Page 22 - Anthropometry, Apparel Sizing and Design

New directions in the field of anthropometry, sizing and clothing fit 17

body with a tape measure and record linear measurements, they note the details and
the peculiarities of the 3-D form and factor these “shape data” into the patterns. The
process is skill-based and suitable for bespoke tailoring. With the growth of ready-to-
wear industry, faster and simpler methods of making patterns were needed.
Flat-pattern method has been the mainstay of the RTW industry for the past nearly
100years. In this method, basic blocks are developed using empirical rules and aver-
aged body measurement data or “size charts” as a guideline. The basic block is graded
up and down to cover the target sizes in the population. Over the years, companies
have optimized their own set of patterns, based on the preferences of their target
consumers.

1.4.1 Problems with conventional flat-pattern method

Even though the industry started using CAD systems for making patterns a long time
ago, no scientific investigations were conducted to study the theory of patternmaking.
As a result, simple approximations of body morphology, which were the basis of man-
ual practices, were imported into the digital domain and continue to be used for the
drafting of blocks in digital systems. In these systems the patternmaker is totally
detached from the body shape and size of the real customer and works only with aver-
aged linear measures, with the assumption that actual fit would be achieved by
“nipping and tucking” the garment during fit trials (Scott and Sayem, 2018). The
method is inadequate in that it does not numerically isolate ease from the body mea-
surements and as such prevents a comparison between 3-D body and 2-D pattern
dimensions. When industry shifted from manual patternmaking to CAD, this same
approach was transferred from the physical to the virtual world (Scott and Sayem,
2018), and so were the problems of fit. Even though 3-D shape data are widely avail-
able now, they cannot be integrated into the patternmaking process as the existing pat-
ternmaking systems are programmed to use only 1-D measurements and designers are
also trained to work with 1-D measures only.

1.4.2 Technological advances in the field of patternmaking
Due to rapid developments in the field of digital technologies and extended reality
(XR) in particular, several tools are now available to the patternmaker. These tools
if deployed effectively can be used to solve the problems of fit, inadequate size charts,
the lack of data, and the lack of consumer confidence that have been plaguing the retail
and fashion industry. Some of these are summarized in the succeeding text:
(a) Three-dimensional avatars that simulate real body shapes and sizes of all segments of the
population (Ballester et al., 2014)
(b) Animated avatars that allow the designer to change the poses of the avatar and see how the
garment would interact with the body during use
(c) Tools to sketch garments directly on the avatar (https://www.inkreate.eu/)
(d) Tools to generate 2-D patterns directly from the sketch
(e) Tools to design in 2-D and visualize the garment in 3-D in real time