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Looks at the eighth published year of the ITCRR and the research, from far and near, involved in this. Muses on the fact that, though all the usual processes are to the fore, the downside part of the industry is garment making which is the least developed side. Posits that the manufacture of clothing needs to become more technologically advanced as does retailing. Closes by emphasising support for the community in all its efforts.

Discusses the 6th ITCRR, its breadth of textile and clothing research activity, plus the encouragement given to workers in this field and its related areas. States that, within the newer research areas under the microscope of the community involved, technical textiles focuses on new, ‘smart’ garments and the initiatives in this field in both the UK and the international community at large. Covers this subject at length.

Building on a series of earlier studies of the relationship between quality and international clothing supply chains, this paper focuses on the role of independent test houses in order to further explore the tensions between cost and quality imperatives operating in the process of internationalisation. The paper, using qualitative data derived from semi‐structured face‐to‐face interviews, first establishes a theoretical perspective on the position of testing and the test house in the supply chain, before turning to an examination of the cultural attributes of test houses, retailers and manufacturers. This approach allows for an assessment of the value accorded to quality issues. The paper concludes by stressing the dominance of the cost imperative.

To investigate consumers’ perceptions of appearance and handle of the chest area and the lapel in men’s tailored jackets, both objective measurement using FAST and subjective assessment utilising semi‐structured interview were employed. It was found that objective measurement provides insufficient information to predict the tailorability if reliance is placed purely upon properties obtained from shell fabrics. Use of the fabric and interlining laminates, however, provides better prediction of tailorability, especially those aspects associated with appearance and shape retention. It was also found that objective measurement results do not agree with the subjective assessment results, particularly with regard to the subjective assessment of the female interviewees. It is suggested that thought should be given to devising a method of evaluating objective measurement results suitable to fabric and interlining laminates that can also take account of market trends directly related to consumer perception.

To assess the distortion in colour matching occurring in the process from design of a fabric to printed output, a combined objective and subjective measurement methodology was used. The results obtained from the spectrophotometer demonstrated that the hue and chroma of the printed copies differed from the originals. It was found that the perception of colour by fashion/textile designers mainly depends upon overall colour differences (▵E) rather than any individual factors such as lightness, chroma and hue.

Examines the tenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

Examining quality control in the context of international supply chains, the paper argues that, in general, there is a need for more empirical work in the field of supply‐chain studies. Empirical data are presented, derived from multiple case studies conducted via in‐depth questionnaires; potential analytical frameworks are also introduced. In particular, the relationship between quality control and the configuration of supply chains is explored in terms of imperatives, preferences and wider processes of restructuring. This approach allows for the identification of tensions between cost and quality imperatives that impact on supply‐chain configuration.

Examines the ninth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

This paper investigates the behaviour of condensation in three‐layer waterproof breathable fabrics for clothing. An attempt has been made to consider water vapour transfer when condensation occurs within the three‐layer waterproof breathable fabrics based on the simultaneous heat and mass transfer theory developed by Motakef and El‐Maher and diffusion and condensation theory developed by Wijeysundera et al. According to the analysis made of existing theory, it is possible to model condensation within fabrics and laminates using the thermodynamic equations outlined in this paper, which can assist in predicting the performance of textiles and help to understand the comfort of performance clothing. It is noted that the condensation problem may be solved by changing some physical properties of a three‐layer waterproof breathable fabric. The water vapour transfer out of the fabric can be improved, and consequently the formation of condensation reduced, by decreasing the thickness of the waterproof membrane and outer layer fabric or by increasing the average diffusion coefficient of the outer layer and membrane. A decrease in the thickness of the lining could increase the water vapour transfer from the hot side to the interface between the dry‐wet regions, but this would also increase the condensation. Increasing the diffusion coefficient of the lining will also increase both water vapour transfer from the hot side and condensation.