Design of Ergonomic Garment for Elderly Indian Women

Ergonomic designs for blouses, worn as a top with the Indian sari, have been proposed to suit the needs of elderly Indian women. A group of 160 women, 65 to 80 years of age, living in Delhi and its satellite towns, were interviewed to identify their clothing needs, preferences and requirements. The results showed that the subjects had difficulty in finding age-appropriate clothing since most clothing available in the market was designed with young people in mind. It was also established that more than 80% of the women wore the traditional Indian sari during the day as well as at night and that they faced major problems with regard to the fit and comfort of blouses worn as a top with the same. Based on the feedback obtained from the subjects, 10 blouse designs were developed using various fabrics and style features for various occasions and activities. Ergonomic features have been incorporated to suit the requirements of a changed body shape and limitations posed on movement, dexterity and strength. Three of the designs have been discussed in this paper in detail.