Commercially available children’s cloth masks range widely in material type and fabric structures, methods of construction, layering, and shape, and there is a lack of sizing systems, anthropometric data or guidelines specifically targeting the fit assessment and design of cloth face masks for children 4-6 years old. To better identify and understand the cloth face mask fit and functional needs of children ages 4-6 years old, the researchers embarked on interdisciplinary in-depth study to investigate commercial market offerings of children’s face masks, identify consumer perspectives, and explore mask design improvements through design research. By triangulating results from survey feedback, commercial market content analysis, and wear trial observations, the researchers were able to identify important design criteria that can be used in the improvement of children’s cloth face mask design: size, comfort, dexterity, movement, and thermal comfort. These criteria were used to iteratively develop new mask prototypes involving a 3D printed head form, traditional sewing and hand patternmaking skills, and the creation of multiple mask versions to explore the design criteria listed above. The designs were interpreted through Bye’s (2010) Problem-Based Design Research (PBDR) framework, which identifies common design research practices in the field on a spectrum and situates PBDR as a process centered on a problem as impetus for design through which artifacts are developed.
Curated exhibitions are places where research practice, creative design, storytelling, and aesthetics converge. In this article, we use the term “fashion exhibition” to refer to the organized display of extant dress-related items within museums or other public spaces. Curation, as a form of creative design research, produces numerous outcomes including museum exhibitions, digital archives, and associated publications; however, our field has not yet established a method to peer review fashion exhibitions. In this article, we build upon the work of previous scholars to propose criteria for evaluating fashion exhibitions. In doing so, we aim to elevate the scholarly status of fashion exhibitions, particularly those mounted by modestly funded institutions, and use the recent fashion exhibition, “Women Empowered: Fashions from the Frontline,” as an example to illustrate our argument.
The second component of this three-paper series studying cloth face masks for children ages 4 to 6 years old concentrates on optimizing aerosol capture and air permeability through fabric selection. Material choices were evaluated in two modes: Flat Filter (FF) and Head Form (HF). FF isolates material factors while HF simulates the performance of the constructed masks on a 3D printed child head form. In FF mode, higher filtration efficiency correlated to lower air permeability in both reusable commercial and experimental face masks regardless of fiber contents, fabric structures, and number of layers. Our prototype face mask developed in design exploration successfully captured 37 ± 12% of 0.3 μm, 87 ± 3% of 0.5 μm, and 87 ± 2% of 1.0 μm particles while maintaining good air permeability, moisture capture, and aerosolized salt capture in HF mode. Sealing masks to minimize outward leakage reduced particle capture up to 64%. Particle leakage data captured at the eye level of the head form illuminated the synergy between mask design, material choice, and fit.
Introduction/BackgroundCircus artists are performers with specific costume needs determined by their acts. (Bicât, 2012). Due to the extreme physicality of their movements and body impact with their various apparatus and/or act partners, it is necessary to devote particular attention to the functional aspects of design in the development of their costumes. As a result, information is needed for the designer to make appropriate decisions about the silhouette, materials, and construction of the garments. While industry training can provide useful hands-on experience, it is not possible for all costume designers and technicians to have access to this type of instruction. Hence, it is important to develop knowledge resources in this area. One of the methods through which this knowledge can be explored is to utilize archival resources for the purpose of functional apparel design research. In this way, historical artefacts can be used as information sources for designers -from photographs and videos to physical garments, circus materials act as valuable primary references in the design research process. As physical circus costumes may be difficult to access in person, visual materials such as photographs, videos, and circus show programs can be used as references to 1) track changes in circus costume silhouettes through time and 2) develop circus costume design research garments. Thus, the objectives of the present research project were to explore the phenomenon through thematic visual analysis of historical resources, and to use the resultant information in the development of design research garments for a future study involving wear tests with circus professionals. The following research questions were raised: How have circus costume silhouettes changed over time? How can circus costumes be developed through the use of historical, visual archive resources such as photographs, show programs, and video? What are the benefits and limitations of using only visual resources in this process? Process The positioning of the researcher includes their experience in both circus costume design and fashion history. Through the lens of functional apparel design practice, the research project was devised as a way to 1) explore how photographs, show programs, and video can be used to track the historical progression of circus costume, and 2) develop design research garments, which can be used in future functional design wear testing by trained circus performers. To explore the phenomenon, the project was divided into two parts: historical visual artefact reference analysis, and design research garment development.Hundreds of circus performer photographs and circus show programs were accessed through the John and Mable Ringling Museum Archives. Viewing over 100 years' worth of images accompanied by knowledge of fashion history provides interesting historical contextwhereas female circus performers were wearing corsets while performing in the 1800s, corsets in2020 Proceedings Virtual Conference
Overview:Training and performance attire for intensive physical activity requires particular attention to functional design, and in the case of circus arts these garments carry the additional and essential consideration of safety, especially in conjunction with the use of an apparatus or physical interactions with act partners. Circus performers are artists and athletes, executing extraordinary physical feats while wearing garments that allow for movement, provide for safety, and simultaneously meet the aesthetic needs or themes of the show. Knowledge of apparel development for circus arts is traditionally held within the community or by specially trained designers and technicians who work closely with performers. As the essential safety and functional specifications required for circus costume are not widely documented or readily available to apparel and performance design programs and industry, there are precious few apparel designers with the knowledge and skills to create circus attire. This paper is presented as part of a larger dissertation research project developing foundational resources and information on the topic of safety and function in apparel for circus arts and is intended as a starting design framework for the development of circus apparel. Given the considerable lack of information or knowledge in the field of apparel regarding development of these garments, there is an urgent need for guidelines and frameworks on the design and production of performance attire for circus. By combining elements of existing apparel design frameworks, it is possible to locate necessary design considerations and processes for circus costume development. These frameworks are 1) Stokes and Black's (2012) work on clothing for adolescent girls with disabilities, which is based on 2) Lamb and Kallal's (1992) functional, expressive and aesthetic (FEA) model of consumer needs and accompanying apparel design framework, and 3) a costume design framework by Jablon-Roberts and Sanders (2019) on garments for historically set theatrical productions. These three frameworks are particularly important because they stem from rigorously researched works involving design practices targeting people with specific needs ranging from safety and function to aesthetic storytelling. Existing Frameworks: Within the entertainment industry, many designers follow practices that align with Jablon-Roberts and Sanders' (2019) costume design process framework centering on three themes (applicability, attainability, and performability), and four factors (incubation, research, role-playing, and historical manipulation) underpinning iterative approaches, all focused on live entertainment productions with historical settings. Of these, historical manipulation and role-playing may not always be necessary for circus and thus are discarded in the present research. Lamb and Kallal's (1992) FEA model of consumer needs and accompanying apparel design framework (see figure 1) is an established and often-used resource for scholars across apparel design discip...
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.