Custom Fit, is it Fit for the Customer?

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My research is in producing robust 2-D pattern profiles that can be passed onto the 3-D virtual environment. My new approach to custom fit uses different pattern drafting coordinates cooperating with fabric stretch characteristics, conforming to the shape of a person, using a personally extended set of traditional measurements.

The research hypothesis argued that adapting traditional garment pattern coordinates for stretch fabric is not an appropriate starting point for developing a custom-fit stretch pattern. I posit that when a traditional pattern is adapted the profile becomes increasingly distorted as the fabric is incrementally stretched around the body contours. It is the inconsistent garment-to-body fit, relationship within the conventional pattern profile geometry, combined with arbitrary fabric stretch factors, that ultimately undermines the fit potential of custom-fit stretch garments.

To contextualise and develop the theory. First garment fit was defined using the anatomical terms 'distal' and 'proximal', which I have adopted to describe the proximity of the garment to the body. The aetiology of traditional methods of pattern design was outlined then how patterns are adapted for stretch fabric. It was highlighted how little objective information on stretch fabrics parameters for pattern construction is available, and how current garment-sizing systems do not accommodate variations in bodyshapes. The development of virtual technology to date, and whether the garment offering was a true custom fit or just a coincidental fit, was questioned.

I then illustrated my research method to objectively analyse and evaluate the stretch garment-to-body fit relationship by applying a 25mm grid on a bodysuit. A video clip of a dancer demonstrated the bodysuit fit and how the stretch fabric did not become displaced during movement.

This is a working paper published by London College of Fashion