Garment Development Research Articles

Developing an AI-based automated fashion design system: reflecting the work process of fashion designers

With the recent expansion of the applicability of artificial intelligence into the creative realm, attempts are being made to use AI (artificial intelligence) in the garment development system in various ways, both in academia and the fashion business. Several IT companies have developed and possess AI-based garment design technologies that utilize StyleGAN2 for image transformation. However, they are not widely utilized in the fashion business. Since fashion brands need to create numerous designs to launch new garment products for at least two seasons per year, the adoption of AI-based garment design generation technology can be one way to increase work efficiency. Therefore, this research aims to collect and analyze existing cases of AI-based garment design tools in order to identify the similarities and differences between the garment development processes of human designers and the existing AI-based garment design tools. Based on this analysis, the research aims to develop an AI-based garment development system that takes into consideration the garment development process of human designers, incorporating fashion domain knowledge.

Investigation into shrinkage of stretchable denim fabric and its consumption in marker making by varying drying temperatures

This investigation was carried out to minimize Cotton and Cotton–polyester stretchable denim fabrics consumption for garment development through marker making. It was achieved by controlling fabric shrinkage by reducing drying temperature after washing in fixed processing time, without compromising properties of denim; Tensile strength, Stretch (growth and recovery at constant and cyclic loading) and colour strength (K/S) of required shade. warp faced 3x1 and 2x1 denim containing elastin were constructed and then washed using same recipe as per industrial practice however drying temperatures were set at 50oC, 60oC and 70oC, separately. After measuring shrinkage and evaluating tensile strength, Stretch, Growth and recovery at constant and cyclic loading and colour strength (K/S) using standard test methods; trouser marker layout was developed by employing Gerber technology to investigate fabrics consumption. The obtained shrinkage % demonstrated a significant coefficient of determination (R2=0.9931) against drying temperatures. Relation of tensile strength, colour strength and growth were insignificant however stretch, growth and recovery at static and cyclic loading were significantly affected by changing temperatures. Average shrinkage % of stretchable denim fabric was 1.71% in warp and 8.24% in weft at 50oC. It increased to 12.05% in weft at 60oC however remained same in warp while against 70oC it was 1.82% in warp and 14.08% in weft. 10 minutes drying time was kept same for selected drying temperatures. It was found that fabric consumption reduced to 1.25 m per trouser from 1.32 m per trouser by setting drying temperature at 50oC. Present research work provides guideline to denim industries to process stretchable denim at lower drying temperature i.e., 50oC because it not only reduced consumption of elastin containing denim fabric, but it also makes process cost effective as well as environmentally friendly.

Automatic design-preserving virtual garment transfer

Design-preserving garment transfer which can transfer a garment from one body to another is a powerful technique in computer graphics. In this paper, we propose a novel method for automatic design-preserving garment transfer. Firstly, the correspondence between the source garment and the source body is automatically calculated by finding the nearest face’s barycenter from the garment to the body. Secondly, the mesh deformation transfer algorithm is utilized to obtain the target garment. After aligning the target garment and body with the ICP algorithm, the virtual fitting result can finally be obtained by fitting the target garment onto the target body. For a new garment worn on the source body, our approach can quickly and effectively transfer the garment to the target body while preserving the designed details. Two experiments were carried out to validate the applicability and effectiveness of our method. The results showed that our method could be applied to different garments for human bodies with different shapes and poses. Additionally, we introduced a new method for evaluating our transferred garments based on similarity and fit. Moreover, our approach can be applied to garments with different particle distances and performs better than the ‘Auto grading’ technique of CLO 3D. Our proposed method is simple, effective, automated and fast. Therefore, it has a significant potential for improving personalized garment development efficiency.

Emerging Technologies and its Adoption: A Booster for Garment Development and Expansion in Tasar Silk Industry of Jharkhand with Special Reference to the Artisans and Weavers of Ranchi

Abstractt: The Tasar silk Industry has proved its potential in raising sustainable income and employment in the rural sector of Jharkhand State (India) and is a growing activity in the primary sector which aims more income to the artisans and workers of this industry. This paper entitles an artisanal industry that concentrates on the study regarding the impact of technologies on sericulture in selected area. Sericulture is an agro-industrial activity aiming to produce silk though rearing of silkworm. It involves the raising of food plants (Terminalia arjuna, Terminalia tomentosa, Shorea robusta etc) for silkworm, rearing of silkworm for production of cocoons, reeling and spinning of cocoons for production of yarn for value added benefits such as processing and weaving. The knowledge of technology has found to have greater impact on improving the productivity, production and manufacturing of Tasar Silk Fabric in terms of agriculture as well as its allied activities. This study finds out significant positive impact of knowledge about advanced technology and its adoption on the development of the sector by the artisans so that the Tasar Silk Garment Industry grows and benefit its stakeholders

A vision-based approach to mapping flexible objects for garment development

For variable and flexible objects, there is no appropriate intelligent method to quantitatively characterize the three-dimensional (3D) form, especially for garment development. To address the problem, we proposed a novel approach to mapping 3D flexible objects with the coded graphic as a medium. Two-dimensional mapping patterns were used to characterize the 3D form and extract metric information. The proposed graphic code is small in size and it is easy to demonstrate position. With different fabrication techniques, various coding materials are available. With only a monocular image, the method shows high accuracy and low cost without the need for camera calibration in advance. Specifically, the processes of the method, including the algorithm of feature extraction, decoding, mapping position calculation, and pattern generation, are discussed. Two tests were implemented, and the results showed that the method was accurate and simplified the process of made-to-measure garment development. The proposed method has great application potential in the manufacturing of labor-intensive and experience-dependent flexible industries, such as apparel, home decoration, shoes, and other related areas. It also sets the stage for further artificial intelligence research of flexible objects.

A methodological framework for the integration of 3D virtual prototyping into the design development of laser-cut garments

3D virtual prototyping for garment development, although not much exploited and appreciated by the clothing industry in the early days of its appearance two decades ago, has now been explored (research-wise) extensively especially in the pandemic period and its impact on the whole supply chain of garments and fashion products. This virtual prototype which allows the company to visualize the status and condition of a clothing product that may be thousands of kilometers away, providing insights into how products can be better designed, manufactured, operated and serviced before companies invest in physical prototypes and assets, is often called digital twin. At the same time, laser-cut as a creative design technique on clothing materials have emerged in recent times, as fashion moguls are seeing the benefits that the technology presents. Laser cut technology with its benefits of accuracy, speed, precision, applicability in various materials, flexibility in geometry, interoperability with other systems like CAD/CAM and CIM, sustainability in resources and source of inspiration for several upcoming designers, provides an excellent approach for creating bridges between the past, the present and the future in history of fashion design. The aim of this paper was to provide a decision-making framework for the selection of an effective digital twinning process with the use of two different 3D virtual prototyping tools. For this purpose, a methodological framework is proposed which guides the creator according to the final use of the digital garment twin: evaluation of actual fit and actual representation of the produced physical, or as a shared digital asset for an exclusive digital environment.

Fashionable sportswear working as a body measurement collecting tool

PurposeA two-dimensional (2D) body measurement system was implemented to study the application of sportswear design in measurement garment development. A total of 50 participants were recruited. The basic demographic information and sportswear preference data were collected through a survey to understand consumer preferences and acceptance of the new designs. The body measurements were collected through both the selected 2D measurement system and a commercial three-dimensional scanning booth to evaluate measurement accuracy.Design/methodology/approachFinding the right size has been a long-existing problem for clothing consumers. Size problem is the most common reason for e-commerce returns and adds a high cost for retailers. One possible solution is to offer consumers an easy-to-use method that extracts accurate body measurements to be used for clothing size selection. The purpose of this research is to apply sportswear design elements on measurement garments to see if consumers’ interest in using the 2D measurement system can be increased without influencing the measurement accuracy.FindingsThe results showed that the added design features increased consumers’ interest in using 2D body measuring technology without significantly influencing measurement accuracy.Originality/valueThis research applied sportswear elements to convert a 2D measurement bodysuit to a fashionable clothing product. The solution resolved users’ privacy concerns and increased their acceptance and use of the technology. Other studies have not focused on using aesthetic features to improve the 2D measurement technology.

Application on the Luminescence Characteristics of Nanoaluminate Rare Earth Long‐Lasting Luminescent Composite Materials in the Field of Ethnic Clothing

In the changing process of garment development, nanoaluminate rare earth material has unique advantages as a new garment material, such as easier preservation and brighter color, changing the visual beauty of traditional clothing. In order to in‐depth study the role of nanoaluminate rare earth long afterglow luminescent composite materials applied to ethnic costumes, this article uses material preparation methods, numerical analysis adjustment methods, and equipment parameter introduction methods to analyze nanoaluminate rare earths and simplify them and create a luminous composite material that can be used in the field of ethnic minority clothing. To study the luminescence characteristics of the composite material, CXHP samples with different doping concentrations of Cr ions were irradiated with an ultraviolet lamp with a center wavelength of 225 nm for 4.5 minutes, and after 12 minutes attenuation, the afterglow emission spectrum was studied. The results show that the sample has near‐infrared afterglow emission ranging from 645 nm to 740 nm, and the two emission peaks are located at 680 nm and 700 nm, respectively. The performance of its application on clothing was studied again. The water consumption in the experiment was 1500 ml, and the grams of composite material added for the three times were 0.6 g, 1.2 g, and 1.8 g, respectively. The hanging dyeing method was adopted during the experiment. Through experiments, it can be obtained that when the composite material is 1.8 grams, the visual effect is more similar to the hue, brightness, purity, and other aspects of the clothing. This way, when combined with the composite material for secondary design, a better visual effect will be achieved. From the practical application level, it has been verified that composite materials can be used in ethnic costumes.

Evaluation of 2D CAD Technology for Garments Customized for Body Shape

Computer-aided-design (CAD) software packages have been applied to apparel product development and have their specific uses. In this study, we want to explore a more economical and efficient solution for made-to-measure (MTM) and investigate factors that affect the fit outputs of the MTM systems. Gerber AccuMark and Telestia Creator were evaluated for this purpose. Four body shapes were selected for customized garment development. A [TC]2 3 D body scanner was utilized to extract five selected models’ measurements. The results showed that Gerber AccuMark is more suitable for an industry customization process, while it requires adequate patternmaking knowledge. In contrast, Telestia Creator could fit for more style changes and less quantity of garments because the process is more focused on the customized approach. Telestia Creator could also be an affordable solution for the product development of small and medium-sized companies. Moreover, we discovered the factors that impacted the customized fit. Even though the garments were customized for the four body shapes, specific measurements – which include the back-waist length and bust length – influenced the customized fit more than the body shapes did. Other factors, such as alteration selection, measurement accuracy, and fabric, also affected the fit result.

Retail 4.0 – Digital Customer and Retailer Feedback to Garment Development

Digital technologies open new possibilities ranging from integrated virtual product development to the direct involvement of customers and retailers through apps and collaborative virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) solutions. This requires end-to-end, flexible and modular solutions, especially in the retail environment.

The 6Rs: Inclusive Creative Methodology for Design Research

AbstractIn fashion design, pedagogy balancing a strong technical foundation with a more disruptive attitude during the ideation and development procedures provides the potential for diverse, emergent, aesthetically and critically poignant outputs. The ultimate goal in this is to offer a learning environment that is inclusive and accesses dormant design curiosity, also, as a teacher, to devise methods that will lead to discovering a personal and distinct aesthetic vocabulary. ‘Ratio’, ‘resize’, ‘repeat’, ‘reduce’, ‘remix’ and ‘rearrange’ are the 6Rs that can challenge the creative design process and reprogramme the design brain into unearthing radical new forms, concepts and aesthetics. This article will address the established literature on the ways of nurturing creative thinking as it supports the methodology of serious play directed by the 6R terms to exercise ideation generation in fashion education. This discussion will be evidenced with a case study to show that the 6Rs can successfully introduce and/or expand creative thinking in fashion design processes. The aim of this is to provide students with tools, habits and tasks that empower a creative mindset when approaching the early conceptual and compositional stages of garment development, while also addressing the tutor’s role in establishing and exemplifying a creative ethos that is integral to initiating these methods and pedagogy. Most importantly, this approach is fundamentally driven by the need to invest in a more diverse student body to potentially reach unnoticed and less privileged fashion talent.

United Nigerian Textiles Limited and Chinese–Nigerian textile-manufacturing collaboration in Kaduna

AbstractIn 1964, the newly established Hong Kong-based Cha Group partnered with the Northern Nigerian Regional Development Corporation to open the United Nigerian Textiles Limited (UNTL) mill in Kaduna – the largest textile mill in Northern Nigeria. The Cha Group later expanded, building textile mills in other parts of the country. Both Chinese and Nigerian managers and workers were involved in UNTL mills, which by 1980 provided printed cotton textiles for the Nigerian market and for other markets in West Africa. Yet this Chinese–Nigeria collaboration could not overcome factors external to the textile-manufacturing industry. Declining infrastructure, erratic electricity, frequent changes in political leadership at the federal level, and the smuggling of less-costly imported textiles (often from China) undermined local textile manufacturing, while inflationary pressures associated with the national oil industry undermined agricultural production, exacerbating the difficulties of obtaining raw Nigerian cotton. In 2007, the UNTL mill in Kaduna closed, although it resumed production in December 2010, assisted by the 100 billion naira Cotton, Textile and Garment Development Fund. Cha Group officials also used their knowledge of the Nigerian textile market as the basis for the marketing of branded, high-quality manufactured textiles, known as Da Viva®, at company-franchised shops in major Nigerian cities. The Cha Group took advantage of digital innovation, both in the printing of these popular textiles and also by advertising them on an attractive website. This article considers the ways in which the United Nigerian Textiles Plc company has maintained production of grey cloth and printed textiles at its mills in Kaduna and Ikorodu-Lagos, along with the marketing of Da Viva®cotton prints, which suggests the continuing, if contradictory, possibilities for this Nigerian–Chinese textile-manufacturing collaboration.

A Comparative Study of Open-Source and Licensed CAD Software to Support Garment Development Learning

Most universities have included computer-aided design (CAD) pattern making systems education and training in their clothing technology courses in recent years, so as to respond to the actual needs of the fashion world for high-skilled fashion designers and clothing engineers. With the rapid rise in the use of open source software (OSS) in all types of applications, it is important to know if the existing OSS CAD software for garment prototyping development can successfully support the learning process. The present study compares two commercial licensed CAD systems for pattern design (Polypattern and Create) to an open source software, Seamly2D, and to Wild Ginger’s Caveo V6 programme, which runs within an OSS. In total, two licensed and two OSS systems have been evaluated in their weights in accomplishing the garment development of ten different pattern designs. The results obtained for the evaluation of a set of OS and licensed CAD systems are presented and critically discussed.

An upper body garment with integrated sensors for people with neurological disorders \u2013 early development and evaluation

BackgroundIn neurology and rehabilitation the primary interest for using wearables is to supplement traditional patient assessment and monitoring in hospital settings with continuous data collection at home and in community settings. The aim of this project was to develop a novel wearable garment with integrated sensors designed for continuous monitoring of physiological and movement related variables to evaluate progression, tailor treatments and improve diagnosis in epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease and stroke. In this paper the early development and evaluation of a prototype designed to monitor movements and heart rate is described. An iterative development process and evaluation of an upper body garment with integrated sensors included: identification of user needs, specification of technical and garment requirements, garment development and production as well as evaluation of garment design, functionality and usability. The project is a multidisciplinary collaboration with experts from medical, engineering, textile, and material science within the wearITmed consortium. The work was organized in regular meetings, task groups and hands-on workshops. User needs were identified using results from a mixed-methods systematic review, a focus group study and expert groups. Usability was evaluated in 19 individuals (13 controls, 6 patients with Parkinson’s disease) using semi-structured interviews and qualitative content analysis.ResultsThe garment was well accepted by the users regarding design and comfort, although the users were cautious about the technology and suggested improvements. All electronic components passed a washability test. The most robust data was obtained from accelerometer and gyroscope sensors while the electrodes for heart rate registration were sensitive to motion artefacts. The algorithm development within the wearITmed consortium has shown promising results.ConclusionsThe prototype was accepted by the users. Technical improvements are needed, but preliminary data indicate that the garment has potential to be used as a tool for diagnosis and treatment selection and could provide added value for monitoring seizures in epilepsy, fluctuations in PD and activity levels in stroke. Future work aims to improve the prototype further, develop algorithms, and evaluate the functionality and usability in targeted patient groups. The potential of incorporating blood pressure and heart-rate variability monitoring will also be explored.

Development of upper cycling clothes using 3D-to-2D flattening technology and evaluation of dynamic wear comfort from the aspect of clothing pressure

Purpose Currently, the researches on garment development and wear comfort evaluation mainly focus on the static condition type and seldom involved dynamic condition. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to develop cycling clothes’ patterns and evaluate their dynamic wear comfort. Design/methodology/approach First, the 3D-to-2D flattening technology was applied to develop garment patterns of a cycler’s jersey T-shirt. Then, 3D animation technology was used to simulate the scene of cycling. Next, a novel pressure-measuring method was proposed to measure static and dynamic clothing pressures in a virtual environment. Finally, the collected data were used for evaluating wear comfort. Findings Compared to static conditions, the dynamic wear comfort noticeably improved at the front neck, side neck, upper front chest, around back neck point and front shoulder, and the front neck. Compared to static conditions, the dynamic wear comfort visibly deteriorates at the back neck, below chest, outseam, back except around back neck point and around scapula, and the around scapula area. The dynamic pressure at back neck, below front chest and shoulder fluctuate wildly throughout the whole cycling. On the contrary, the dynamic pressure at the front neck, side neck, front upper chest and at the back cause it to tend to stability during cycling. Originality/value The 3D virtual-reality technology was applied to simulate cycling. And a novel method was proposed to measure numerical clothing pressures for evaluating the dynamic wear comfort. The proposed method can not only quantitatively evaluate the wear comfort of cycling clothes and optimize cycling clothes’ patterns, but also can be applied to other tight garment types.

국내 의류상품개발과정에서 직종별 업무관여도 비교 - 테크니컬 디자인 업무 중심으로 -

The purpose of this study is 1) to research how practitioners in fashion industry in South Korea perceive concepts of Technical Design/Designer, 2) to compare and analyze issues at work by occupation, 3) to research specific works in garment development process, and 4) to compare and analyze work involvement by occupation, type of a company and etc, and 5) to propose the role of Technical Designers in apparel companies in South Korea. There were two methods to conduct this study, which were in-depth interview and survey. Both methods were conducted to designers, merchandisers, pattern makers, technical designers, and production coordinators. Frequency analysis, ANOVA, Duncan test, and Factor analysis were performed to get results by using SPSS 18.0 program. The results are following. There were 50 works during garment development process from the result of in-depth interview, and 6 factors were obtained from the result of Factor analysis, which were 'Works about Sample in Sample Development Process', 'Works about Product's Pattern and Size Spec', 'Works about Development of Garment's Design', 'Works about Planning of Product Development and Management of Product in Stock', 'Works about Production Process', and 'Preparation Works for Sample Development'. In conclusion, technical designer in apparel companies in South Korea should be in charge of works about sample in sample development process and decision making of product' size spec, which is included in works about product's pattern and size spec. Also, they should complete technical package after product is developed by designers.

Numerical simulation of pressure therapy glove by using Finite Element Method

Pressure therapy garments apply pressure to suppress the growth and flatten hypertrophic scars caused by serious burns. The amount of pressure given by the pressure garments is critical to the treatment adherence and outcomes. In the present study, a biomechanical model for simulating the pressure magnitudes and distribution over hand dorsum given by a pressure glove was developed by using finite element method. In this model, the shape geometry of the hand, the mechanical properties of the glove and human body tissues were incorporated in the numerical stress analyses. The geometry of the hand was obtained by a 3D laser scanner. The material properties of two warp knitted fabrics were considered in the glove fabric model that developed from the glove production pattern with 10% size reduction in circumferential dimensions. The glove was regarded an isotropic elastic shell and the hand was assumed to be a homogeneous, isotropic and linearly elastic body. A glove wearing process was carried in the finite element analysis and the surface-to-surface contact pressure between hand and glove fabric was hence obtained. Through validation, the simulated contact pressure showed a good agreement with the experimental interface pressure measurement. The simulation model can be used to predict and visualise the pressure distribution exerted by a pressure therapy glove onto hand dorsum. It can provide information for optimising the material mechanical properties in pressure garment design and development, give a clue to understand the mechanisms of pressure action on hypertrophic scars and ultimately improve the medical functions of pressure garment.

English

Elements and principles of design are essential to every art form. They work together to produce pleasing garment designs. Arranging them well creates a feeling of completeness in a garment. The study assessed the application of the elements and principles of design in garment development by dress makers and tailors in the Ho Municipality of Ghana. This is essential in addressing the challenges dressmakers and tailors face during designing and garment construction. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods was used for the study as it allowed for detailed description of dresses sewn by tailors and dressmakers in the municipality. Questionnaires were administered to dressmakers and tailors to gather the needed data. Simple random sampling was used in selecting the tailors and dressmakers for the study. The study shows that, most dressmaker and tailors in the municipality do not have much understanding of the use of elements and principles of design and its application in creating aesthetically appealing garment designs.

Building patternmaking theory: a case study of published patternmaking practices for pants

Garment development is an iterative process centred on patternmaking to resolve fit and production problems. Each time a sample garment is revised adds time and expense to garment development. Understanding the relationships among garment fit variables is essential to advancing the process of garment development especially with respect to programming computer-aided patternmaking systems accurately. Fit experts utilise their practical knowledge, but it is generally unrecorded, while patternmaking texts provide information on body-to-pattern variable relationships that is not well documented. Building patternmaking theory can ground the practice and lead to a better understanding of body-to-pattern relationships. This study compared published patternmaking specifications for ease, shaping devices and crotch curve shape against pants’ patterns custom-fit by experts for seven female participants of similar body size and age representing purposefully selected body shapes. In contrast to the singular directive specifications in the patternmaking texts, variation was required for all cases to achieve acceptable fit, with some variations related to body shape.

Lower body functional ease requirements in the garment pattern

Functional ease related to surface changes of the lower body is an important consideration during garment development. Current data available for male subjects have not been established or presented in a manner that can easily be applied during pattern construction. Measurements of the lower body were established in the context of the pattern and changes recorded between a static standing control posture and a number of postures representative of describable functional movements. Functional changes on the lower body were found to be quite significant, relating directly to anatomy of the joints, with higher ROM associated with less stable functional changes. Results indicate that functional changes will be difficult to predict and there was no determinable relationship between larger dimensions and higher functional changes. Functional changes associated with postural change to the lower body can be clearly related to the skeletal structure and can be established in a manner accessible to the pattern technician.