Ergonomics in Fashion Design: Guidelines and Importance
Shubham Anil Jain
Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited
Bangalore, India
Email: shubhamajain125@gmail.com
Introduction: Ergonomics in fashion design would be the interaction of clothing, people, and their surroundings. Ergonomics can be used at a variety of different levels. It is relevant while designing clothing at the very beginning. One must think about the physiology, biomechanics, and other features of the human body. The second level is where individuals are employed, in the manufacturing industry. Applying ergonomic principles, such as the right workstation height, lighting intensity, shift length, and work-rest cycles, can increase productivity and reduce errors and rejects in the manufacturing process. The third level of intervention is at the level of showcasing fashion components in showrooms as well as in public areas, like in India we are used to roadside markets which are more compared to other markets or showrooms, active. The local vendor and shopkeeper can maintain a high standard of display system by using a standardized display system.
Image courtesy: bift.edu.cn
Aspects of Ergonomics in Fashion Design: The basic definition of ergonomics is the scientific study of human productivity in the workplace. In that study, specialists examine five ergonomic factors—safety, comfort, usability, performance, and aesthetics—to improve design or “fit” when it comes to how workers operate.
1. Safety:
This entails providing furniture, chairs, workstations, and even assembly lines that lessen the strain on employees while they perform their duties.
2. Comfort:
It’s crucial that workers who execute repetitive motions, lift, or move goods don’t have to exert themselves excessively. Extreme temperatures are not possible. They require the right equipment to support them, such as boots, standing mats, lifting belts, gloves, and similar items.
3. Ease of Use:
Employees must be able to complete those jobs without making unnatural movements that strain their necks, backs, knees, and even eyes. Perhaps they can work while seated. You can put tools and equipment in a convenient location. In essence, this introduces simpler working ways for the employee.
4. Performance:
If performance can be evaluated and improved by using ergonomic design, productivity can be increased. By elevating ease-of-use, this extends its capabilities. Limiting unnecessary movement increases productivity. Improve worker productivity by eliminating needless standing, sitting, reaching, lifting, and replenishing work items.
5. Aesthetics:
The focus here isn’t necessarily on beauty. The use, function, operating instructions, and cautions of the worker’s protective gear, tools, other equipment, and workstation should all be simple to grasp. Any of these could cause unneeded weariness, tension, and damage if they are improperly built or labelled.
Each factor considers the individual worker rather than the workforce as a whole. Everyone will need individualized examinations because different workers have different strengths and limits.
Application of Ergonomics in Different Areas of Fashion Design:
1. Medical:
Hospital and medical environments place a significant emphasis on medical ergonomics. The following categories can be used to classify ergonomics applications: clothing for doctors and supporting personnel, patient workwear, and extra clothing for operational personnel such as gloves, aprons, facemasks, and headgear. In order to maintain a sterile environment and the patient’s health, ergonomics application is crucial. The primary purpose of clothes is to keep a static air layer adjacent to the skin in place. This has an impact on the insulation value of the ensemble of clothes, which may then rise or decrease depending on the amount of air trapped between the body and the clothes, between layers of the same fabric, or between layers of different fabrics.
2. Facemask and headgear:
The purpose of the head and face gear is to prevent the surgeons’ hairs and sputum from going into the patient’s open wound and polluting it. Concurrently, since the head is where the majority of heat is shed, head gear should be made of a material that allows for optimal ventilation. By taking into account the dynamic anthropometric dimension of the jaws, the face mask should be sufficiently free to allow the surgical team to communicate with one another as needed during the procedure.
3. Colour of the surgeon’s gown:
In modern times, the surgeon’s attire, particularly the gown and gloves, are either green or blue rather than white. Do you ever wonder why this is the case? Primarily because of blood and related bodily fluids appear overly brilliant and dazzling to the human eye when bright light and a white robe are present. The surgeons and the supporting personnel might see the results, which could result in more surgical errors. Thus, surgical costumes typically have hues of blue and green.
4. Athletic bra:
The size and mobility of a woman’s breasts during exercise are particularly essential. Controlling these breast motions when the body moves is necessary to prevent a challenge for the athlete. Therefore, it is crucial that a single bra does not fit for various sporting activities. It would be determined by the sort of sports and the body’s anthropometric measurements, particularly the breasts.
5. Sports pant:
Good fit based on anthropometry and the degree of dynamicity depends on the sort of job to be performed are two ergonomic challenges related to designing trousers. Thus, in a tropical climate, sports trousers intended for jogging or other activities should be loose in fit and preferably be open below to promote the entry of cool air. During strenuous activity, slits inside the pockets would allow hot air from the groyne area to escape.
Importance of Ergonomic Workplace Designs:
The study of creating and arranging work environments and systems to increase worker safety and efficiency is known as ergonomics. Using ergonomics in the garment sector can have a number of benefits, including:
a) Improved worker safety and comfort:
Making clothes requires a lot of repetitive activities, including cutting, stitching, and pressing. Workstations and other pieces of equipment with ergonomic designs can lessen physical stress on employees and assist avoid musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) such carpal tunnel syndrome, neck discomfort, and back pain.
b) Productivity improvement:
Ergonomics can boost output by minimizing the time and effort needed to complete tasks. Workers can finish jobs more quickly and with fewer mistakes if workstations and tools are comfortable and simple to use.
c) Better product quality:
Ergonomic designs might aid in enhancing the final product’s quality. For instance, ergonomic sewing machines can assist reduce fabric distortion and enhance seam quality, while ergonomic cutting tables can guarantee accurate and consistent fabric cutting.
d) Cost reduction:
Workstations and equipment for the garment industry can be designed more affordably by incorporating ergonomics. Employers can save money on medical expenses and workers’ compensation claims by lowering the risk of worker injury and MSDs.
Conclusion:
The science of designing equipment, the workplace, and “human factors” is known as ergonomics. Creating uncomfortable and tired products In order to develop the product cycle, it is crucial to conduct a thorough investigation into long-term fashion trends. Developed a strategy for extending a product’s life while still making the most use of its resources. It improves one’s capacity for understanding and implementing long-term fashion trends and for sticking with the classics. Enhances the capacity to think responsibly about design.
References:
É. P das Neves., A. CBrigatto & L. CPaschoarelli, ‘’Fashion and Ergonomic Design: Aspects that influence the perception of clothing usability. ‘’Procedia Manufacturing, 3, 6133-6139.(2015).
G.Montagna, & C.Morais, ‘’Fashion design and garment performance: Human factors in fashion design projects. Advances in Ergonomics In Design, Usability & Special Populations: Part I, 16, 47.(2014).
S. B.Martins, & L. B. Martins, ‘’Ergonomics, design universal and fashion‘’. Work, 41 (Supplement 1), 4733-4738.(2012).
Fashion and Ergonomic Design: Aspects that Influence the Perception of Clothing Usability, December 2015
Wafaa A. Elsayed , Maha M.T. Eladwi , Nagah S. AAshour, Rania N. Shaker; Ergonomics Approach For Fashionable Apparel Design el Design , International Design Journal, Volume 9, Issue 3.
Founder & Editor of Textile Learner. He is a Textile Consultant, Blogger & Entrepreneur. He is working as a textile consultant in several local and international companies. He is also a contributor of Wikipedia.
