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This paper aims at defining a structured process of continuous innovation in the product concept development phase by a statistical‐based Kansei engineering (KE) approach. It consists in the identification of quality elements satisfying both functional and emotional user needs, i.e. the total quality elements.

The approach is developed integrating results from Kano and KE analysis. Three statistical methods considered to be suitable for KE study, are used: supersaturated design for concept configuration, ordinal logistic regression for data analysis, and EVA method for quality evaluation of the optimal concept. These methods are compared with the most used ones in KE regarding their efficacy, efficiency and easiness of use. An innovative procedure to exhibit concepts in a KE session is also presented. It uses the abstraction and association idea principles to elicit users' grade of agreement for a particular Kansei word.

The proposed approach is fully exploited through a case study on train interior design, developed in a virtual reality (VR) laboratory. The evaluation of comfort improvements obtained by means of a new handle and handrail design is carried on with expert users in VR. A consistent increase of a quality index, by using the defined approach, was obtained.

This work aims at contributing to the conception of new product solutions, which are appealing and saleable. The availability of virtual reality technologies and software capable to manage complex statistical analyses, will concretely aid designers and engineers in the ideation of high‐emotional‐quality products, which can be helpful for innovative enterprises to maintain and even increase their market position.

This paper argues for the immediate use of Kansei engineering to help deal with the chaotic situation of poorly implemented and disconnected technologies. A theoretical criticism of the current industrial capitalism, together with the promotion of a new post‐industrial form of capitalism, lays the foundation for an explanation of how this transition can be achieved through a proper understanding of Kansei. A detailed explanation of the interactive production system apparel demonstrates the benefits to both manufacturers and consumers. The paper concludes that the application to apparel is just one of the many potential applications to improving the lifestyle and enjoyment of individuals in the entire society.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current challenges to making individualized men’s dress shirt adjustments, and devised a novel measurement method to assess shoulder shape.

To understand the common complaints about ready-to-wear dress shirts, a wear evaluation with 15 Japanese males was performed. The shoulder components of these shirts could not be adjusted using any currently available measurement methods. The three-dimensional body shape of two subjects who had a problem with the shoulder of ready-to-wear shirts was compared with a dummy designed to represent the average Japanese male.

The authors determined that one of the subjects with an incompatible shoulder fit had a shoulder point (SP) line that was anterior to the one measured on the average dummy. The other subject had a smaller shoulder angle than the average dummy. To effectively measure the wearer’s shoulder characteristics, the authors devised a new measuring device that can measure the shoulder angle and its degree of forward thrust. With this device, it was possible to understand the wearers’ shoulder types and make appropriate dress shirt adjustments.

The authors devised a new measuring device to assess shoulder angle and forward thrust, qualities that previously could not be measured without three-dimensional analysis. Using this device, it was possible to understand the wearers’ shoulder types and make appropriate dress shirt adjustments.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a size-changing method with three-dimensional (3D) garment modeling for various body sizes considering vertical body proportions in addition to horizontal dimensions, while preserving the silhouette and ease of the original garment.

Cross-sectional dimensions and shapes of one dress form (the standard body) and jacket bodice were obtained by 3D scanning. The authors calculated horizontal multiplication factors of the relationship between the standard body and jacket bodice, and vertical body proportions. A target dress form was deformed using multiplication factors and vertical body proportions to construct a garment model that fitted the dress form. The method was verified using three different dress forms. The bodices of the jackets were compared with those obtained without adjusting vertical proportions.

Employing the proposed method, jacket bodices were made and fitted on target bodies while preserving the original shape. Jackets bodices made without considering vertical proportions had many wrinkles and deformed shape and poor fit around the bust line owing to the different vertical proportions. The vertical proportion is thus an important factor in the 3D garment modeling of garments of different size fitted on a body.

The proposed method is a new size-changing or grading method for a bodice that preserves the original silhouette.

The proposed modeling method allows the construction of jacket bodice models and jackets of different size considering vertical body proportions. The method is applicable when making individually tailored garments or ready-to-wear garments for different targets.

The purpose of this paper is to clarify changes in the appearance of a ready-made tailored jacket due to changes in the ease allowance and determine suitable ranges of the ease allowance for the jacket.

Images were taken of the front, side and back of a jacket placed on a dress form with varying sizes of bust, waist and hips. The authors observed the appearance of the jacket for the different sizes of the dress form. A sensory evaluation of the suitable range of ease allowance for the jacket involving 20 female Japanese university students was carried out. The evaluation items were the fit, beauty, comfort and purchase intention.

The jacket appearance was lowly evaluated if there were many wrinkles and highly evaluated if there was a curved silhouette. Changes in bust, sleeve and waist parts affected the evaluation of the suitable ranges of ease allowance. The suitable range of ease allowance varied depending on the jacket part and viewing direction. In terms of fit, the suitable ease allowance ranged between 5.6 and 9.9 percent for the bust, between 7.6 and 17.8 percent for the waist and between 2.6 and 8.6 percent for the hips. The suitable ranges were determined considering the wrinkling and silhouette in these parts.

Suitable ranges of ease allowance of a tailored jacket were determined by evaluating a jacket for 11 dress form sizes of the bust, nine sizes of the waist and seven sizes of the hips, at 2 cm intervals. The obtained suitable ease allowance ranges are useful to manufacturers in terms of garment design and to customers in terms of selecting suitable garments.

In order to help companies better grasp the perceptual needs of consumers for patterns, so as to carry out more accurate product pattern development and recommendation, this research develops a product pattern design system based on computer-aided design.

First, use the Kansei engineering theory and method to obtain the user's perceptual image, and deconstruct and encode the pattern based on the morphological analysis method, then through the BP neural network to construct the mapping relationship between the user's perceptual image and the pattern design elements, and finally calculate and find the corresponding design code combination according to the design goal to guide the pattern design.

Taking costume paper-cut patterns as an example, the feasibility of this system is verified, the design system can well reflect the user's perceptual image in the pattern design and improve the efficiency of pattern customization service.

Compared with the traditional method that relies on the designer's personal experience to propose a design plan, this research provides scientific and intelligent design methods for product pattern design.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate differences in taste in women’s sportswear t-shirts, between Japanese and French people.

A questionnaire survey on the impression of the appearance of t-shirts was conducted using three-dimensional simulations that the authors created. A sensory test was carried out for 24 designs (having varying types of sleeves, bodice length and fitting) on 51 examinees (26 Japanese and 25 French) who voluntarily participated.

Results show that both Japanese and French people most appreciated very short t-shirts and considered sleeveless and tank top shirts to be the most appropriated for exercise. Participants liked a cool, modern, showy, short, special, elaborate and feminine design. Additionally, Japanese people considered that casual clothes that are suitable for exercise are not suitable for wearing outside the gym, whereas this was not notable for French people.

The results of the present study will allow the sportswear industry to better target clients.

To suggest a garment for a wider market, the purpose of this paper is to assess the appearance of garments manufactured by a combination of four methods of flat pattern making and four dress forms from different countries. The paper also compares Japanese and British women’s evaluations of these garments’ appearances.

The authors made 16 garments by combining 4 pattern making methods with measurements from 4 dress forms and evaluated their appearance. The four dress forms were from Japan (Kiiya, called “Kii”), France (Siegel & Stockman, called “St”), the UK (Kennett & Lindsell, called “KL”) and the USA (Wolf Form, called “Wo”), and the four pattern making methods were from Japan (Bunka), Italy (Secoli), France (ESMOD) and the USA (Fashion Institute of Technology, called “FIT”). The authors captured 64 sets of pictures of the 16 garments with the 4 dress forms from the front and the side. The authors then showed images of the four garments made using the same pattern making method with measurements from the four dress forms to subjects for assessment. The subjects – 15 Japanese and 11 British women in their 20s – ranked the pictures in descending order of appearance.

Subjects from both countries rated garments manufactured using the Bunka and Secoli pattern making methods with the Kii and KL dress forms, and those made using ESMOD and FIT with St and Wo as the highest, even though the dress forms used for pattern making and those for wearing were not coincident. On the contrary, many garments made using Bunka and Secoli with St and Wo, and those made using ESMOD and FIT with Kii and KL were rated lowest in terms of appearance, even though the target dress form and wearing dress form were coincident. Therefore, there are appropriate body measurements for each pattern making method that can render the relevant garment more attractive, likely because these measurements are derived from assumed body proportions in the pattern making method of each country.

Although the evaluation of the appearance of garments is an important factor in garment manufacture, scant research has addressed this issue. Moreover, the comparison between Japanese and British women provided here will help manufacturers make garments that are more attractive to people in both countries.

A suitable dress form is necessary for patternmaking when manufacturing a garment for the global market. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the similarities and differences in visual impressions and preferences of dress forms between Japanese and British female university students.

The authors carried out sensory evaluations of the visual impressions of dress forms using images of four forms made in Japan, France, the UK and the USA. The participants (18 Japanese and 11 British female university students in their 20s) assessed them using the semantic differential method. In total, 22 adjective pairs concerning style, image and preference factors were used. The authors performed a principal component analysis on the results for style and image. For preference factors, one-way analysis of variance was used to analyze whether there was a difference in preference between the dress forms.

The Japanese students evaluated dress forms by considering balance and cool (fashionable) as the first principal component, and frailty and delicacy as the second. A large bust-to-waist ratio strengthens the impression of the latter component. The Japanese preferred dress forms of the kind worn by fashion models. Their preference was heavily influenced by the first principal component, but this preference decreased when the dress form evinced a weak impression. The British students assessed dress forms using healthy and cool (fashionable) as the first principal component, and frail and thin body as the second. A ratio of the width of the shoulder to that of the waist (at the front) of 1.6:1 and a rounded back shape from the side view were considered healthy.

These results can help understand the Japanese and British customers’ impressions and preferences on the dress form. Moreover, apparel manufacturers choose a suitable dress form to manufacture garments for the global market, by considering similarities and differences in people’s preferences.

The purpose of this paper is to bridge the gap between human emotions and wearable technologies for interactive fashion innovation. To consider the reasons why smart clothing should satisfy the internet of things (IoT) technical functions and human emotional expression simultaneously, to investigate the manner in which artistic design perspectives and engineering methods combined effectively, to explore the R&D elements of future smart clothing based on the IoT technology.

This study combines artistic design perspectives with information-sensing engineering methods as well as kansei evaluation method. Micro-sensors and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) embedded in couples clothing prototype. The first experiment step in the design and production of prototype clothing, and do the initial emotional evaluation. The second experiment is the comparative evaluation of the prototype and other typical smart clothing.

The interactive clothing prototype was proven to correlate well with human emotional expressive patterns. The evaluation I indicated the prototype can stimulate the emotional response of the participants to achieve a higher score in the activate sensor state. Evaluation II revealed that in the process of interactive clothing design, the technical functionality should synchronize with the requirements of human emotional expression.

This study builds the research and development theoretical model of interactive clothing that can be integrated into daily smart clothing life design, and analyze the methods and means of blending IoT smart information-sensing technology with emotional design. By means of this experimental demonstration of human-centered interactive clothing design, the authors provide smart clothing 3.0 evolutionary roadmap and propose a new concept of internet of clothes (IoC) for further research reference.