Computer generated clothing patterns for people with disability

One of the many problems for a disabled shopper is the lack of garments manufactured for non-standard shapes. The latest technology being used in the clothing industry is employed to undertake demographic studies into size and shape, and a new project is being established to enable it to be adapted to meet the needs of the whole population-disabled and able-bodied alike. There are three main stages in the process: data collection, analysis (in terms of size and shape) and the production of patterns to fit the results. The new project is creating new methods of data entry to CAD so that data about an individual´s size and shape can be used to generate a unique pattern for that person. This is a software development project where the drafting rules are being created as an iterative process between the expert pattern cutters and the computer programmers. Different rules are being used for different garments and the asymmetry of each client is being considered in the process. The intention is to make the process from data capture to garment pattern wholly automatic. The project demonstrates the value of electronic services acting as the input to a flexible manufacturing service that can offer personalisation of goods at little incremental cost. It is likely to be used as a model for the whole clothing industry and thus shows the market that the disabled can lead the world