleated, gathered, tucked, layered, and wrapped to form wide and loose looking dresses, except 7 H-line silhouette designs among 15 designs analyzed from ‘07 collection. However, amid these 7 designs, 5 designs used wrapped styles of skirts and pants. Only 3 pants designs were found in photographs, and all pants were loose and wide. Only 5 designs were two-piece clothes that were composed of top and lower garments. Except for these two-piece designs, all of her one-piece dresses had high waistlines or no waistlines. Jackets worn with one-piece dresses were often short boleros. Loose light-padded jackets and coats with fur trimmings also appeared in Lee’s ‘06 collection. Excluding jackets and coats, all of her designs were sleeveless. White, orange-red, jade-green, grey, dark red-purple, yellow, brown, navy, pink-beige, and silver were the primary colors used in collections. Dark colors dominated the last 2 collections. Overall, Lee avoided bright colors except for yellow and orange-red used throughout collections as point colors. Color gradation was introduced in Lee’s ‘05 collection.

Shiny or transparent fabrics such as satin, chiffon, and organza were used. Transparent fabrics were often layered in different colors or with satins. Value Features / StyleIidentification

Hanbok has a short jacket and a long gathered skirt wrapped above a woman’s breasts. An A-line silhouette formed by loose and wide skirts matched short jackets in Lee’s designs and estimably represented the proportion and silhouette of Hanbok. Sleeveless or bared top dresses with high waistlines worn without jackets were definitely inspired by the Hanbok skirt. Especially the evening dress composed of just Hanbok skirt was named costume de vent by a French fashion journalist (Lee Young Hee, 2009). In addition, wrapped skirts and pants in H-line silhouettes were also inspired by the Hanbok skirt. Loose pants gathered around the ankles resembled the shape of Korean traditional underpants worn by women. Korean traditional padded or quilted coats and jackets also inspired loose padded jackets and coats.

Main colors including white and other calm and toned down colors were the ones often preferred in traditional Hanbok for adults. Bright colors, such as red used in Hanbok, represented youthful personality, and the color red and white supposedly drove out the evil eye in the past (Geum & DeLong, 1992). Therefore, overall colors used in Lee’s collections featured the image of Hanbok.

Fabrics including silk, cotton, and ramie were traditionally used for making Hanbok. Lee’s designs were mostly made with shiny and transparent silks. However, she also introduced designs which used fabrics woven with yarns made from specially treated Korean traditional paper, Hanji, in her ’08 collection (Lee Young Hee, 2009).

Clearly, Hanbok was a major inspiration to Lee’s designs. However, boleros, jackets and coats with short or set-in-sleeves along with two-piece ensembles with fitted tops came from western fashion styles. In addition, techniques such as ruche and tucks were adopted to make the upper part of one-piece dresses fit to the body like the western style of evening dresses. Thus, she tried to integrate western fashion styles into the Hanbok to appeal to western consumers. External Interpretation

Again, Lee’s designs were basically inspired by Hanbok. Layered styles were reminiscent of petticoats worn under Hanbok. Wrapped styles with front or back openings represented the basic form of Hanbok. Lee tries to create different looks by making some of the dresses and tops fit to the upper torso integrating the western fashion elements. Sleeves attached to jackets and coats were another example of adopting western styles. However, Lee kept sleeves loose and used light padded material to resemble Korean traditional jackets and coats. In addition, she used colors and material traditionally preferred in Hanbok. Therefore, Lee tried to harmonize the original beauty of Hanbok with the western design elements.

Socio-cultural Interpretation / Critical Evaluation Lee believes that the beauty of Hanbok lies in its symbolic representation of Korea’s own philosophy and culture. She wanted to introduce Korean philosophy and culture through Hanbok (Lee, 2007). Korea’s love of peace and elegance was superbly embodied in her indeterminate forms created by loose and wide skirts, transparent materials, and calm and toned down colors with natural dyes. Her goal to introduce such beauty of Hanbok to western society was attained by integrating western design elements.

Conclusion

Through the analyses of Lee Young Hee’s designs, I searched for a successful way to re-create Hanbok for the global market. Her belief in the beauty of Hanbok along with Korean philosophy and culture was embedded in her designs in terms of forms, colors and fabrics. Integration of western design features to her design was limited to the form. I hope the result of this study would contribute to the globalization of Hanbok and other ethnic fashion styles.

References Carney, J. D. (1994). A historical theory of art criticism. Journal of Aesthetic Education, 28(1), 13-29. Feldman, E. B. (1967). Art as image and idea. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Geum, K. & DeLong M. R. (1992). Korean traditional dress as an expression of heritage. Dress, 19, 57- 68. Jones, C., & Leshkowich, A. M. (2003). Introduction: The globalization of Asian dress: Re-orienting fashion or re-orienting Asia? In S. Niessen, A. M. Leshkowich & C. Jones (Eds.), Re-orienting fashion: The globalization of Asian dress (pp. 1-48). Oxford: Berg. Kim, S. (1997). Fashion as a domain of aesthetic inquiry: A postmodern assessment of critical writings on fashion in America between 1980 and 1995. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, New York University, New York. Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (2007). Han Style: Korea the sense. Retrieved April 3, 2009, from http://www.han-style.com/english/index.htm Lee, Y. (2006). Methodological approaches to aesthetic research on dress: Focused on a model for dress criticism. Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association, 44(11), 35-42. Lee, Y. H.(2007). Korean fashion opening the future. Fashion Information and Technology, 4, 44-54. Lee Young Hee (2009). Retreived April 3, 2009, from http://www.leeyounghee.co.kr Mackrell, A. (2005). Art and fashion: The impact of art on fashion and fashion on art. London: Batsford.

Motivating Students to Be More Creative: Using Visual Analysis of Costumes in Film as an Inspirational Source for Apparel Design Courses

YoungJoo Lee, Albright College, Reading, PA 19604 Hae Jin Gam, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790

Keywords: design, curriculum, inspiration, creativity

The creating process is one of the most difficult tasks for apparel design students, although they are expected to be creative as future designers. Especially when they first undertake the creating process, students experience difficulties with tasks such as defining a concept and finding inspirational sources, and apparel design educators must find ways to motivate apparel students to learn and practice skills that allow them to be creative. Kidd and Workman (1999) observed that imagery plays an important role in creative processes, so the creating process can be initiated and motivated by defining inspirational sources.

Two instructors from two institutions collaborated to develop a new teaching method to help increase students’ interest in diverse perspectives for their creative design outcome. Previously, these two instructors had introduced photographs in magazines, paintings, and artifacts as inspirational sources. Using the new method, the instructors introduced historical and modern costumes from films as an inspirational source in a concept development class for junior- and senior-level students and in a draping and design course for junior-level students. Analysis of historic costumes allows designers to define garment details that represent a specific time period and culture (DeLong & Petersen, 2004). The advantages of using film in apparel design classes are 1) to introduce alternative perspectives and interpretations, 2) to increase students’ interests in the topic, and 3) to develop a capacity for the clear communication of creative ideas and meaning. DeLong and Petersen (2004) observed that students often learn costume history through two-dimensional drawings and black-and-white images, and this approach may result in less appreciation for the complexity and nuances of the three-dimensional artifact. Because the method used in this project used film to allow students to see vivid and colorful garment images and how the garments are actually worn, students could visually analyze garments more easily.

In the concept development class, students were first required to analyze the main concept of a film and its costumes. In the second step, students interpreted the concept of the costume collection in the film and reinterpreted it using critical thinking. Third, students set their own concept and wrote a summary of their concept. This stage of teaching was supported by an introduction to the research method. Then students used their chosen concept to plan a range of designs for the main characters in several scenes. Finally, students developed a portfolio of the main character’s costume collection, using their own creative ideas. This final process included peer evaluations of their presentations so students could observe how other students reinterpreted the film’s costumes and created their collections differently.

In the draping class, this new method was used as the inspirational source for the final project after students had learned all the draping techniques. Students voted on one film from a list that was provided, and the selected film was played several times during open lab hours. Students were required to draw design sketches while they watched the movie. After each student completed the inspirational research, they used draping techniques to create a garment. Some students adopted movie costume details and directly interpreted them into their garment designs, and some students’ interpretations were incorporated in an indirect way to create modern ready-to-wear designs. Finally, the class held a fashion show in the

hallway of the main building, and students received very positive feedback from other students and faculty. Students also commented that their creativity improved and that it had been easier to start their designs.

The two instructors concluded that visual analysis of costumes in films makes it easier for students to be motivated to find inspirational research and to be more creative. More than half of the students showed improvement in selecting appropriate fabrics for their designs. In addition, most of the students stated that adapting costumes in the film as an inspirational source helped them to be more creative. Based on students’ positive feedback and the instructors’ personal observations, this new method will continue to be used in design classes in both institutions. In the future, evaluation and feedback from other faculty members and industry professionals will be sought in order to obtain information that will help instructors introduce and teach this method to students more effectively.

References DeLong, M.R., & Petersen, K. (2004). Analysis and characterization of 1930s evening dresses in a university museum collection. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 22(3), 99-112. Kidd, L.K., & Workman, J.E. (1999). Assessment of creativity in apparel design. Clothing and Textile Research Journal, 17(1), 58-64.

Second Life Integration into Three-Dimensional Textile and Fashion Product Design: Applications, Benefits, and Opportunities

Young-A Lee & Ja Young Hwang Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011-1121

Key words: 3D simulation, textile and fashion design, Second Life, virtual fashion

The fashion industry has now sets its sight on the virtual realm of online communities like Second Life (SL), which have become the latest and possibly the most innovative playgrounds for budding fashion designers and well-established fashion brands. Virtual fashion can refer to fashion developed specifically for end use in the the virtual world or fashion that is developed “virtually” via a multi-dimensional application or “in the virtual world” for the real world global apparel industry. How can fashion design learners and academics exploit these unique environments for unparalleled and imaginary clothing experimentation to meet this fast growing industry needs of 3D virtual product representation?

Virtual worlds like Second Life (SL) are becoming important tools for, among other activities, socialization, social networking, entertainment, education, and research collaboration. SL is an Internet- based virtual world launched in 2003, developed by Linden Research, Inc. A downloadable program called the Second Life Viewer enable its users, called “Residents,” to interact with each other through motional avatars, providing an advanced level of a social networking service within a meta-verse. Residents can explore, meet other Residents, socialize, participate in individual and group activities, create, trade, and purchase items and services from one another, including land, clothing, homes, stores, etc.

Virtual reality applications have been used in several learning processes that involve visualization and simulation. The three-dimensional virtual world technology provides a common space for individuals to interact and create an environment that suits their needs. One may establish replications of reality in this virtual space. Alternatively, entirely new spaces can be created to allow the generation and experimentation of ideas. Whatever the purpose, the nature of virtual reality allows students the opportunity to become engaged in a sensory environment and collaborate in a setting that closely replicates the advantages of face-to-face interaction.

The primary purpose of this introductory 3D virtual simulation experience is to provide a transition for fashion design students to shift their visual conceptualization from 2D to 3D fashion product design and development. To aim this goal, a series of in-class 3D design modules are developed to introduce fashion design students to the concept of 3D virtual reality as it relates to fashion product development and presentation. This paper demonstrates one among series of 3D design modules, here virtual T-shirt development, that will be used in a senior level computer-integrated textile and fashion design course. The module includes the step-by-step process to create a simple T-shirt using Adobe Photoshop and to upload T-shirt into Second Life, one type of virtual worlds. Procedures to develop 3D virtual T-shirt are as follows: 1. Creation of an SL avatar (virtual representation of the user): Each student learns the basics of signing on to SL, creating an avatar, navigating on the ground and in the air, reviewing inventory, and changing appearance. 2. Creation of textile pattern design using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

3. 2D application of textile patterns into SL avatar template: In the Photoshop program, one of the SL avatar UV templates, Robin wood, is used to create fabric and body-part textures within the right place of 3-dimensional human body (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. The process of mapping textile pattern design into SL avatar template using Phososhop

4. 3D T-shirt mapping on a human avatar in Second Life (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. T-shirt Design Uploading Process in Second Life

At the completion of this initial 3D design module, students will be able to demonstrate the following skills in a virtual environment: organizational, creative thinking; visual communication; multi-tasking; creative problem solving; collaborative; technology; presentation; and market trend research skills. Furthermore, through completing entire series of 3D design modules, students will gain experience and introductory skills with: multiple techniques for virtual fashion garment product; presentation and product packaging; development of a virtual fashion exhibit; and virtual fashion show production and presentation.

Overall, an application like Second Life (SL) will provide fashion education programs with the tools to teach students a specialized (fashion) conceptual skill set from working in a 3D virtual reality environment. Introductory experience with the 3D virtual reality project in SL will begin to prepare students for the impending changeover to 3D product development and visualization that is currently occurring in industry. It will also pave the way for exploration into the possibilities of development of long distance student collaborations with fashion students from all over the world.

Luck of the Draw: Determining Apparel Design Parameters

Nora M. MacDonald, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV Jane M. Matranga, Stephens College, Columbia, MO

Key words: Apparel, design, illustration, process

Many apparel design students enter design programs with the desire to focus on the 18-to-25- year-old woman with an unlimited budget. Students in a beginning-level apparel design and illustration course at a mid-western college participated in a pilot study. The primary objectives of this design assignment were to encourage students to think beyond their personal frame of reference, venture outside their comfort zone, and examine a broader range of design opportunities.

The morphological forced connections approach, as conceived by Koberg and Bagnall (1981), was developed for ideation. In the Koberg and Bagnall system, a problem is identified, the current solution is determined, and then a list of attributes with many options is generated to allow for the connection of different ideas to be used in the solution to a specific design problem. A chart is developed with all possible attributes needed in the construct of the problem listed across the top with all possible options listed below each attribute. Watkins (1995) related this concept to the apparel design process, suggesting that it could be used for ideation and analysis. Watkins (1995) posited that the designer exhibits greater flexibility if she or he can identify more attributes or categories to post across the top of the chart and exhibits greater fluency if she or he can list many items below each category. Since part of the design process involves exploring options, a morphological forced connections approach was used for an assignment in order to expand the students’ visions as they established design categories.

The problem identified by the instructor was having beginning apparel design students use a narrow approach to establish design parameters. Typical solutions included having the instructor develop an initial list for students from which to frame their apparel line or allowing them to determine their own parameters. It may not have been seen as fair to have the instructor dictate the parameters or not be what students wanted to do. Alternatively if students selected their own parameters, they often selected narrow ones which often overlapped other students’ concepts. A variation of the morphological forced connections technique therefore was used. Using this approach, students were asked to determine as many options as possible for each of the following attributes identified by the instructor including target market, apparel category, and source of design inspiration.

There were eighteen students in two sections, with seven students in one and eleven in the other. All of the students wrote each of their ideas on a separate piece of paper for all three categories and then put these papers into one of three buckets at the front of the design studio. This was followed by drawing one piece of paper from each bucket to determine the parameters of their assignment. For example, one student selected the target market of pregnant women aged 20-to-35, the apparel category of bridal at a moderate price point, and the source of inspiration of fast food. With these types of constraints, students were to design and illustrate a series of garments that were appropriate for the target market, apparel category, and source of inspiration they had drawn from the buckets. Each student had a different combination of parameters which provided a broad examination of options across the projects.

In order to assess the effectiveness of this approach to design exploration, a questionnaire was developed by the investigators and given to each student at the conclusion of the assignment. It included 12 Likert- type questions in which students were asked to rate items on a scale of 1-to-5, where 1 was “strongly ©2009, International Textile and Apparel Association, Inc. ITAA Proceedings, #66 – www.itaaonline.org 2009 Proceedings Bellevue, Washington USA

disagree” and 5 was “strongly agree.” The specific objectives were to determine if students had a better understanding of specific terminology, greater awareness of design categories, and greater confidence in their creativity and ability to explore options. In addition, two open-ended questions probed their initial idea for the type of consumer and company they would like to work for following graduation compared to their thinking about a possible career direction as a result of this assignment.

In general, students (n = 18) indicated that they had a better understanding of terminology, more awareness of design options, and greater confidence in their creativity as a result of using the morphological forced connections approach to structure the assignment. Mean scores for questions 1-4, where students were asked if they had a better understanding of the terms target market, apparel category, price point, and source of inspiration, were 4.28, 4.11, 3.72, and 4.67. Mean scores for questions 5-7, where students were asked if their awareness of people from other cultural backgrounds, knowledge of a specific type of apparel, and how costs affect design increased, were 3.76, 4.59, and 4.12 respectively. In questions 8 and 9, students were asked if their creativity was restricted or enhanced as a result of designing for an arbitrarily assigned category with means scores of 2.22 and 4.22 respectively. Questions 10 and 11 focused on the students’ increase in confidence in designing for a consumer outside their own parameters and expansion of the use of sources of inspiration in design development with means scores of 4.22 and 4.39 respectively. Question 12 asked if students thought their fashion illustration skills improved as a result of completing this project with a mean score of 4.72.

Students judged the project to be effective in getting them to think more openly about the design process. One student noted, “I realize I might get something unexpected to design, not necessarily my top choice, but it can sometimes turn out to be a better thing because it requires getting of the box and being more creative.” Another student commented, “It has given me more ideas in terms of the sheer magnitude of possibilities available.” A third student said that the project “…helped me think outside the box. It showed me that your inspiration doesn’t have to be totally obvious in your finished project.” The assignment also enabled them to think more broadly about their career options. One student observed that “It gave me a sense of curiosity to expand my horizons. I now would like to explore many different target markets and see what I like the most.” Another student commented, “It has given me more ideas in terms of the sheer magnitude of possibilities available.” A third student noted “…there isn’t a lot of clothing for older ladies, such as [those in their] 40s and 50s, and that [it] would be a great business to open.” Future plans include testing this approach with apparel design students at two four-year institutions, targeting beginning design students at both schools. Using the morphological forced connections approach, the concept will be expanded to determine both the students’ flexibility and fluidity. The students first will be asked to determine all possible attributes, not just the three used in the initial pilot study. This will allow for students to identify more categories that need to be considered by apparel firms related to target market, apparel category, and sources of inspiration. For example, this will allow students to identify demographic and psychographic categories for each of several buckets or for placement across the top of a chart. Pre-test, post-test instruments will be developed to assess the students’ understanding of the design process as well as perceptions before and after completion of the project at both institutions.

References

Koberg, D. & Bagnall. 1981. The universal traveler. Los Altos, CA: Wm. Kaufmann. Watkins, S.M. (1995). Clothing: The portable environment. Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press.

Assessing the Anthropometrics of Tween Girls Using 3D Body Scan Measurement Data

Melissa B. Manuel, Pamela V. Ulrich, and Lenda Jo Connell Auburn University, AL

Key words: tweens, anthropometrics, 3D body scanning

Tween girls (ages 9-14), especially plus sizes, have reported difficulty in finding appropriately designed clothing because apparel sizing does not match their body sizes (Brock, 2007; Lee, 2006). Because children’s sizing derives from a study conducted 70 years ago (O’Brien & Girshick, 1939; O’Brien, Girshick & Hunt, 1941) and the incidence of overweight and obesity is rising, new anthropometric analysis is needed to inform sizing so that pattern development can reflect current age-related changes in body shape and measurements. Although O’Brien and Girshick concluded that age was not a good predictor of size, the tween years incorporate pubertal change, including growth spurts in height and weight, and body shape alteration through breast development, defining of the waist, and hip widening (Dowshen, 2007; Whisnant & Zegans, 1975).

Reported here is one part of a larger study which had the purpose of constructing body size and shape profiles of normal and plus size tween girls using 3D body scanning. The following three questions guided this segment of the research: Do (1) body circumference measurement (bust, waist and hip) means; (2) girth relationship (bust-to-waist and hip-to-waist difference) means; and (3) length measurement (hip, waist, and crotch height) means change in relation to age for normal and plus size tweens? Data were collected once in 2004 (n=41) and once in 2005 (n=110) at two sites in the southeastern U.S. Girls were weighed, had heights measured, and were scanned using the [TC]2 NX-12 scanner. The age distribution of the combined convenience sample for each age was: 9 (n=15), 10 (n=20), 11 (n=27), 12 (n=25), 13 (n=28), and 14 (n=30). As data were missing for six girls, the total sample size was 145. Body Mass Indices were calculated, and girls were categorized as normal or plus according to specifications set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2004). Girls at or above the 85th percentile of BMI for age are deemed overweight or at risk for overweight. The sample was composed of 38% of these “plus size” girls and 62% normal size girls.

Comparison of our total sample’s mean heights with those reported by O’Brien et al. (1941) and the CDC’s 50th percentile heights for age revealed that our 9-12 year olds were 2-3.2” taller and 13-14 year olds were 0.6-1.8” taller than the statistics reported in these established sources. Similarly, our sample’s mean weights (at each age) were 10-26 pounds heavier than the O’Brien et al. sample’s means and the CDC’s medians for age. O’Brien and Girshick’s (1939) data included hand measurements of body circumferences and lengths. Comparable measurements were extracted in the body scanning process; the NX-12 scanner has point accuracy of <0.0394” and circumferential accuracy <0.1181”. Our sample’s mean circumference measurements were 1.14-8.98” (bust), 3.4-5.5” (waist), 0.84-6.79” (hips) larger than O’Brien et al. (1941). Our sample’s lengths were 0.4-1.4” longer in most cases, but 0.11-1.71” shorter in some instances. Within the context of our sample showing greater heights and weights than the old anthropometrics upon which children’s sizing is based and than the CDC’s growth charts, the questions reported here sought to determine if major measurement means grew in a linear manner with age for subjects divided into normal and plus sizes. Calculated correlation coefficients representing goodness of fit for circumference measurement means indicated that the growth progressions for normal size tweens were closer to perfect

linearity than for plus size tweens. The statistics for normal size subjects were bust (R2 = 0.954), waist (R2 = 0.977), and hips (R2 = 0.958). Comparable results for plus size subjects were bust (R2 = 0.858), waist (R2 = 0.791), and hips (R2 = 0.770). Because body shape is expected to change through the years associated with puberty, correlation coefficients were calculated for the differences between bust-to-waist and waist-to-hip circumference differences. The results for bust-to-waist were similar for normal and plus sizes (R2 = 0.749 and R2 = 0.710 respectively). The results for waist-to-hip circumference differences were more dissimilar, being R2 = 0.749 for normal sizes and R2 = 0.572 for plus sizes. Correlation results for lengths were mixed and mostly less linear than for circumference results. The statistics for normal size subjects were waist height (R2 = 0.816), hip height (R2 = 0.768), and crotch height (R2 = 0.683). Comparable results for plus size subjects were waist height (R2 = 0.814), hip height (R2 = 0.461), and crotch height (R2 = 0.810).

y = 1.3263x + 25.827 y = 1.2605x + 34.727 45 R2 = 0.9542 R2 = 0.8575 40

0 9 1011121314

Mean‐Normal‐(bust (inch)) Mean‐Plus Size‐(bust (inch)) Linear (Mean‐Normal‐(bust (inch))) Linear (Mean‐Plus Size‐(bust (inch)))

7 y = 0.5016x + 2.8716 y = 0.5141x + 2.9052 2 2 6 R = 0.7489 R = 0.7103

0 Mean‐Normal‐(Bust‐WaistBody‐Scan‐Calculated) 9 1011121314 Mean‐Plus Size‐(Bust‐WaistBody‐Scan‐Calculated) Linear (Mean‐Plus Size‐(Bust‐WaistBody‐Scan‐Calculated)) Linear (Mean‐Normal‐(Bust‐WaistBody‐Scan‐Calculated))

While broad conclusions cannot be drawn from these results because of the sample size and its non- randomness, the greater heights and weights of our subjects compared to the CDC and the 70 year old data implies the need for new anthropometric analysis for sizing and product development. The 38% of our sample that was overweight or obese was somewhat, but not much, more than the 32% of ages 2-19 recently reported to fit that category (CDC, 2009). Correlation results indicated that growth with age linearity was greater for normal than plus size girls. In our sample, the plus size girls were fewer in number and ranged from barely overweight to very obese. Beyond the relative patterns of linearity, the actual inch differences between plus and normal size girls at each age were large enough to reinforce the idea that a segment of plus size tweens need adult sizing in circumference but not length. Normal size girls appeared to more easily fit into existing options for tween sizing with adjustments for up-to-date anthropometrics.

References Brock, M.K. (2007). Exploring apparel relationships and body image of tween girls and their mothers through qualitative analysis of segmented focus groups. Unpublished master’s thesis, Auburn University, Alabama. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2009). Retrieved April 1, 2009 from http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/trend/index.htm Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2004). CDC growth charts 2 to 20 years: Girls body mass index-for-age percentiles. Retrieved September 15, 2004 from http://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts Dowshen, S. (2007). Understanding puberty. Retrieved June 17, 2008 from http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/growing/understanding_puberty.html Lee, S. (2006). Body image perceptions and clothing behavior issues for adolescent daughters and their mothers. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Auburn University, Alabama. O’Brien, R. & Girshick, M. (1939). Children’s body measurements for sizing garments and patterns. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Miscellaneous Publication No. 365. O’Brien, R., Girshick, M., & Hunt, E. (1941). Body measurements of American boys and girls for garment construction. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Miscellaneous Publication No. 366. Whisnant, L. & Zegans, L. (1975). A study of attitudes toward menarche in white middle class American adolescent girls. American Journal of Psychiatry, 132 (8), 809- 814.

A Comparison between the Kenyan-African and Western Distinctive Female Body Shapes

Anne Mastamet-Mason, Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa Helena M De Klerk, University of Pretoria, South Africa Susan P Ashdown, Cornell University, USA

Keywords: Body, Shapes, Sizing, Fit

BACKGROUND

As is still the case in many developed and most developing countries, apparel fit problems continue to plague many female consumers in Kenya. Female body shapes and proportions vary and change over time and between populations. These differences have an impact on the fit of the constructed apparel, be it ready-made or custom-made (Ashdown, 1998; Simmons & Istook, 2003). Given that ready-made apparel depends on an accurate estimate of the distribution of body shapes and sizes within a target population, it becomes necessary for every country, and even regions within countries, to establish their own sizing systems based on the target population. Although a considerable body of sizing and fit research has already been done, most of the research has been done in first-world countries while little has been done in a developing country such as Kenya. Not all body shapes are alike or perfect. Careful evaluation of different figures reveals that most proportions, frameworks, contours and postures may symmetrically or asymmetrically deviate from the so-called ideal figure on which most sizing systems are based. A starting point for the assessment of apparel’s fit is studying the influence that body shapes have on the fit of apparel (Ashdown, Loker & Adelson, 2004). The question for this study was: How does the distinctive Kenyan-African female body shape differ from the identified Western body shapes.

METHODOLOGY

The study was limited to two urban geographical regions in Kenya. The units of analysis were urban high school female teachers who fell within the 25 to 55 age bracket. There are currently no 3D scanners available in Kenya. For the purpose of identifying a distinct body shape of women in Kenya, traditional anthropometrical techniques of attaining body dimensions as well as photography were therefore employed in this study. To be efficient and effective in the exercise, the subjects were provided and requested to wear body suits with minimal thickness and that follow natural contours of the body. Anthropometric measuring instruments were used and measurements were taken according to standardized international standards. One hundred and twenty three participants were measured. Based on the study of somatography (Salusso-Deonier, Markee & Pedersen 1991) and the concept of imagery with the body-scan technologies, it was decided to use photography for this study as an alternative method to body-scan technologies. Eighty-nine participants’ front-, side- and back-view photographs were taken with a digital camera and the researcher was trained in the use of digital photography for this research by a professional photographer. In order to achieve consistency and reliability when photographing, all sets of photographs were taken from the same distance with the subjects and photographer taking the same postures and positions. Six-meter guiding grid paper was mounted on the wall at the back and extended to the front on the floor. The grid paper was made of 15 cm squares with a bolded mid-line, which served as a balancing point when photographing.

The drop values used for identifying body shapes were the difference between the bust and the hip dimensions and the difference between the bust and waist dimensions. The range (maximum and minimum) dimensions of the drop values within the context of anthropometric data of this study were used to sort out different shapes based on the five prevalent shapes (hourglass, triangle, inverted triangle, apple and rectangular) (Shin & Istook, 2007). In visual analysis it is important that the visual parameters are established and clearly defined for the evaluators. The training and the subsequent assessment scale had, in this case, clearly defined body characteristics that served as visual parameters. Two evaluators with professional experience of 14 and 25 years in the field of apparel design and manufacture were believed to be experts and qualified enough for the assessment of the body shapes in this study. An average Kappa value of 0.66 demonstrated moderate inter-rater reliability. Although this was a lower statistic than was expected, it compares well with inter-rater Kappa values from previous body shape research (Connell Ulrich, Brannon, Alexander & Presley, 2006). Significant tests with Kappa (p<0.0001) suggested that there were no complete disagreement between the two evaluators. In cases where the inter- rater reliability was below the Kappa value of 0.75, the specific assessment was subjected to a trained focus group for further evaluation.

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS

Body shapes have in the past been classified into the prevalent five figure types (hourglass, triangle, rectangular, apple and inverted triangle) by drop values. In this study, the different body shapes were defined based on the key dimensions: bust for the upper torso, waist for both upper and lower torso, and the hip for the lower torso. Specific drop values used for the categorisation of body shapes in this study are given in Table 1. Using the range (maximum and minimum) dimensions of the drop values, in combination with Shin and Istook’s (2007) and Rasband and Liechty’s (2006) recommendations, it was possible to identify the different body shapes. Table 1 clearly portrays that the rectangular body shape was the most (74%) prevalent body shape in the sample, followed by the triangle body shape (21.5%). The other body shapes (apple, hourglass and the inverted triangle) had the least representation of 1.5% each. Since most ready-made apparel is manufactured based on the hourglass body shape proportions, Kenya’s career women are therefore likely to experience fit problems with ready-made apparel.

Evaluations of the photographs indicated that the majority (70%) of participants appeared to have a rectangular body shape, while participants who appeared to have a pear body shape were 13%. The rest of the body shapes were hardly represented. The predominant body shape that emerged from the evaluations was the rectangular body shape. Although the pear/triangle body shape was less represented in this study, it emerged as the second most distinctive body shape. Considering that ready-made apparel designs are based on the hourglass body shape, Kenya’s career women with their rectangular shape are therefore likely to encounter fit problems.

The results of this study show that the rectangular body shape is the strikingly distinctive body shape found in both America (Simmons et al., 2004) and Kenya. In contrast, the triangle body shape is the second most common body shape occurring in Kenya’s career women, while America’s second most distinctive body shape is the spoon shape (Simmons et al., 2004), which did not feature at all in this study. In this study (Figure 1), the emerging rectangular front view shape is characterised by a shoulder width that is similar to the width of the hips, and a small waist indentation of less than 9 inches (23 cm). The thighs on the side bulge out beyond the hip width and are full at the inside (crotch), in contrast to the Western body shape. A rounded upper back characterises the profile view, with more roundness concentrated just below the shoulder line and the chest. The back curvature tapers narrowly towards the waistline and abruptly meets the full buttock contour, resulting in a deep hollow waist region (lordosis

curve). The front side of the profile view is characterised by a high abdominal contour that begins to protrude just below the bust line. It begins to curve round almost instantly, and increases as it leads down to the crotch at the centre of the body, resulting in a “D” appearance. A brief description of this kind of body shape would be a curvy, rectangular female body shape. Insert Graphic 1 here

Insert Graphic 2 here

CONCLUSIONS

The study revealed that critical fit points of the distinct rectangular body shape of the career women in Kenya deviate from the fit points of the well-proportioned fit model’s characteristics. The varied critical fit points common to the distinct body shape of this study, are the large buttocks, the thighs, the curvy back profile shape, the large stomach, and the large, low bust. The unique body shape of the female Kenyan consumer most probably contributes to the fit problems that consumers currently experience. The results from both body dimensions as well as evaluations of photographs demonstrate that both techniques, when combined, yield even better results that can address apparel fit problems more usefully. Considering that body scan technology is not popular in developing countries due to its cost and technicalities involved, it may be reasoned that in the meantime both body shape identification techniques could be used simultaneously to produce reliable results.

REFERENCES

Ashdown, S. P. (1998). An investigation of the structure of sizing systems: a comparison of three multidimensional optimized sizing systems generated from anthropometric data with the ASTM standard D5585-94. International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, 10(5), 324-341. Ashdown, S. P., Loker, S. & Adelson, C. (2004). Use of body scan data to design sizing systems based on target markets. [Online] Available http://www.cornell.edu/units/txa/research/ntc/S01-CR01-03.pdf. [2005, Jan. 12]. Connell, L. J, Ulrich, P. V., Brannon, E. L., Alexander, M. & Presley, A. B. (2006). Body shape assessment scale: Instrument development for analysing female figures. Clothing and Textile Research Journal, 24, 80-95. Rasband, J. & Liechty, E. (2006). Fabulous Fit (2nd ed). New York: Fairchild Publications Salusso-Deonier, C. J., Markee, N. L. & Pedersen, E. L. (1991). Developing realistic stimuli for assessing observer’s perceptions of male and female body types. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 72, 603-610. Shin, S. H. & Istook, C. L. (2007). The importance of understanding the shape of diverse ethnic female consumers for developing jeans sizing systems. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 31, 135-143. Simmons, K. P. & Istook, C. L. (2003). Body measurement techniques, comparing 3-D body-scanning and anthropometric methods for apparel applications. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 7(3), 306-332. Simmons, K. P. & Istook, C. L. & Devaranjan, P. (2004). Female Figure identification technique (FFIT) for apparel. Part 1. Describing female shapes. Journal of Textile and Apparel, Technology and Management, 4(1), 1-15.

Effectiveness of Two Methods for Measuring Postural Alignment Improvement of Postural Support Garments

Lisa Barona McRoberts, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana Rinn M. Cloud, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida Catherine Black, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington Xiaoting Wang, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Keywords: body scanning, design, posture, prototype

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of two methods for measuring posture of wear-testers in postural support garments. An established method used in kinesiology studies was compared to a method using a 3-dimensional body scanner.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, spinal problems were the second highest disability in the U.S. in 1999. Spine problems are responsible for 40% of back pain experienced by employees, and account for billions of dollars in lost productivity (Ricci et al. 2006). These problems have led to the need for discreet garments that assist in maintaining proper posture. In our larger study of these garments, we became aware of the need for methods to assess posture.

A review of the literature revealed little information regarding standard methods for measuring posture. A method originally developed in the 1950’s for use in determining physical fitness in grade school boys and girls was included by Howley & Franks in their 1992 handbook for health fitness instructors. The method, based on the New York Posture Rating Chart, involves a visual assessment of the orientation of body parts to a reference line. The method continues to be used in kinesiology studies.

Body scanning technology has become the newest tool for assessing body size and shape as it relates to apparel design. The presentation will review studies that have used body scanning to address pattern making issues for specific postural issues. In 2008, Ashdown and Na assessed individuals and how posture in bilateral symmetry differs amongst females by age groups, 19-35 and 40-55. No study was found that had used body scanning to assess changes in posture for an individual in different garments.

A wear study of thoracic postural support garments was conducted with 15 participants who were assessed for postural alignment at the end of a wear and activity protocol. Each of three garments was worn and assessed on each participant. A control condition with no support garment was also assessed for each participant. The prototype was expected to have improved comfort as compared to the commercial garments and equivalent or better postural alignment effectiveness. Results of comfort assessments have been reported elsewhere. For this study, postural alignment effectiveness refers to the extent to which a support garment provides physical reinforcement to vertically position the vertebrae in the alignment required for good posture as defined by the New York Posture Rating (NYPR) Chart.

The procedure for use of the NYPR Chart was modified to use photographs or body scans instead of performing a live assessment, allowing us to retain the data for future analysis. Participants were positioned in front of a 1 inch by 1 inch grid (Dwyer & Davis, 2008) and were photographed in full front, side and back views including head and feet. The camera, a digital Canon Powershot S500, was situated on a tripod 10 feet from the grid, where the live observer would be positioned (Ostrow, 1958).

An MX-12 white light-based body scanner with non-moving scan heads was used to produce the body scans. The proprietary measurement extraction software from [TC]2 (Cary, North Carolina) was used to translate the output. Additionally, the scans were extracted into a software program for the placement of a grid on each scan to assist in applying the posture scale.

Both the body scans and the photographs were assessed using the NYPR Chart as modified by Howley and Franks (1992). The chart provides figure drawings illustrating the alignment of the human body from each view (front, back and side) with 10 alignment reference points for each view. The illustrations include examples of good (10 points), fair (5 points) or poor (0) alignment for that reference point and view of the body, thus allowing a possible range between 0 and 100 (perfect posture) for each view.

Body scans and photographs were evaluated by three medical professionals, each having a specialization in orthopedics, one with an emphasis in spinal disorders. The evaluators were provided literature and training on the use of the New York Posture Rating Chart prior to evaluating the scans and photographs independently.

The Cronbach’s coefficient alpha for the NYPR/body scan method was = 0.86. Cronbach’s coefficient alpha for the NYPR/ photograph method was = 0.84. Statistical analysis indicated that support garments provided improved posture as compared to the control treatment with no support garment. Some differences in postural alignment effectiveness of the different garments were also found. However, the two methods produced different results, with the photographic method providing more information than the body scanning method. Possible explanations and future solutions will be discussed in the presentation.

REFERENCES

Ashdown, S. P. & Na, H. (2008). Comparison of 3-D body scan data to quantify upper- body postural variation in older and younger women. International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology 26(4), 292-307.

CDC. Prevalence of disabilities and associated health conditions among adults – United States, 1999. [Electronic version]. Retrieved February 24, 2008, from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmrhtm/mm5007a3.htm

Dwyer, G. B.& Davis, S. E. (2008). ACSM’s Health-related Physical Fitness Assessment Manual (2nd ed). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Philadelphia, PA, Eds., 77-95.

Howley, E. & Franks, B. (1992). Health Fitness Instructor’s Handbook (2nd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Books, A Division of Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc.

Ostrow, S. (1958). The New York Physical Fitness Test: A Manual for Teachers of P.E., New York State Education Dept. (Division of HPER) 1958.

Ricci, J., Stewart, W., Chee, E., Leotta, C., Foley, K., and Hochberg, M., (2006). Back pain exacerbations and lost productive time costs in United States workers. Spine. 31(26), 3052-3060.

Visual Design in Action: Developing an Industry-Sponsored Scrub-Design Contest to Give Freshmen Practical Experience with Creative and Functional Design

Phyllis Bell Miller, Mississippi State University

Design, Scrubs, Functional, Nurses

Visual Design in Dress is one of the first courses that students take. To create excitement about the major and to encourage students to use the elements and principles of design, the professor seeks interesting ideas for the final project, which is always a design contest. A company that prepares student nurses to take their board exams contacted the professor for guidance in developing a new product. The owner wanted to create a line of scrubs geared toward a younger demographic, specifically nurses aged 20-25 years who were just entering the profession. They needed assistance with the design, sourcing, and manufacture of the scrubs. The discussions led to the development of a contest for the design of scrubs for men and women and/or a repeat pattern for scrub fabrics.

The contest, which was administered through the company for legal reasons, was open to all college students. The owner and his associates were to serve as judges. All entries were to become the property of the company, with the provision that the student and university would receive credit whenever his/her designs were advertised. The professor developed the contest rules, forms, and illustrative examples. The 35 students enrolled in the Visual Design in Dress course could select scrub design as an option for the final project, which all of them did. The company donated $1100 in prize money. In addition, the professor offered percentage points toward the course grade.

The contest allowed students to work through the steps of the design process, as detailed in the course textbook, Visual Design in Dress1: 1) set the goal; 2) examine outside influences; 3) establish criteria; 4) make the plan; 5) carry out the plan; and 6) evaluate the product. The goal, as indicated in the contest rules, was to design scrubs that would appeal aesthetically to male and female college-aged nurses and others who wore scrubs and to incorporate features that would make scrubs more functional and comfortable. The company’s owner introduced the contest at a meeting of the department’s organization for fashion-oriented students.

To complete the second step—examine outside influences—students first examined catalogs and web sites that featured scrubs. The owner provided the catalogs of companies favored by younger nurses. To obtain more information, the professor worked with the owner to develop a list of interview questions that would identify the preferences of scrub users. Each student was assigned to interview at least two scrub users, including doctors, medical students, nurses, student nurses, occupational therapists, radiologists, orderlies, other hospital personnel, massage therapists, beauticians, and persons who use scrubs for casual wear. Questions included personal demographics; preferred brands and venders; fabric, color, fit, and style preferences; desired functional features; and problem areas. The students conducted more than 70

1 Davis, M. L. (1996). Visual design in dress (3rd ed. (pp. 3-9). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc.

interviews, the results of which the professor compiled and distributed to the class. Students also observed scrub wearers as they performed various job-related tasks and recorded comments and observations. Desirable style features included V-necklines; more flattering fit; more pockets; waistbands with both drawstrings and elastic; more sizes and leg lengths; and fabrics that wrinkle less, don’t shrink, and are colorfast. Women wanted more feminine styles, and men wanted fly fronts. Brights, neutrals, dark colors, and pastels were most preferred, with solids preferred over prints. The most preferred prints were flowers and nature, polka dots, and plaids/stripes. Figures 1 and 2 illustrate how the same design concept was interpreted for females and males, with a more form-fitting silhouette for her and a boxier fit for him. The ensembles also feature coordinating, thermal undershirts in sleeveless, short-sleeved, and long-sleeved versions. The many pockets are designed and positioned to hold all of the items needed throughout the day (Designs by Brenda Willemsen, Mississippi State University).

Students used the information gleaned from the web sites, catalogs, interviews, and observations to establish a list of criteria—step four of the design process. Although the class began to develop the criteria as a group, students were expected to continue to develop criteria on their own and to focus on the criteria that applied to their individual designs. To assist students in articulating their ideas, they also completed a worksheet on which they listed the selected criteria and indicated how they addressed each in their designs. The worksheet also prompted them to explain how they used the elements and principles of design and which color schemes and color keys they used and why. The worksheet was a grading

criterion and was not required for the contest. The grade was based upon how well and how creatively the student satisfied the criteria and used the elements and principles of design.

To assist students in completing step 5 and 6—make and carry out the plan—the professor added a special unit on fashion illustration to the course. They then completed sketches of the scrubs, which included front and back flats of the individual garments and of the scrubs on male and female croquis figures. A description of the scrubs’ special design and functional features was another contest requirement.

The owner came to campus to judge the competition, a process on which he spent three days. The awards session, which included all students who entered the competition, also served as an anonymous critique, during which the owner described the positive and negative aspects of each design. Students received certificates and cash awards for the 11 prizes.

Students reported that they loved the project and gave the course an overall rating of 4.5/5.0. They considered it a very useful, hands-on experience that increased their understanding of the design process and furthered their interest in the major. The company plans to sponsor the contest at least once more and plans to offer an internship to one of the winners, during which he/she will assist in developing the product line. The interview form may become the basis for company-funded research that queries a national sample of scrub users.

Circles of Creativity – a Never-ending Form in Fashion

Linda Öhrn-McDaniel, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio

Key words: Creativity, Circles . From polka dots to circular skirts the circle has been a vital part of fashion for hundreds of years. Lately the use of the circular shape in fabric and patternmaking has been an inspiration for the creative process of many designers. This paper will discuss the creative process as it relates to designers but mainly explore the use of the circle as the inspiration through which creativity has blossomed.

Nigel Cross (2007) has looked at the creative thinking of designers in his article Creative Thinking in Design: An Introduction where he states: “Designers are solution-led not problem-led; for designers, it is the evaluation of the solution that is important, not the analysis of the problem”. As designers strive for the perfect solution the process that takes it there is also highly valued. As a professor of fashion design I often stress to my students the importance of knowing the whole process of design, from sketch to final product. It is therefore interesting to see that those who are involved at every stage of the process can take their creativity to a new level. Washington University psychologist R. Keith Sawyer, author of the new book Explaining Creativity: The Science of Human Innovation, brings up an interesting example about the invention of the first airplane in an interview with Time. He compares the results of Samuel Pierpoint Langley, a government funded scientist, to those of Orville and Wilbur Wright, bicycle mechanics. Langley’s plane plummeted into the river, nine days later the bicycle mechanics got the first plane off the ground. He credits the reason for the success of Orville and Wilbur Wright to the fact that they were involved through the whole process, while Langley hired other people to execute his concept. “Studying the Wrights' diaries, you see that insight and execution are inextricably woven together” says Sawyer (The Hidden Secrets of the Creative Mind 2006). Richard MacCormac an architect relates this philosophy to design by saying that “all relevant information cannot be predicted and established in advance of the design activity. The directions that are taken during the exploration of the design territory are influenced by what is learned along the way, and by the partial glimpses of what might lie ahead. In other words, design is opportunistic, and so the path of exploration cannot be predicted in advance.” ( Cross 2007).

Looking at designers such as Isabel Toledo who is extremely involved in the creative process from initial idea to finished product of each design, one can understand how the pattern is also an important part of the creation. In Toledo’s designs it is not merely about following traditional patternmaking rules, but about challenging them and exploring new possibilities. This is well proven in her use of the circle. According to author and curator Anne Bissonnette it started from a Victorian handbag Toledo saw early in her career. Based on that form she created a series of garments and accessories. Exploring the shape further she has taken the circle in many directions. One example is a dress created by cutting a basic donut shape and using the cut hole for the hem and gathering the circumference on a drawstring to form the neckline. Making this garment in chiffon creates and amazing effect of movement much like an amoeba moving through water. Bissonnette writes about Toledo’s relationship to the circle: “Simple and perfect, the circle is one of her favorite sources of inspiration.” (Bissonnette 2000)

As a fashion designer the circle has also become one of my favorite inspirations. It was something I fought at first, but have learned to embrace this resulting in one of my most successful sources of inspiration. B.F. Skinner said to early psychology students “when you run into something interesting, drop everything else and study it” (Henshon 2009). ©2009, International Textile and Apparel Association, Inc. ITAA Proceedings, #66 – www.itaaonline.org 2009 Proceedings Bellevue, Washington USA

I have learned through this body of work that much of my creativity as well as new ideas come through the process of exploring an existing idea. I often have several projects going at once. Not because that is my initial intention, but because I find it difficult not to get involved with multiple ideas at once. They seem to feed off each other. Sawyer said to Time “ No one can be creative at everything. You have to work hard in your area,….multitasking on several …projects at once might foster unexpected connections and new ideas” Hidden Secrets of the Creative Mind 2006). One idea seems to lead to another, a new solution not always better but different from the previous. I am captivated by each new solution rather than focused on the problem.

My work starts from the inspiration of the circle and looking at the various ways one can see the circle. The ubiquitous circle is found everywhere; in fruits, berries, planets, balls, and plates, to name a few. Circles also have symbolic meaning; as shown in wedding rings and Stone Circles, and figurative connotations, such as “running in circles” and the “circle of life.” As I developed this body of work I split the inspiration into two groups; shape related and word related. The first group focuses on the shape both used directly in the patternmaking and fit of the garment and in the aesthetic appearance. The second group focuses on words and expressions used as inspirations such as “running in circles” and “circle the wagons”.

The first group was where this inspiration started: through circular holes in a garment. I was interested in the connection between the layers of clothing, utilizing the garment worn underneath as embellishment. The possibilities of the circle had opened up a whole new world to me and I realized that when I limited my inspiration to a single shape I was able to see more opportunities and be more creative. I didn’t realize at the time that I was following Skinner’s advice. The first dresses in the group are inspired by circular shapes such found in as cherries and buttons. The latest, focus has been on the simple shape of the circle creating different kinds of fit in garments. In one of the dresses a multitude of circles were inset in the dress to create the fit and silhouette instead of using traditional fit seams, this dress can be seen in the image below.

Another has circles radiating from the stomach; a maternity dress where the focus is placed on the growth of the baby. A third dress has a donut shape placed at the top of a strapless bodice then gathers held in around the waist.

The second group focuses on words and phrases that contain the word circle and use that as inspiration for my work. These garments may not visibly have circles as a part of them; instead the garment is an interpretation or illustration of the word or phrase that it was inspired by. An example from this group is “Circle the Wagons”. Circle the Wagons is an interpretation of the idea of using a wagon as protection. Therefore the inspiration became cars and armor (wearable protection). The bodice is created by hammered steel with hood pins as closures and an auto body finish to get a true car feel. The skirt is created of a heavy leather representing the interior of the car. (bodice created by Patrick Thaden of thadenarmory.com).

In conclusion, a focus on one source of inspiration for an extended period of time fosters creativity. It gives you opportunity to find new things and further develop ideas in ways multiple inspirations might hinder. I have found through this experience that the more I limit myself the more creative I get and the more inspired I become. Through learning about creativity one can understand the importance of the whole process for successful design, as the exploration and the process is what brings us further.

Cross, N.(2007) Creative Thinking in Design: An Introduction. Science of Design Symposium Henshon, S.(2009) Highly Inventive Explorer of Creativity: An interview with John Baer. Roeper Review, 31:3-7 The Hidden Secrets of the Creative Mind: An Interview with R. Keith Sawyer. (2006, January 8.) Time on the Web Bissonnette, A. (2000) Organic Geometry Kent State University Museum. Retrieved 3/30/2008 from the World Wide Web. http://dept.kent.edu/museum/exhibit/toledo/OG.html

Connections: Apparel Design and Community

Belinda T. Orzada, , University of Delaware Newark, DE 19716 USA

Key words: apparel design, collection, community

In our apparel design curriculum, seniors complete a course, Apparel Collection Development, in which they conceptualize, design, visually communicate, and professionally execute a coordinated apparel collection. Inspired by a common theme and criteria, they translate this into three ensembles during a one semester 3-credit course. This course provides a capstone experience for our students by requiring extensive creative research and problem solving during design development. Integral to the design concept is a necessary depth to the project; a connection to an idea that broadens the students’ experiences.

The purpose of this paper is to share a new strategy developed for this course which provides the apparel design students a broader audience for their work and a direct connection to the community. In Fall 2007 and again in 2008, students enrolled in this course were assigned a theme with a connection to the greater campus and the community. Connecting with a community event has numerous benefits. Foremost, is exposure of the students’ work to a broad audience of people from the community. The department holds an annual student fashion show on campus, which is primarily attended by friends and family of the apparel design students; however, a connection to the community provides a second exhibition of their work to a different audience. Local connections also allow easy access to expert speakers and field trip costs are negligible. Finally, of benefit to the department, is the outreach, advertising, and development opportunities such a connection brings.

The first project in Fall 2007, Connecting Concepts of Fashion and Art: Through an exploration of the Pre-Raphaelite beliefs, celebrated the return of a collection of Pre-Raphaelite art to the Delaware Art Museum. The second project paired the students with a celebrated classical violinist, Xiang Gao, on campus as a contribution to his annual multimedia performance, iMusic.

2007 Project overview: Your collection theme is focused on an exploration of the Pre-Raphaelite artists and poets as a source of inspiration and design discovery. You will research their concepts and artistic outcomes, paying close attention to the connections – how their beliefs were actualized in their art and how their art resonated with their context in time. Explore the concepts that are at the core of Pre-Raphaelite beliefs. View the exhibition of their work at the Delaware Art Museum and research the meaning and context of their work. Then you will develop your own collection based on the concepts you find most meaningful.

2008 Project overview: Your collection theme is focused on an exploration of the aesthetic similarities between music and fashion; specifically, the romantic classical and baroque periods of the 18th and 19th centuries. You will research the composers, listen to the music, and explore their concepts and artistic outcomes, paying close attention to the connections – similarities in aesthetics, social and cultural influences, and how the music resonates with the context in time. Explore the concepts that represent aesthetic connections between fashion and music. Listen to classical music (Bach, Vivaldi, etc. … baroque, romantic…). Research the historical time period. What was going on in the world? What were people wearing during this time? You will then develop your own collection based on the concepts you find most meaningful. ©2009, International Textile and Apparel Association, Inc. ITAA Proceedings, #66 – www.itaaonline.org 2009 Proceedings Bellevue, Washington USA

Common Design Parameters 1. Create a Design Journal. Include observations, reactions, notes, inspirational ideas, viewpoints, swatches, and sketches. Bring your journal to every class session, as it will be checked regularly throughout the semester. 2. Write a Design Concept Paper that explains your research and justification for your own collection direction. Include a statement of your personal interpretation of the concepts and beliefs behind Pre-Raphaelite art (classical music). Then explain how you intend to focus and manifest these ideas into a collection that will hold meaning within today’s fashion. Cite sources. 3. Explore techniques and materials that incorporate surface embellishments, structural details, and/or coloration methods. Complete multiple technical studies. 4. Portray your interpretation of the project concepts through a collection of related garments. Develop a storyboard clearly illustrating your theme, through bulleted concepts, design ideas (propose at least 10 ensembles), materials, trims, and techniques (actual samples). 5. Create a minimum of three ensembles, selecting materials and trims appropriate to your justification and theme. Include three to five surface and/or structural methods in the garment design. 6. Design for the market of your choice for the year 20xx (minimum of three years in the future). 7. Present your collection for a final critique, and at a fashion show to be held at the art museum 2007 (as part of a multimedia classical music performance 2008).

Discussion Based on my experiences guiding and mentoring these students, I feel they, and their designs, have risen to the challenge. By incorporating expert guest lectures, the students gain additional first hand knowledge, can ask questions about a topic and receive feedback from an expert in the field. The guest lecturers provide information, inspiration and critique, improving the students’ understanding of the concepts they should research. For instance, Margaretta Frederick, Curator of the Pre-Raphaelite exhibit gave a lecture on the Pre-Raphaelite movement and its connection to dress of the time. We were also able to have a guided tour of the exhibit. Xiang Gao, the violinist, shared his insights on various classical composers and their styles to provide the students a starting point in their research. The information from these lectures, their design journal and research, contributed to the development of a written design concept paper. Putting their ideas in writing has helped them formulate stronger design concepts.

Students are enthused about the additional exhibition opportunity. They work hard to meet the challenges of exhibiting to a broader audience and in non-traditional fashion show venues. The first class presented their collections in a fashion show in conjunction with a “First Friday Art Loop” event at the art museum. The 2008 class each exhibited one ensemble from their collection as part of a multimedia classical music appreciation performance that included actors, poets, the university chorale, and classical violin and piano. Both were a great success and a great deal of positive feedback was received from those involved. When given the opportunity to teach this course again, I plan to continue to seek out connections with the community to build a stronger learning experience for my students.

Exploration of Nonwoven Fabrics for Men’s Jackets

Belinda T. Orzada, University of Delaware, Newark, DE

Key words: nonwovens, menswear

The United States is the largest producer and consumer of nonwoven textiles. While more apparel and textile goods are imported than exported in this country, that trend has not affected the nonwovens sector. In fact, global nonwovens production was forecasted to increase by 8.5% annually through 2006. Driven by products that can be made at high speed and at low cost, are innovative, and have value added processes, the nonwoven industry is one of the fastest growing sectors of the textile industry. The high capital and low labor requirements for nonwoven production make this textile industry sector less attractive to developing countries (Amir and Moore, 2005).

Purpose The largest portion of nonwovens production is dedicated to wipes, hygiene products, and industrial uses. In an effort to keep nonwovens production in the US, the nonwoven fabrics industry is actively searching for new market areas: fashion apparel being one of those. Backhouse and Webster (2008, p. 40) believe nonwovens are “on the threshold of offering a genuine challenge in garment (and fashion) end uses”. Realizing that exposure to a new product as a student could provide a connection for future use of that product, the nonwovens industry has connected with schools such as the University of Delaware (Orzada, 2006), North Carolina State University (Dutton & Istook, 2006), University of Leeds (Backhouse & Webster, 2008), among others, to provide opportunities for apparel design students to develop apparel using nonwoven fabrics. These opportunities have resulted in some very creative applications in women’s fashion.

In apparel manufacturing, the selection of an appropriate fabric for a particular garment is essential. It is through knowledge of fabric characteristics that apparel manufacturers can make informed fabric choices resulting in successful, high quality garments. Subjective assessment of a new fabric for acceptability in a particular apparel market is important in the product development process. The previously mentioned student projects did not focus on one specific garment type. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to define an appropriate fashion apparel segment for exploratory product development of nonwoven fabric fashion garments.

Our research goals were to research appropriate garment structures and target markets for fashion garments of nonwoven fabric, to pattern and construct a total of six garments in three selected styles, to conduct wear tests of the garments in a variety of typical wear conditions, and to address fabric performance and comfort factors through a survey of the wear test participants.

Methodology Sports apparel for men, specifically a windbreaker style jacket was selected as the final garment style for testing. Three styles of jacket, one with raglan sleeves and two variations in standard shirt-sleeve style, were developed using flat pattern techniques. Two sizes were constructed of each style jacket. Two polypropylene spun bonded nonwoven fabrics and one polyester/polyamide blend microfiber nonwoven were selected for use in garment construction.

A convenience sample of six college-age male volunteers participated in a wear test of the sample jackets. The participants were asked to wear the jackets in a variety of conditions over the course of a two-week time period. Participants kept a log of the amount of time the garments were worn, weather conditions during wear, activities performed during wear, and their comfort perceptions of the fabric used in the garments. A focus group discussion in a semi-structured, open ended format was held with the participants to more fully ascertain their perceptions of the fabric and probe more deeply into their sense of the fabrics’ comfort factors and also their sense of the appropriateness of the fabric for the style of garment.

Results Subjective assessment of a new fabric for acceptability in a particular apparel market is important in the product development process. Results of the study indicate a mixed positive perception of nonwoven fabrics for windbreaker style jackets. The participants believed fashion conscious people might be interested in garments of these fabrics because they are new and different; some liked the texture of their jacket fabric, others did not. From their experiences wearing the jackets, the men reported younger age groups did not like the fabric, while older ones were intrigued by it. The fabrics were comfortable for moderate activity in moderate conditions. They were not comfortable for hot, humid conditions or very cold conditions. The suggestion was made to try these fabrics in a winter jacket style with appropriate interlinings. Beyond jackets, it was difficult for the men to picture this fabric in other garment types.

Implications and Future Research Directions Further investigation of men’s jackets in nonwoven fabrics is warranted. Carefully selected nonwoven fabrics with appropriate colors and textures, and characteristics that allow better wicking, breathability, water or wind repellency will reduce some of the initial dissonance that the participants in this study felt, and allow for a study more directly focused on the possibilities of nonwovens in this target market.

References Amir, A. and Moore, E. (2005). Global Textile and Apparel Business Dynamics. Journal of Textile and Apparel Technology and Management, 4(4), 1-19. Backhouse, D. and Webster, L. (2008, December). Fashion: Function in Action. Nonwovens Industry, 36- 40. Dutton, K., & Istook, C. (2006). INTC 2005 Fashion Development Students Wow the Industry in Conference?s First Ever Fashion Show. Journal of Textile and Apparel, Technology and Management , 1 (5) Orzada. (2006). Blank Canvas. Proceedings of the International Nonwovens Technical Conference. Houston, TX.

Evaluation of Prototype Personal Cooling Interfaced with a Liquid Cooled Garment under Hazmat Suits

Semra Peksoz, Cathy Starr, Kyeyoun Choi, Panagiotis Kamenidis, Huiju Park and Donna Branson, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK

Key words: cooling vest, hazmat, thermal comfort

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness and acceptability of prototype cooling units developed specifically for use under Level A and Level B Personal Protective Equipment. It is widely documented by numerous studies that the microclimate inside any Hazmat suit makes it challenging to the worker to perform his duties due to the impermeability of the garments that aids in heat build-up (Zeigler, 2002; Bishop, Jung, and Church, 2003; Levine, Sawka, and Gonzalez, 1998; Zeigler, 2002). Personal cooling devices have been recommended by Occupational Safety & Health Administration (Chemical protective clothing, OSHA Technical Manual, 2009). Existing cooling devices either have a short duration of thermal relief or are too heavy and bulky to be practical in carrying them under protective clothing. Improving portability and lengthening the effective cooling time has been a driving force behind developing the prototype cooling unit that was the subject of this study.

The Latin Squares experimental design was used to evaluate the cooling effectiveness and duration of personal cooling systems (PCS) through assessing subjects’ selected physiological and subjective responses while wearing no cooling garment and three prototype cooling systems under PPE while performing a typical workload under controlled environmental conditions. The garments treatments were as follows:(1) Level B PPE (baseline - no cooling), (2) Level B PPE with cooling unit 1, (3) Level B PPE with cooling unit 2, (4) Level A PPE (baseline - no cooling) and (5) Level A PPE with cooling unit 3. Cooling units 1 and 2 were designed to be used only with Level B PPE and unit 3 was designed to be used only with Level A PPE. Therefore comparisons were made between the baseline and cooling for Level A PPE and Level B PPE. Additional comparison between unit 1 and 2 was performed for level B PPE. The dependent variables included subjects’ core temperature, skin temperature at chest and back, sweat rate at chest, heart rate and effective measures of perceived comfort levels and garment satisfaction. For the purpose of this study, the following variables were controlled: age range, gender, physical condition, physical activity (the same treadmill walking speed was used), garment size, environmental conditions of ambient temperature, relative humidity and air movement (wind speed). Each subject wore similar clothing under the PPE and used the same breathing apparatus. The environmental chamber that the exercise took place was kept at 35ºC (90ºF) and 25 % relative humidity with minimal air movement. The convenience sample of five male subjects was recruited. The subjects walked on the treadmill where the speed was kept at a constant 2 mph throughout the testing. The testing was terminated either when the test protocol is completed at 50 minutes or if any of the following conditions occurred: (1) the subjects’ core body temperature reached above 38.5°C, (2) 90 % of maximum heart rate (=220-age) is attained,(3) test subject experienced serious fatigue and (4) the subject asked to stop.

The testing protocol and ambient temperatures were selected such that the core temperature increase and the cooling effectiveness were assessed easily. 4 out of 9 tests under Level B protective garment were terminated at the full 50 minutes. Two were terminated due to high core temperatures, two subjects felt fatigued and one felt uncomfortable after 40 minutes. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and post hoc calculations showed that the heart rate, skin temperature at upper back, skin temperature at chest, core

temperature and sweat rate were statistically significantly different when cooling was used compared to the baseline. Sweat rate and temperatures at the chest and upper back resulted in significantly more desirable conditions with unit 1 than unit 2. Heart rate and core temperature were not significantly different for two different cooling systems used with Level B protective garment.

Due to the size of the cooling unit, subjects had to use extra large encapsulated Level A suits which made it difficult for them to walk and move. Only one subject managed to complete all Level A tests. High core temperatures were the main reason to terminate early. Two tests were stopped early because of discomfort due to the garment and/or the equipment and one was terminated due to high heart rate. Data was truncated before the statistical analysis based on the shortest test duration (29 minutes), therefore only the first 29 minutes of the data were used for all tests. Core temperature, skin temperature at upper back and chest were significant at p<0.001 significant level and sweat rate was significant at p= 0.03 level. Heart rate did not change significantly with cooling under Level A PPE.

All subjects felt the cooling treatments were big improvements over no cooling. The measurements of selected physiological indicators agreed with this perception. Significant differences were found in both skin temperature measurements, sweat rate, and core temperature with both level A and level B protective garment cooling treatments. Heart rate was not significantly different for level A, however, under level B, both cooling treatments significantly improved heart rate. The subjects commented on the duration of cooling and wanted to be able to start and stop the cooling on demand. Extraneous factors affected the perception while wearing the Level A garment. Due to the addition of cooling unit to the air bottle, size XXL suit had to be used to house both the bottle and the unit. This caused discomfort and balance problems and potentially affected subjects’perception and possibly the measured values.

References Bishop, P., Jung, A., Church, B. (2003). Micro-Environmental Responses to Five Protective Suits in Two Environments”. Proceedings of the Second European Society of Protective Clothing, Montreux, Switzerland, 21-24 May 2003. Levine L., Sawka M.N. and Gonzalez R.R. (1998). “Evaluation of clothing systems to determine heat strain”. American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal, 9(8), 557-562. Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Chemical protective clothing. OSHA Technical Manual, Section VIII: Chapter 1. (2009) Available at http://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/otm/otm_viii/otm_viii_1.html#3 Zeigler, J.P. (2002). “The hidden hazard of protective clothing”. Occupational Health & Safety. 70(1), 55-57.

Use of Body Scan Technology to Capture the Space Enclosed by a Garment: Case Study of Segmented Arm Body Armor

Adriana Petrova Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA

Key words: body scanner, body armor, interior space, garment fit

Body armor is made of number of layered materials that contribute to its considerable thickness. The demand for increased ventilation and mobility leads to designs, where the combination of materials and construction methods causes the thickness profile across the armor piece to vary greatly. This variation causes the outside and inside surface of a garment to differ significantly. Because the inner space of the armor is the one that accommodates the wearer for fit, mobility and ventilation, an effort to describe and determine that space is justified. The purpose of this project was to explore the possibility of using body scan technology to capture the space enclosed within a piece of body armor visually and possibly numerically. Description of a garment’s inner space would provide basis for true evaluation of garment fit, thus improving body scan fit evaluation methods developed previously (Ashdown, Loker, & Adelson, 2002; Petrova, 2003), where scans of the outer surface of a minimally clothed and a clothed body are aligned and compared in order to evaluate garment fit, however, without consideration for the garment’s thickness (i.e. inner surface).

VITUS XXL 3D full-body scanner by Human Solutions was used to capture digitally the surface of the selected for this study body armor piece in three dimensions (3D). This particular scanner uses 4 laser lights to illuminate the scanned object and 8 CCD cameras to capture the light reflected off the object’s surface. The object of investigation was the lower segment of a body armor sleeve. It consists of three vertical pieces attached to each other by means of Velcro® or horizontal backstitching1. The materials used in the construction made the pieces rigid, allowing them to retain their shape when placed on a surface rather than falling flat, as would a soft fabric piece, whereby making the scanning of the outer and inner surface of the armor possible. First, a scan of the lower arm sleeve was taken with all of its three pieces intact and then, after disassembling the sleeve, a scan of each separate piece was taken. Support devices and props were prepared from thin black wire2 and used to hold the separate pieces during their scanning processes. For example, a wire cage in the shape of the intact sleeve was used as a holder for each separate piece allowing it to assume the position it would have had were it still assembled into the armor sleeve. A vertical wire supported by a platform was used to prop pieces vertically. Because a sleeve piece tended to flatten itself after being disassembled from the sleeve, a wire was also used (see Figure 1) to tether the piece in its appropriate shape. Repeated scans were made until the holes3 in the scan surface caused by self-shadowing were small enough to be reconstructed with sufficient accuracy allowing for measurements to be taken (see Figure 1).

Polyworks software v.10.1 by Innovmetric Inc. was used to align and manipulate the scans and to obtain digital measurements. Scans of pieces 1, 2, and 3 were aligned to achieve their optimum overlap with the

1 Using horizontal backstitching across the edges in few places instead of a traditional continuous seam along the edges in joining two pieces provides ventilation through the joint. 2 A thin wire does not interfere with a scan if its diameter is smaller than the resolution of the scanner, which for the Human Solutions scanner is ±2 mm. 3 If a part of the scanned object shadows another part of it, preventing the laser light from illuminating the entire surface, the shadowed surface portions will appear as holes in the scan. ©2009, International Textile and Apparel Association, Inc. ITAA Proceedings, #66 – www.itaaonline.org 2009 Proceedings Bellevue, Washington USA

scan of the intact sleeve (see Figure 1). Cross sections perpendicular to the axis of the sleeve revealed the thickness profile of the sleeve, allowing identification of the placement and accumulation of various material components – thick and thin 3D fabric4 strips, Velcro®, ballistic material, and mesh fabric (see Figure 1). Little bubbles in the thickness profile indicated the places where the inside mesh cover needed to be smoothed out better or possibly removed in order to expose the inside surface profile correctly.

Figure 1. Aligned scans of armor sleeve pieces and their cross sections. A scan of piece 2 and its cross sections (1 inch apart). Examples of wire positioning device and holes due to self-shadowing. Identification of materials forming the thickness profile of the armor piece.

Using the high-precision tools available in Polyworks, the space inside the sleeve can be determined by measuring the perimeter and the area of the section enclosed by the inner outlines of the cross-sections. In this study the devised elaborate measurement protocol was not carried out, as high-precision measurements were not the objective of the experiment. Instead, estimates of the area of the enclosed inner space and thickness measurements were done manually on the computer screen by using a digital true grid laid over the cross sections. The area enclosed by the sleeve was 51 cm2, 54.5 cm2, and 60.5 cm2 for cross-sections 1, 2, and 3 respectively, increasing from the wrist up as expected (see Figure 1). Comparison between the digital measurements of the thickness of the cross sections on the computer screen and the physical measurements of the sleeve’s thickness at the same locations yielded approximately the same results: the thickness of the lower arm armor varied between 22 mm in locations with several layers of 3D fabric to 7 mm in locations without 3D fabric (i.e. outer fabric, ballistic material and mesh fabric only).

This study shows that body scan technology can be used successfully to measure the thickness profile of body armor that is sufficiently rigid to retain its shape during scanning and to provide accurate visual and numerical description of the armor’s inner space. Improving this methodology would involve (a) better preparation of the pieces for scanning (e.g. removing the inside soft mesh fabric), (b) better replication of the shape of the pieces during scanning (e.g. designing appropriate props to hold each piece in shape during a scan), (c) minimizing self-shadowing, (d) reconstructing the missing parts of the scan in order to conduct accurate measurements, and (e) using Polyworks tools to perform measurements. The comparison between the inside surface of body armor and the outer surface of the body part wearing the armor would describe the fit of the armor correctly and provide invaluable information about redesigning the placement of materials for optimum movement and/or thermal comfort.

Acknowledgements: This work was conducted at the Institute for Protective Apparel Research and Technology at Oklahoma State University and was sponsored by the Office of Naval Research.

4 Three-dimensional (3D) fabrics are defined here as fabrics of considerable thickness. ©2009, International Textile and Apparel Association, Inc. ITAA Proceedings, #66 – www.itaaonline.org 2009 Proceedings Bellevue, Washington USA

References

Ashdown, S., Loker, S., & Adelson, C. (2002). Use of body scan data to design sizing systems based on target markets (No. S01-CR01 National Textile Center). Retrieved from http://www.ntcresearch.org/pdf- rpts/Bref0602/S01-CR01-02.pdf. Petrova, A. (2003). Analysis of Body Scan Data for Best Fit of Pants. Unpublished Masters thesis, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

Teaching product development: Linking apparel design strategy to seasonal product line creation

Cynthia Regan, Ph.D., California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA

Key words: product development, design strategy, apparel product line

Teaching product development can be challenging because it is a comprehensive detailed process. A teaching strategy is to link instruction to annual apparel company business planning and corresponding design processes. The instructor developed a comprehensive project that is divided into four parts: business strategy, theme boards, story boards, and line sheets.

The comprehensive project begins with students creating a hypothetical apparel company. Students write a business strategy report that describes an apparel wholesale company, its vision statement, its mission statement, and its core strategy. The business strategy report is analogous to a portion of an apparel company’s strategic planning. Developing or refining company vision and mission statements is a part of an apparel company’s annual strategic planning. During strategic planning, merchandisers plan growth or decline of their strategic business units (SBU). Merchandisers use this information to plan SBU annual plans. For instance, whether an apparel product line (e.g., tops, bottoms) will grow or decline in sales projections and an SBU successful geographic sales regions for select products. Merchandisers inform the design team of its strategic business unit annual direction. Designers use this information to plan which garments to design. For instance, if jeans are “trending up” (increasing in sales) and jackets are trending down (decreasing in sales), a designer develops a seasonal product mix with more jeans and less jackets. The business strategy report includes an analysis of consumer preferences and retail customer merchandise strategies. Students search and analyze data from real retail companies and consumers. The goal is for students to analyze his or her company in the context of real consumers’ clothing preferences, retail demographics, and retail customer merchandise strategy. The instructor created an Excel template for students to type in data from American Fact Finder, a resource from the United States Department of Census (U.S. Department of Census n.d.). The purpose of the template is for students to understand the demographics of a retail customer that the student desires to sell its product line.

Retail Customer: (e.g., Neiman Marcus) Chicago, Dallas, Beverly Atlanta, Store locations IL Boston TX Hills, CA GA Average 60611 02116 75225 90212 30326 General Characteristics Male 46.6% 50.9% 46.1% 44.3% 54.0% 48.4% Age 25-34 years old 25.6% 27.0% 8.6% 17.4% 34.5% 22.6% One race 98.3% 74.7% 99.5% 96.4% 98.7% 93.5% Householder, living alone 61.6% 58.8% 31.7% 45.7% 61.7% 51.9% Social Characteristics Education: Bachelors degree 35.0% 33.8% 45.8% 33.7% 49.5% 39.6% Marital status - single (never married, divorced, and widowed men) 55.3% 64.8% 34.4% 52.7% 59.1% 53.3% Economic Characteristics Employed 68.2% 74.3% 57.3% 66.9% 82.1% 69.8% Management, professional and related occupations 70.1% 62.0% 66.0% 62.6% 70.5% 66.2% Professional, scientific, administrative, and waste management 24.1% 25.2% 22.4% 21.7% 29.1% 24.5% Manufacturing 6.0% 6.0% 4.5% 5.6% 9.8% 6.4% Household income $100,000- $149,000 13.4% 12.5% 12.8% 11.6% 31.9% 16.4% Household income $150,000- $199,000 7.3% 6.4% 7.9% 7.1% 5.3% 6.8% Household income over $200,000 15.1% 12.8% 28.8% 11.7% 8.6% 15.4%

The creation of a theme board is the second part of the comprehensive project. Apparel companies develop seasonal theme boards to create product line excitement, newness, and cohesiveness for its product line. Apparel designers use adjectives from a company’s mission statement to develop consistency in its brand image. For instance, Oshkosh B’Gosh, a children’s clothing company, targets newborns to children age 12. Its brand image is to create high quality, authentic play clothes that are rugged and durable (U.S. Security and Exchange Commission 2009). Seasonally, apparel designers translate one or more of mission statement adjectives or brand image into its seasonal theme boards. For instance, Oshkosh designers could create a theme board on authenticity. The instructor reinforces the industry practice in which students search for electronic images that represent one or more of the adjectives stated in his or her mission statement. The goal is for students to understand the link between a company strategy and development of a consistent brand image for seasonal product lines. Students use Adobe Illustrator to paste and organize the images according to proper use of design elements and principles. Students include a color story which ties in hues from the themes and from the current fashion forecast trend direction.

Apparel designers seasonally create core, carryover, and new/directional products for each season. A core garment is a company’s brand image and what it builds its reputation on. Students draw core garments using Adobe Illustrator and they use a croquis template for proper scale and proportion. Apparel designers purposely tie colors, fabrics, and silhouettes to its core garments. Thus, students draw and create carryover garments and new/directional garments which coordinate and visually merchandise with their core garments. A carryover garment is a successful seller from a previous season. Since students create a hypothetical company, they do not have a sales history; however, it is important for students to illustrate garments that they predict would have sales growth. New directional garments add excitement and interest to a product line. The students draw multiple new/directional garments using Adobe Illustrator. The context is for students to illustrate garments that follow current fashion trend predictions or create designs are novel in its design elements or materials.

Once students create line drawings, they tie the theme board colors and visual impressions into color selections and print designs for the product line. Thus, students are required to create a cohesive product line in which product created would visually display well on a retail customer’s selling floor. The line sheet is the last project component. The line sheet identifies a selling description of each core, carryover, and new/directional garment. Garment descriptions include stock keeping unit (SKU), style name, colors, size range, size scale, and fiber content. Upon final project submission, the students write a short description of how their core, carryover, and new/directional garments tie into its design strategy.

The comprehensive project enables students to visualize seasonal product line creation from beginning to end. They understand the relationship of how an apparel company ties its company mission into seasonal product line. The comprehensive project enables students to visualize how designers use its apparel company’s design strategy into designing and illustrating garments.

References

U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.). American Fact Finder. http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html?_lang=en

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. 2009, February 28. Form 10-K: Annual report for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2006, Carters, Inc. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1060822/000106082209000006/form10_k.htm

Electronic Portfolios: Strategies for Web-Based Portfolio Creation for Students with a Product Development or Technical Design Emphasis

Eulanda Sanders, Colorado State University

The concept of electronic portfolios is not new; however students in textile and clothing programs still seem to struggle with: 1) what content is needed in this type of portfolio (such as technical packages) and 2) what are the best venues to share electronic portfolios with potential employers. The author has also struggled with having student websites linked to academic department websites, so she investigated economical software programs and means for students to create their own website that can be hosted by outside entities, in many cases for free. The author will share strategies she has used in both junior and senior level design courses to help students develop and launch web-based portfolios.

Initially the author required senior students to develop websites in their capstone course, while creating their senior collections. She found that often senior students did not have time to create a professional content rich portfolio, since the majority of their time was spent creating their senior collections. Therefore, she is now having students create websites at the junior level, since many students are completing internships or a practicum earlier in their academic programs. Also by starting the website at the junior level, the author has found the content and professionalism of the websites by graduation has increased; and students are able to include components necessary to enter product development and technical design positions.

The author has discovered three scenarios in working with students to develop websites: 1) students who already have websites that may include a blog, 2) students without a website, or 3) students who are heavily involved in using social networking websites only. For the students with websites, the goal is to help them to modify these sites to reflect professionalism while including appropriate content to facilitate job searches. For the second two groups of students, the author helps them develop a professional website for job searches and make sure the content on their social networking websites highlights their talents in a professional manner.

The author will detail the process she uses with students to create their website which includes: 1) having students analyze electronic portfolios on the web, 2) define the purpose of their website, 3) create a flow chart for their website which defines the content of the site, 4) creation of their websites, and 5) peer evaluation of the final website for clarity, content, ease of navigation, and professionalism. The author’s presentation will also include: 1) a matrix of necessary website content for students seeking product development and technical design careers, 2) an examples of the website assignment, 3) examples of student websites created at both the junior and senior levels, and 4) locations on the Internet to host student websites or venues for placing electronic portfolios economically.

Millennium students are constantly connected to the Internet and to others via PC, laptop, or PDA. Our students sometimes struggle to find the appropriate and economical means to use the Internet to meet their career goals in the field of textiles and clothing. Therefore it is our responsibility to help them use the Internet as a tool to present themselves professionally in the job market, specifically in the areas of product development and technical design.

A Study on Three-dimensional Parametric Body Shape Variations - Among the women in their forties -

Annie Shin, Yun-ja Nam, Hyun-sook Han, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea

Keywords: Parametric body, Virtual try-on system, Space length, Three-dimensional virtual body shape variations

1. Introduction To propose appropriate solutions for the problem of variability of virtual body shapes shown in a three- dimensional virtual try-on space, this study aims to present basic data for effective use of three- dimensional virtual try-on systems in designing regression model for virtual body shape variations. Female subjects in their forties whose body shapes started to change were selected and grouped according to obesity degree which is considered as the most critical factor for such changes in body shape. The subjects with good somatotype were carefully screened, and the cross-sectional space lengths of their bust, waist and hips correlated highly with BMI (Body Mass Index) were measured and compared to examine closely any patterns of body shape changes which are difficult to observe simply with girth measurements.

2. Methods 2.1. Subjects and data To clarify problems of virtual wearing system, this study selected four virtual wearing systems, and substituted the body measurement dimensions of actual women in their 40s to virtual body. Internet shopping mall that offers virtual wearing system or basic virtual body model provided by virtual wearing system is called 'parametric body'. In the case of parametric body, basic body dimensions are entered as the data, but the shape may be changed by entering the dimensions of the principal. In this study, to analyze the shape variability of 'parametric body', the scan data of body of women in their 40s were used. The subjects of this study were 154 female adults aged between 40~49 among 'The 5th Size Korea’ survey data. With the three-dimensional scan data, seventy-five subjects with good somatotype were selected excluding those with bending somatotype and swayback somatotype, and the cross sections of each subject's body were generated along the same reference axis. The data were analyzed with the use of three-dimensional shape data editing software, Rapidform2006 and Auto CAD.

2.2. Method of Comparing Virtual Body Variation with Physical Body Variation This study carried out the comparison between virtual body shape variations and real body shape variation through a procedure of three research tasks as follows: Task 1- A review was carried out primarily on apparel CAD-based virtual try-on systems, internet shopping malls of commercially available virtual try-on system software and routine virtual body display system software applications. By identifying the size and shape variability of virtual body currently provided through virtual system, problems on virtual wearing system were clarified and compared. Task 2- To complement problems of task 1 and modify detailed body measurement parts to several representative parts, representative variables of 47 body measurement items were deduced through factor analysis. Task 3- Measured gap by the angle of cross section shape by the changed part deduced in Task2. Then, observed the change of type at the time of increase of BMI of actual women subjects in their 40s. Proposed regression expression so the data may be applied to virtual body of virtual wearing system.

3. Results and discussion 3.1. Deduction of Parametric Body Problem on 3 Dimensional Virtual Wearing Systems This study compared I-fashionmall provided by i-Fashion clothes technology center, Style Zone the fashion community site developed and provided by Brownswear Company of the U.S., My virtual model the virtual wearing system developed in association with Canadian company, and Narcis PB the virtual wearing system developed by D&M Technology Company of Korea. As a result, the type of body model changed by entering body dimensions did not show the type properly. Secondly, changed parts are limited. In the case of currently provided parametric body, 13 body items are set to be changed, however 13 items alone cannot implement natural change of the whole body. Thirdly, in case of changed parts, changes are made based on circumference dimension, so 3 dimensional body change cannot be reflected.

The different between actual body and parametric body are shown in Graphic 1. One of the Parametric body shown in table 1 from Narcis PB the virtual wearing system.

Parametric body

Parametric body Parametric body

breast cross section Waist cross section Hip cross section

Graphic 1. between actual cross section and parametric body cross section

3.2. Deduction of Changed Parts for Application to Parametric Body Change Through the problems examined above, the study ramified the changed parts for application to parametric body change and expanded them, but used BMI index to minimize the items to enter in the standpoint of users of virtual wearing system. BMI index, which stands for Body Mass Index, is an index value that estimates the amount of fat by using stature and weight, and it shows the value of weight divided by stature squared. Automatically measured 47 body measurement items of body scan data were grouped into 7 representative variables: waist circumference, waist height, knee circumference, hip circumference, shoulder breadth, neck base circumference and chest circumference. The study composed expression of regression between 7 representative variables and BMI index. The values entered when changing virtual wearing system parametric body was made to be minimized, and the small amount of changed parts, one of parametric body problem, was complemented.

3.3. Proposition of Phases of Change through 3 Dimensional Body Shape Analyses The cross sections by the body parts of 3 dimensional body scan data to be analyzed in this study were about the parts that are affected by obesity. Such parts are breast circumference which is counted among torso parts, waist circumference and hip circumference. Body scan data was assigned the same reference axis by using Rapidform2006 and Auto CAD. Frontal axis was defined with the vertical line that passes through waist front point, and side axis was set differently between upper body and lower body. In the case of upper body, the line that connects neck side point and waist side point was set as reference point, and in the case of lower body, the line that connects waist side point and marginal ankle point as reference point. As for the cross section cut by reference axis, the distance is measured from the reference point in Auto CAD. In this study, that distance is called gap. Gaps were measured at every 30 degree interval

starting from right waist side point. Gaps of 8 angles were measured at 0 degree, 30 degree, 60 degree, 90 degree, 270 degree, 300 degree and 330 degree, and gaps by parts on BMI indices were compared by using SAS 9.1 version statistics analysis software.

Flatness breast ratio: 1.60 1.57 1.35

Flatness waist ratio: 1.65 1.30 1.25

Flatness hip ratio; 1.58 1.52 1.41

Comparison between body part(breast-waist-hip) of cross section Graphic 2. Comparison between body part(breast-waist-hip) of cross section and Flatness ratio

After examining the cross section change phases during the increase of BMI index based on BMI index, regression expression was composed to apply them to parametric body change. To find out the degree of similarity of deduced results to parametric body change, cross sections of applicable parts were selected one by one, and the generated cross sections were compared and verified with actual body cross section through regression expression.

4. Conclusion In the case of women in their 40s, the results of analysis of breast circumference, waist circumference and hip circumference body cross section gaps showed that breast circumference affected BMI in the sequence of 90 degree, 30 degree and 60 degree, and waist circumference was correlated in the sequence of 0 degree, 30 degree and 60 degree. In the case of hip circumference, it affected BMI in the sequence of 90 degree, 60 degree and 0 degree, and that indicates front side is more affected by BMI than back side in all cases, which subsequently means that when body shape changes due to obesity, more change should be given to body front side. To reflect this to parametric body, the study attempted to deduce regression expression after checking the significance of applicable variables, and among them, the items which are easy for use and to compose expression due to significant difference. For such items, regression expression was composed by using the interactions of breast circumference, waist circumference and hip circumference which are specified as representative variables among body measurement items and BMI index which uses stature and weight, and since hardships exist in composing expression by reflecting shape factors only with BMI index and circumference items, the expression was composed by adding flatness ratio(the index value of width divided by thickness) that indicates the shape of cross section.

Reference Slavenka Petrak and Dubravko Rogale(2006). Systematic representation and application of a 3D Computer-aided garment construction method, Part 1; 3D garment basic cut construction on a virtual body model. International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, 18(3). pp 179-187. Hyunsook Han(2007). A study on the Automatic Setting of 3D Body Landmarks and measuring Paths for apparel. PhD Thesis, Seoul National University. Joohyun Lee. Yunja Nam. Ming Hai Cui. Kuengmi Choi. Young Lim Choi(2007). Fit evaluation of 3D virtual garment. HCI International 2007, 550-558 Chang Kyu Park. Sung min Kim(2008). Fusion of IT fashion; i-Fashion. Fashion Information and Technology, 5(3), 54-63.

A Pattern Adaptation for Body Change during Pregnancy: A case study

MyungHee Sohn and Elizabeth Bye, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA

Keywords: fit, maternity, and 3D technology

Introduction & Background Matthias, president and chief creative officer at Destination Maternity, says that maternity wear is fashion that fits women when they are pregnant (“Ooh la la, MAMA,” 2009). Today’s trend in maternity apparel is stylish and fashionable compared to maternity wear twenty years ago when tent dresses were the norm. The change reflects consumers’ need to feel better and have garments that fit well even though they are pregnant.

With an increasing interest in maternity wear, today’s market has grown rapidly. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, more than 4.3 million babies were born in the U.S in 2007, which resulted in American women spending more than $1.2 billion on maternity apparel. According to National Product Diary (NPD) Fashionworld AccuPanelSM , purchases of maternity clothing were up 3.6% from 2007 to 2008, compared to purchases of total women’s apparel, which declined 5.6%. Pregnancy is a very important and meaningful time in women’s lives. At the same time, it is a time of psychological stress and physical change. In particular, due to the dramatic body changes and weight gain, pregnant women are likely to be dissatisfied with their clothing during pregnancy. These physical changes lead to problems of comfort, fit, and sizing of maternity wear in the ready-to-wear industry. Specifically, it is very often difficult or impossible to acquire maternity clothing to fit the small or the large size maternity wear customer. Greer (1988) indicated that petite size and large size women have difficulty in finding apparel to meet maternity needs.

In particular, fit issues are essential factors that contribute to the comfort of pregnant women. Despite the importance of maternity wear, little research on maternity wear has been conducted. The purpose of this study was to explore the change of body measurements and shape during pregnancy and its relationship to pattern measurements and shapes to improve the fit of maternity wear. In addition, this study is innovative in that it is conducted using advanced 3D technologies to obtain measurements impacting health issues, clothing size, and fit changes during pregnancy.

Method This research focused on the change of body measurements and shape during pregnancy and its relationship to pattern measurements and shapes. A case study research method was used to investigate. The participant was a 26-year-old Caucasian female, 5.5’, 130 lbs, pregnant for the first time. She was scanned seven times from the 13th day of her pregnancy to 229th day. The research objective of this case study was to track changes of body measurments and shapes during pregnancy and investigate the relationship between these body changes and apparel patterns.

Data Collection and Analysis: The participant was scanned seven times with a Human Solutions VITIS 3-D scanner and wore her own bra and panties under the scan suit for this study. The ScanWorX™ AutoMeasure™ program was used to automatically extract body measurements from the participant’s scans. Ten measurements of the torso area were selected and examined. The selected areas were breast girth, chest band, midriff girth, crotch length, waist girth, waist band, high hip girth, hip girth, belly circumference, and maximum belly circumference. After body scanning, the participant was weighed.

A sleeveless sheath dress was used to investigate the relationship between body changes during pregnancy and apparel patterns. It was developed to fit the participant without a waistline seam, and with fullness controlled by side seam front bust darts, two front and back waist darts, and back shoulder darts. The sheath dress was used in an earlier study on pattern grading to evaluate fit for sizes ranging from Misses 6-20 (Bye, LaBat, McKinney, & Kim, 2008) Seven fit-to-shape patterns were developed to reflect dress alterations needed to fit each body scan, using OptiTexTM PDS, 2D and 3D pattern making software. The body scans were imported into the 3D virtual environment in OptiTexTM, and patterns for each body scan were altered based on the shape and measurements of body scan, and fit assessment. Key pattern segments such as waist, hip, and length measurements were measured using the software. Fit assessment was conducted during a 3D virtual try-on simulation in OptiTexTM. Armstrong’s (2000) fit criteria was used: (a) center front and center back aligns with the body center; (b) armscye fits smoothly; (c) the waist level aligns with body waist; (d) no stress or gapping at neckline; (e) side seam hangs vertically; (f) shoulder seam centered on the shoulder. In addition to Armstrong’s fit criteria, the tension map tool in OptiTexTM was used for fit evaluation. This tool inspects simulated cloth objects as a colored map depicting amounts of stretching, tension and distance between the cloth and the 3D body scan. The seven final fit-to-shape patterns were nested to investigate how patterns correspond to body changes during pregnancy.

Finding and Discussion The findings showed that the measurments rapidly increased from the 23rd week of pregnancy, which is the 5th body scan. Visible difference in the shape of each side view of the body during pregnancy was noticeable. Waist girth, high hip girth, belly circumfernece, and maximum belly circumference increased. Measurements related to abdomen area greatly increased: Waist girth (7.47 in. increase), belly circumference (5.74 in. increase), high hip girth (5.53 in. increase), and maximum belly circumference ( 5.48 increase) increased more than 5 in. Also, waist band (4.29 in. increase) , midriff girth (3.52 in. increase), croth length (2.65 in. increase), chest band (1.75 in. increase), breast girth (1.64 in. increase), and hip girth (1.3 in. increase) increased during pregnancy. Weight increased from 162 lbs to 187.2 lbs. Changes to the pattern corresponded to changes in the body. Alterations were necessary for each dress pattern of the 23rd week, 27th week, and 33rd week of pregnancy, in contrast to one pattern that was created for the body scans taken during the 2nd week and 6th week of pregnanacy. Visual data of the fit- to-shape 2D pattern nest showed that the waist and hip gradually increased. In the dress pattern for the 17th week one front dart was eliminated, and one back dart was eliminated on the dress pattern for the 23rd week. The pattern for the 23rd week required waist and hip measurements to be increased by .05 in., and the length of the front pattern to be increased by 1.00 in. due to the increase of abdomen. On a pattern for the 33rd week, the bust measurement was increased by .25 in., and the bust dart was decreased to .75. Also, the front vertical dart moved to the left by 1.00 in. because of the increase in the abdomen. A visual analysis of the change of body shape was also considered during pattern development. However, many of the shape changes are not visible in the 2D fit-to-shape pattern nest. Previous research shows that body outline and pattern side seam shape are not directly related (Gazzuolo, 1985).

The results of this study indicated that body measurements and patterns did not increase proportionally. The waist, belly, and hip area increased the most after 14 weeks of pregnancy. This participant required her first maternity wear in the 4th month of pregnancy, and there was a strong indication that larger maternity wear was needed in the 7th month.

Consideration of body shape during apparel pattern development offers valuable information related to fit that goes beyond standard linear measurements. Many individuals often need alterations to accommodate shape variations that differ from the shape for which the pattern was drafted originally. In particular, body

changes during pregnancy vary from month to month. Thus, the maternity wear pattern development process should consider body shape changes as well as body measurement changes. This study was limited to one participant. Future research will focus on expanding the number of participants to investigate changes of body measurement and shape during pregnancy and develop better fitting maternity wear for more women. The virtual fitting methodology and permanent body scan data allows researchers to explore fit on bodies that are under constant change with little inconvenience to the participant.

Figure 1. Shape change of Midriff, abdomen, and side view

Figure 2. 2D fit-to-shape pattern nest

References Armstrong, H. J. (2000), Draping for Apparel Design, Fairchild Publications, New York, NY. Bye, E., LaBat, K., McKinney, E., & Kim, D. (2008). Optimized pattern grading. International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, 20(2), 79-92 Gazzuolo, E.B. (1985), A theoretical framework for describing body form variation relative to pattern shapes. Unpublished Master’s thesis, University of Minnesota, St. Paul. Greer, R. W. (1988). Apparel buying practices of pregnant women and their reported satisfaction with available maternity wear, doctoral dissertation, Texas Woman's University, Texas. Ooh la la, Mama!: Maternity wear meets the designer challenge. (2009, March 26). Women’s Wear Daily, p. 2

Example-Driven Landmarking of Human Body Scans

DongWook Yoon, Nambin Heo, Hyeong-seok Ko, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.

Keywords: 3D body scan, anthropometric landmarks, human body measurements

Introduction Every human body is different. Although variations in physical characteristics are observed across entire body, the clothing community has abstracted this diversity into a discrete, tractable set of prominent points termed body landmarks (BLs). BLs can be identified by visual examination or palpation. For example, the belly button is a prominent feature in the abdomen, and the cervical is the surface point at the seventh vertebra of the spine. As BLs compactly summarize body shape, identification of BLs is of fundamental significance in clothing production. This paper proposes a new technique for identifying BLs in a given human body scan.

The task of identifying the BLs of a particular subject based on his or her scanned geometry can potentially be facilitated by considering data from a population in whom BLs have been identified and three-dimensional (3D) body geometries have been scanned. Several body scanning/measurement projects have been conducted worldwide (e.g., CAESAR, Size USA, and Size Korea), and some studies have produced data packages consisting of a set of 3D-scanned bodies along with annotated BLs. We will term such a package landmarked population. The goal of this work was to develop a technique to landmark a newly scanned body based on landmarked population.

Figure 1: (a) The landmarked population, (b) Decomposition of the population into part-meshes (Among 1025 individuals, only 21 are shown).

Our utilization of a landmarked population is based on both the landmark-surface dependency principle and the locality principle. The landmark-surface dependency principle states that, for example, when two upper arms belonging to two different individuals are identical, the BLs of the two upper arms should be identical. Although it is possible that skeletal structures are not identical, the rationale behind the principle is that, when skeletal discrepancy is not evident, we have no choice but to rely on available

surface data. In this work, when the shapes of two body parts of two different subjects are similar, we assume that their landmarks are similar.

The locality principle states that BLs of distant body parts (of the same person) are not necessarily related. The principle implies that, for example, landmarking of an arm does not need to be performed in close association with landmarking of a leg. In this work, if the surface geometries of two arms (belonging to two different individuals) are identical, even if other body part surfaces are not identical, we assume that arm BLs are identical.

For any given unmarked body, our example-driven landmarking technique searches the closest match in the landmarked population and applies the landmarks of the matched individual to the unmarked body. This is an application of the landmark-surface dependency principle. The locality principle tells us that the search need not to be performed over entire bodies but can be performed over each body part termed part-mesh. We call this part-wise matching.

Body Segmentation Decomposing the body into portions that are too large conflicts with the locality principle. However, a part-mesh should be sufficiently large to establish the matching context. Based on the above considerations, we decompose a human body into 16 parts as shown in Figure 1. Some part-meshes may overlap at boundaries, and the part-meshes may not entirely cover the body mesh. We accept these imperfection because they helps us to find the best match. Inclusion of unnecessary mesh portions can hinder this process; some overlapping portions are included to provide necessary matching context. Our automatic body segmentation requires establishment of correspondence across different bodies. The correspondence problem can be stated as follows: if there are two human bodies A and B, which surface point on body B corresponds to a marked point x on body A? Establishment of this correspondence is termed the parameterization. In this work, we employ the mesh transformation of Allen and colleagues [1] for the landmarked population parameterization. Once parameterization is complete, the correspondence is established not only for BLs but for any arbitrary body points. We manually decomposed the only one standard body. Part-meshes for another body can be obtained as corresponding parts to the standard part-meshes. This approach enables segmentation of the entire (parameterized) population without human intervention.

Part-wise Matching After preparation as described in the previous section, we now indicate how landmarking of a novel 3D scan body can be performed. The goal here is to find the best-matched landmarked part-meshes (LPMs) to the unmarked body and to apply the landmarks thereof to . This task involves aligning/scaling of an LPM around and requires a metric that can measure match quality.

Figure 2: Best-matched LPMs aligned to : (a) Unmarked scan body , (b) Best-matched part-meshes, (c) Overlapping of (a) and (b). The surface constructed by the best-matched part-meshes aligns well with the unmarked body. The image demonstrates that the aligned part-meshes can provide an effective geometrical context for BL identification., (d) Landmarking result. Red points represent the reference BLs and green ones represent BLs identified using our technique.

A widely used mesh registration method for aligning/scaling an LPM to is available. This is the iterative-closest-point(ICP) algorithm. For a given LPM, the ICP approach locates a translated/rotated/scaled version which reduces matching error introduce by Besl [2]. As a LPM matches well to , corresponding matching error reduces accordingly. We obtain a set of best-matched part- meshes by selecting part-meshes with the lowest matching errors. Finally, best-matched part-meshes were projected onto the unmarked body to obtain the required landmarks.

Results and Conclusion Experiments were performed using a Windows XP environments. Our method was embodied with Visual C++ and visualized with OpenGL API. We used 1025 landmarked bodies of CAESAR data for the experiments.

Table 1: Average landmarking errors in 250 subjects. BL error (mm) BL error (mm) Sellion 6.69 Rt. Infraorbitale 5.60 Lt. Infraorbitale 6.37 Supramenton 5.49 Rt. Tragion 7.32 Rt. Gonion 11.34 Lt. Tragion 6.50 Lt. Gonion 8.44 Nuchale 16.01 Rt. Clavicale 6.56 Suprasternale 12.18 Lt. Clavicale 9.28 Rt. Thelion/Bustpoint 7.78 Lt. Thelion/Bustpoint 10.71 Substernale 9.84 Rt. 10th Rib 22.21 Rt. ASIS 32.97 Lt. 10th Rib 18.38 Lt. ASIS 34.52 Rt. Iliocristale 14.61 Rt. Trochanterion 14.71 Lt. Iliocristale 18.60 Lt. Trochanterion 14.39 Cervicale 11.87 10th Rib Midspine 13.91 Rt. PSIS 27.96 Lt. PSIS 28.40 Waist, Preferred, Post. 26.02 Rt. Acromion 21.17 Rt. Axilla, Ant 39.31 Rt. Radial Styloid 10.97 Rt. Axilla, Post. 21.87 Rt. Olecranon 7.90 Rt. Humeral Lateral Epicn 10.43 Rt. Humeral Medial Epicn 11.24 Rt. Radiale 9.04 Rt. Ulnar Styloid 7.51 Lt. Acromion 10.97 Lt. Axilla, Ant 30.14 Lt. Radial Styloid 7.29 Lt. Axilla, Post. 22.50 Lt. Olecranon 10.45 Lt. Humeral Lateral Epicn 7.48 Lt. Humeral Medial Epicn 11.32 Lt. Radiale 8.27 Lt. Ulnar Styloid 8.40 Rt. Knee Crease 6.86 Rt. Femoral Lateral Epicn 11.49

Rt. Femoral Medial Epicn 17.69 Rt. Lateral Malleolus 7.21 Rt. Medial Malleolus 6.77 Rt. Sphyrion 5.66 Rt. Calcaneous, Post. 13.95 Lt. Knee Crease 6.47 Lt. Femoral Lateral Epicn 9.00 Lt. Femoral Medial Epicn 15.97 Lt. Lateral Malleolus 6.08 Lt. Medial Malleolus 7.10 Lt. Sphyrion 8.27 Lt. Calcaneous, Post. 8.17 Crotch 23.68 Overall average 13.43

The landmarking accuracy of the proposed method was tested as follows. We chose one individual (termed the subject) among the 1025 individuals, and regarded the remaining 1024 individuals as the population. We considered the (known) landmarks of the subject to reflect prefect measurement accuracy, but temporarily ignored these data to seek to landmark the subject using our novel procedure. We compared our data with the real values. Landmarking error was measured by the Euclidian distance between the procedurally obtained landmark and the real datum. The test described above was performed on 250 individuals. The mean landmarking error of the proposed technique was about 1.34. Considering that the acceptable error of the most traditional measurements is about 1cm [3], the landmarking error of our new technique is reasonable. The ICP approach was applied to part-wise matching. However, there are several advanced mesh registration techniques [4, 5] which we plan to exploit to improve both accuracy and convergence.

Acknowledgment This work was supported by the Brain Korea 21 Project in 2009, Seoul Metropolitan Government R&BD Program (10581), Ministry of Culture Sports and Tourism, ASRI (Automation and Systems Research Institute at Seoul National University), and Ministry of Science and Technology under National Research Laboratory (NRL) grant M10600000232-06J0000-23210.

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