Considerate Design for Personalised Fashion Products
Lead Research Organisation:
University of the Arts London
Department Name: London College of Fashion
Abstract
This portfolio project will develop new fashion products - one piece knitwear and fashion accessories - which integrate the craft skills of fashion making with new technologies. It will propose new design processes which will have reduced environmental impact and consider both the end user and the enture life cycle of the product. The theoratical underpinning of the project is the identification and analysis of the design process and creation of guidlines for a 'Considerate Design' model which will be tested against theories of complexity in design.
The project responds to the rapidly changing context of fashion and positions the user at the centre of the design process. It aims to produce personalised fashion products using new applications of 3D body scanning linked to rapid prototyping methods to produce customised body related forms integrated with different direct manufacturing and production processes; the direct 3D production of semafree knitwear, the manufacture of bespoke bags, and creation of body conformable seamless textile structures. The sub-projects each have a relevance to industry in either the short or longer term, contributing to the concept of mass customisation, to create viable products which are individually tailored to requirements.
In bespoke fashion the design input per item is far higher then in mass produced pieces. To make this a viable option designers must learn how to structure their design processes effectively and cost their design process accurately. This project will model a design process for Considerate Design using the sub-projects as sources of data to develop guidance for the considerate design procedures. The process will be modelled in the Signposting software, developed in the Cambridge EDC, which provides an opportunity to model individual procedures and assess their cost and risk. This also provides an opportunity to assess the scope of the Signposting method outside the automotive and aerospace industry.
The first sub-project works with industrially made 3D knitwear. The uptake of seamfree knitwear has to date been slow in the fashion market, despite the technology having been available for a number of years. This project demonstrates how added value can be delivered through customised fit and comfort, and will contribute to the service sector of the fashion industry by developing knitwear which is more acceptable to a wider range of consumers. The materialf focus is on revisiting wool as both a sustainable fibre, and one which is versatile in response to different temperatures and seasons. The project contributes to considerate designt hrough the interaction with the user, the shortening of the supply chain by elimination of making up processes and by providing more comfortable clothing.
The second sub-project integrates the philosophy and practice of craft in manufacturing bespoke functional bags (eg backpacks and computer cases) with body scanning and rapid prototyping to produce products with an exact fit to the posture and body of an individual, using specially created components and contemporary materials for both aesthetic design and functional purpose, with potential to increase longevity of use.
The third project is longer term, focusing on creating new paradigms for production of seamless textile structures which conform in shape to the body. It uses no traditional textile and fashion processes, but adapts the technologies and materials from rapid prototyping of industrial products through linked structures to create flexible surfaces. This project tests new design processes for generating form through the interface of computer and human design.
The results of each sub project will be disseminated through academic journals, to industry through conferences and trade fairs, and directly to the public through editorial features in magazines, and a work in progresexhibition at an appropriate venue such as the ICA in London, the Design Museum, The Hub in Leicestershire.
The project responds to the rapidly changing context of fashion and positions the user at the centre of the design process. It aims to produce personalised fashion products using new applications of 3D body scanning linked to rapid prototyping methods to produce customised body related forms integrated with different direct manufacturing and production processes; the direct 3D production of semafree knitwear, the manufacture of bespoke bags, and creation of body conformable seamless textile structures. The sub-projects each have a relevance to industry in either the short or longer term, contributing to the concept of mass customisation, to create viable products which are individually tailored to requirements.
In bespoke fashion the design input per item is far higher then in mass produced pieces. To make this a viable option designers must learn how to structure their design processes effectively and cost their design process accurately. This project will model a design process for Considerate Design using the sub-projects as sources of data to develop guidance for the considerate design procedures. The process will be modelled in the Signposting software, developed in the Cambridge EDC, which provides an opportunity to model individual procedures and assess their cost and risk. This also provides an opportunity to assess the scope of the Signposting method outside the automotive and aerospace industry.
The first sub-project works with industrially made 3D knitwear. The uptake of seamfree knitwear has to date been slow in the fashion market, despite the technology having been available for a number of years. This project demonstrates how added value can be delivered through customised fit and comfort, and will contribute to the service sector of the fashion industry by developing knitwear which is more acceptable to a wider range of consumers. The materialf focus is on revisiting wool as both a sustainable fibre, and one which is versatile in response to different temperatures and seasons. The project contributes to considerate designt hrough the interaction with the user, the shortening of the supply chain by elimination of making up processes and by providing more comfortable clothing.
The second sub-project integrates the philosophy and practice of craft in manufacturing bespoke functional bags (eg backpacks and computer cases) with body scanning and rapid prototyping to produce products with an exact fit to the posture and body of an individual, using specially created components and contemporary materials for both aesthetic design and functional purpose, with potential to increase longevity of use.
The third project is longer term, focusing on creating new paradigms for production of seamless textile structures which conform in shape to the body. It uses no traditional textile and fashion processes, but adapts the technologies and materials from rapid prototyping of industrial products through linked structures to create flexible surfaces. This project tests new design processes for generating form through the interface of computer and human design.
The results of each sub project will be disseminated through academic journals, to industry through conferences and trade fairs, and directly to the public through editorial features in magazines, and a work in progresexhibition at an appropriate venue such as the ICA in London, the Design Museum, The Hub in Leicestershire.
Publications
Black S, Eckert CM, Delamore P, Geesin F, Harkin S, Eskandarypur F.
(2010)
Designing for the 21st Century. Interdisciplinary Methods and Findings
Eckert CM
(2008)
Process Simulation to Make Personalisation Economically Viable.
in Proceedings of TMCE 2008
Title | Bags by Steven Harkin |
Description | bespoke ergonomic leather bags crafted to conform to the physical shape of the body |
Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
Year Produced | 2009 |
Impact | enhancement of the product range of the SME Steven Harkin |
Title | Developing Considerate Design - documentary film |
Description | A short film that outlines the activities and projects created from the Considerate Design for Personalised Fashion Products project |
Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
Year Produced | 2009 |
Impact | distribution of DVD to press and professional bodies |
Title | Inspired by Nano |
Description | artworks inspired by electon microscope medical images created from unique metallised fabrics, making the invisible visible |
Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
Year Produced | 2009 |
Impact | Work exhibited in exhibition with catalogue in conjunction with the Institute of Nanotechnology, touring |
Title | Knit for Fit process to created seamless sweater |
Description | Video created to demonstrate a process of designing seamless knitwear based on body scan data using industrial digital knitting technology. |
Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
Year Produced | 2010 |
Impact | Video exhibited in the Science Museum London exhibition Trash Fashion: Designing out Waste 2010-11 in the Antenna section focusing in new technological developments, for a public audience |
Title | Knit for Fit seamless sweater |
Description | A seamless industrially knitted sweater created in a knit for fit process using body scanning technology |
Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
Year Produced | 2010 |
Impact | Exhibited in the Science Museum London exhibition Trash Fashion : Designing out Waste to demonstrate a potential on-demand manufacturing process to enhance fit and satisfaction and minimise waste |
Title | Made in Britain |
Description | Three exhibits form the Considerate Design project: personlised seamless knitwear (100% wool); chain link seamless glove produced by 3D printing technology; bespoke ergonomic leather backpack shaped to fit to the contours of the back |
Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
Year Produced | 2010 |
Impact | Exhibition of innovative products designed and made in the UK, exhibited to a professional, public and academic audience in Milan, in conjunctionwith the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Subsequently exhibited in the UK House of Lords to inform and impact policy makers and industry members |
Description | Collaborative bid for an IMRC in Fashion Manufacturing submitted to EPSRC in Aug 2009 by Prof Black (PI)at LCF with Open University DDEM (Dr Claudia Eckert and Prof Chris Earl as CoIs.) |
Organisation | Open University |
Department | Design, Development, Environment and Materials |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Information taken from Final Report |
Description | Collaborative bid for an IMRC in Fashion Manufacturing submitted to EPSRC in Aug 2009 by Prof Black (PI)at LCF with Open University DDEM (Dr Claudia Eckert and Prof Chris Earl as CoIs.) |
Organisation | University of the Arts London |
Department | LCF London College of Fashion |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Information taken from Final Report |