Improving The Compromise Between Clothing Style And Dynamic Comfort From Sleeve Construction Available to Purchase

The static and dynamic states of the human body directly determine the shape and construction of clothes. Ideally, clothing should provide comfort and protection for the wearer. However, if comfort and mobility are to be maximised, the garment designer has to sacrifice style. The design of clothes worn on the upper body, is predominantly constrained by the structure of the sleeve and armhole which have to accommodate the high degree of articulation of the arms. In response to movement of the upper limbs, the shape of the torso is inevitably affected. Similarly, movement of the sleeves causes deformation in other parts of an upper body garment. This work shows that fewer compromises of dynamic comfort and movement functionality have to be made in order to promote aesthetic style if the clothing panels are cut to follow the natural geometry of the human body and if appropriate pleating is incorporated into the garment. A number of exploratory approaches are considered, intended to guide the evolution of clothing engineering design so that the comfort and mobility of the wearer might be maximised, whilst retaining acceptable aesthetic design.