Page 143 - Anthropometry, Apparel Sizing and Design

136 Anthropometry, Apparel Sizing and Design

(A) (B)

(C) (D)

Fig. 5.2 Female waist and hip measurements according to ethnicity. (A) White Caucasian,
(B) Asian American, (C) Afro-American, and (D) Hispanic.

The results present a clear distinction between each group. If one compares the
African American female population living in the United States versus the Asian
female population living in the United States, the range of girth sizes and shapes
are obviously different. Fig. 5.3 compares each one with the percentage associated
to each waist and hip measurement: the darker the cells, the higher the percentage.
Similar to the different ethnic groups, we found the same types of results for the
different age groups. Although the purpose of this chapter is not to do the analysis
of US size anthropometric national survey, it was important here to clarify that since
different target markets are oftentimes associated with one specific ethnicity or age
group, the size designation should be more valuable if it provides more information
than the single one or two digits.

5.3.2 Summarizing the key elements

The results presented earlier clearly validate that some differences exist between sizes
and shapes. They also demonstrate that these could also vary between ethnic groups
and age groups. Without mentioning that ethnicity or age groups need to be written,
we are convinced that length is an important variable and should be written/specified
on garment size designations. We are also convinced that some girth measurements
should also be written on the size designation. Although we discuss height and weight,
we do not consider that these two variables would provide additional necessary infor-
mation; on the contrary, they may have a negative impact on consumers’ minds.
To summarize, we believe that for pants size designation, the waist, the hip, and in
some cases the thigh girth and the inseams should be mentioned. In addition, since