Susan Ashdown
Sets New Horizons in Sizing and Fit

Has your company ever had problems sizing garments satisfactorily to fit female customers? If so, your firm is not alone. One major complaint women have about ready-to-wear clothing in the United States is the difficulty of finding a good fit. Not only do garments labeled the same size differ considerably in body measurements from manufacturer to manufacturer, but those measurements are not communicated to customers. Women must try on multiple garments to identify the correct size for each manufacturer. Making it easier for women to locate appropriate sizes and find garments that fit will improve perceived product quality and help a company gain competitive advantage.

Professor Susan Ashdown explores ways to provide customers with the good fit they want. Existing systems change sizes according to the increase of a single measurement and other

measurements are calculated proportionally. Ashdown and several students have experimented with sizing systems that vary by three or four body dimensions for optimal fit within each size.

Ashdown's research shows potential for fitting a greater percentage of the population within standard sizes using a multi-measurement system. Use of computers makes the resulting complex grading formulas feasible.

In another project, Professor Ashdown and her students examined methods for converting body scan measurements to two-dimensional patterns. 3-D body scanning is new technology that records thousands of data points through laser or light technology. It removes the variability of hand measurements. As the price and complexity of body scanning drop, it will be used more frequently in the mass customization of garments. Ashdown and her students developed a mathematical method to convert the scan data to patterns. They then compared fit of the resulting skirts with skirts made from a manufacturer's graded nest. Women wearing the skirts favored the fit of the experimental skirts.

A related issue Professor Ashdown has explored is fit testing. Fit is difficult to quantify, in part because there are two perspectives: the wearer's and the observer's. Customers who have never experienced good fit in their clothing may not recognize it. Ashdown and her students have experimented with computer analysis to identify stress points in clothing as a way to objectively measure fit. They have also developed a fit test procedure for expert observers to follow.

Does your firm have some sizing or fit issues? Professor Ashdown's research depends on her knowledge of industry processes and challenges as she and her students continue to chase after that illusive “perfect fit.” Call her. She loves to talk about sizing and fit.

Some questions you might ask Professor Ashdown:

• How do I develop or re-size my apparel product line?
• How can I size my product line to fit the aging baby boomers?
• Can design revisions be made during a conference call using distance technology?