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3D garment design technology is developing rapidly thereby creating a need for different approaches to developing the patterns. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the 3D dynamic ease distribution for a 3D garment design.

Standard garments were created from Size 2 to Size 14 for ten human subjects. Landmarks location on both human body and the standard garment under dynamic postures are recorded, and he fit and comfort evaluation of the standard garment were collected from the ten human subjects. Finally, these data were used to evaluate the 3D dynamic ease distribution for a 3D garment design.

3D dynamic ease evaluation is challenging and the findings showed that the upper-arm design is a core element of the whole 3D garment design. The upper arm is not only a connecting part for both front and back pieces of the garment, but is also the main active part of the body, so it is the essential element to affect the comfort and fit of the garment under dynamic postures.

This research provides a novel 3D ease evaluation by analyzing the landmarks location of both human body and standard garment, and fit and comfort evaluation of the standard garment, which are all carried under dynamic postures.

This paper follows a previous paper which was published in Volume 5 Number 3 describing how a pattern language focusing on the initial creative phase of the apparel design process can be useful for innovation management. The patterns define the links between marketing and design knowledge, activities, constraints and resources throughout the process to optimise its efficiency, effectiveness, and the market success of its end‐products. Developing the pattern language involved identifying marketing and design components that are crucial in the initial creative phase of apparel design, and setting them into a model indicating their links to each other and to each of the process stages. The model developed provides a generic framework, or archetype, of apparel design creativity, which is presented in its pattern format in this paper. A total of 14 other patterns were developed around this archetype to grasp its dynamics by defining the links that support and articulate its structure, stages and components. The initial working model of the pattern language was distributed to six design experts for input. Their feedback was analysed, synthesised and integrated into a refined and validated version of the pattern language.

Reports research into developing the ability to sense characteristic information about fabric/machine interactions for real‐time control of the industrial sewing process. The sewing system under investigation was equipped with displacement and force transducers to measure the dynamic response of the feeding system during various modes of operation. A combination of fabric and machine factors was considered in a one‐half fractional factorial experimental design, including: fabric type, number of fabric plies, presser foot type, presser foot preload, and machine speed.

The apparel design process involves gathering and analysing information on fashion trends, markets and past line sales and editing ideas for successful combinations of fabric, style and price. These ideas are the result of creativity. Creativity is most often modelled as a problem‐solving process involving complex chaotic systems. In the fields of architecture and software design, pattern languages have been developed to help understand the various fundamental components and dynamics of complex systems by using a series of related generic problem‐solving patterns empirically proven to be successful in a specified context of forces. Patterns record existing knowledge to make it rapidly and easily accessible and communicated between different users. A pattern language for the apparel design process could channel creative efforts and enhance communication between design team members by providing them with a common working language. Furthermore, pattern languages are increasingly used in the design of software and user‐interface programs (Booch 1996; Gamma et al. 1994). Preparing the ground by developing a pattern language for apparel products could save resources and time as well as improve the quality of future customised information.

Like most industries that adopt a reactive manufacturing strategy, the clothing industry changes only when external forces dictate that the current approach or strategy will no longer satisfy the prevailing business environment. This paper presents a case study of the modular manufacturing system and discusses the underlying premises that support the success of modular manufacturing both in the formative stages and during sustained operation. A review of the known origins of modular manufacturing illustrates how this production system can be used to advantage for clothing manufacture. Modular is the apparel industry's attempt to optimise the social and technical components of a Sociotechnical System (STS). No single solution fits all products/tasks in fully optimising STS, given different technologies, environment and people, etc. Consistent with the requirements for STS, the authors have formed five conclusive statements regarding the characteristics of modular manufacturing for apparel.

Mass customization (MC) is one of the changes for the US apparel industry that will provide a competitive advantage and offer products needed by consumers. However, as the points of customization and their extent of customization characterize business models including the process strategies to achieve a successful MC strategy, it is imperative to define the points of customization. The purpose of this research is to investigate and introduce the critical points of customization and their extent for apparel.

An apparel industry survey together with case studies was used to collect information to test and support the hypothesis developed through the comprehensive literature review.

Five critical points of apparel customization are defined. These points and their extents of customization are compared, analyzed and validated. It is suggested that the success and the capability of apparel MC will depend on how effectively a company can combine the defined points of customization and their extent of customization in pre‐production, production and post‐production of the apparel product.

The research findings of points of customization is for an apparel product. However, the concepts may be applied to products in other industries.

The post‐production customization point using current technologies is a popular practice for mass customization. However, to achieve a higher level or extent of customization such as design point of customization, it is essential to use advanced product development, manufacturing and processing technologies.

The points of apparel customization and their extent of customization have not been studied before for the apparel MC domain. These points and extent of customization provide new insights into the mass customized apparel manufacturing and apparel MC business models.

This paper presents a model for an effective product development process, which is now becoming increasingly critical to success of apparel firms.

This research modeled apparel product development as a market driven process and integrated the consumer purchase decision in the model of proactive product development integrating consumer requirements (PPDICR). The PPDICR links the consumer purchase decision and multiple consumer research strategies to specific stages of the no‐interval coherently phased product development model for apparel through 15 avenues of consumer input.

The PPDICR model contributes to our understanding on how consumer input can be used to facilitate the process and through what avenues that input may be acquired. This model provides an effective tool for intra‐company to inter‐business analysis of consumer input into the apparel product development process.

The PPDICR provides a theoretical understanding of apparel production, and is useful to researchers in visualizing the impact of changes in the business environment, integrating research projects, and establishing research priorities.

Practitioners may use the model to improve and develop products, select appropriate consumer input, and strategically plan organizational changes.

This model is a useful tool for effective product development both for researchers and industrialists alike. It brings in the important element of the integration of consumer information.

Existing literature clearly documents the importance of new product development to success of a manufacturing firm. Many examples of generic models of the process, including sequential, concurrent, and multiple convergent models, can be found. However, these models are of insufficient detail to provide an adequate foundation for redesigning the apparel product development process. The no‐interval coherently phased product development (NICPPD) model for apparel introduced in this paper documents apparel product development as a six phase process with multiple convergent points and coherently phased divisions. The NICPPD model provides for developing both product lines and individual products, developing seasonal lines and multiple seasons annually, and use of alternative development strategies including original design development, knock‐offs or take‐offs, and modification of existing products. Multiple applications for use of the NICPPD model by both researchers and practitioners in examining and improving the apparel product development process are identified.

Investigates the potential for building smart seams by incorporating optic fibers ultrasonically. The heating and bonding mechanisms of ultrasonic welding process in fabrics were studied. Battle dress uniform (BDU) (50/50 nylon/cotton), 100 percent cotton, 100 percent polyester and Nomex fabrics were used and were bonded ultrasonically with and without polyurethane adhesives. The effects of three important welding parameters, namely weld pressure, weld time and amplitude of vibration, on the joint strength and the temperature profile at the interface were examined. The temperature profiles for different fabrics were measured during ultrasonic welding process. The attenuation degree of signal transition properties of optic fibers incorporated was tested to determine if ultrasonic process provided a possible way of embedding optic fibers into seams and achieving sufficient joint strength while the signal transmission properties of optic fibers incorporated were not changed significantly.

The purpose of this paper is to depict the developmental process of a buildability assessment model for use at the scheme design stage of building projects, which have a priority requirement for functional performance rather than aesthetic performance.

First, major decisions made at the scheme design stage of building projects were identified through pilot interviews and a questionnaire survey on designers. Second, these decisions were rated for their relative importance towards buildability through another questionnaire survey on contractors, analysed using the reliability interval method. Based on these results, a list of buildable and non‐buildable features and their impacts is compiled by interviewing major contractors. These findings were incorporated into a modified framework of buildability assessment for complete design, substituting information available at the scheme design stage. Validation was carried out using four sample projects and feedback from practitioners.

The results obtained from the Scheme Design Buildability Assessment Model have been demonstrated as reflective of actual buildability level. Buildable and non‐buildable features, as exemplified by typical building projects in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, have been identified.

This is the first model which provides a tool for use by the design team to evaluate the buildability of their designs at an early stage, so that necessary improvements can be made without affecting the development program.