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.

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: Women's underwear garments typically include a crotch panel, which is an extra layer of fabric attached inside of the garment, taking the shape of the perineal region and extending over the orifices to absorb or wick moisture away from that area (LaBat & Ryan, 2019). Therefore, this panel, or other absorbent products such as hygienic pads that are attached to this panel to take in urine leakage and vaginal or period discharge should be properly sized based on the size of the body to provide comfort to the wearer (LaBat & Ryan, 2019). Previous studies found that age, BMI, and race were important factors for developing fitted patterns at the crotch area (Song & Ashdown, 2011). In a comparative study of trouser patternmaking methods, it was found that front and back crotch lengths and crotch width should be increased with aging to provide comfort (Lim & Cassidy, 2017). The same study examined the crotch length differences between Asian and Western women and found significantly longer crotch length in the Asian cohort. Anthropometric data related to underwear sizing and fit for women is very limited, and information on optimum positioning of the crotch panel from anterior to posterior planes is not available. Due to the limited number of studies about the size of crotch length, the main purposes of the present study were to better understand (1) the sizing of women's underwear as well as commercial hygienic pads (i.e. sanitary pads and panty liners), and (2) the correlations between the length of crotch panel among women with varying age, size, BMI, hip measurements, and race.Methods: A multi-method approach was used to address the goals of this study. Upon receiving an IRB approval, a Qualtrics survey was conducted via Amazon MTurk to better understand female consumers' experiences with commercial hygienic pads. Participants self-reported their panty sizes, weight, and height, and hygienic pad sizes. To measure crotch lengths, a total of 544 3D body scans of North American women (aged 18-45) from CAESAR database were used. Trochanterion was determined as the body landmark to set a baseline when extracting the measurements. To extract data related to crotch length at the trochanterion plane, and anterior to posterior depth, profile silhouettes were captured from the CEASAR database. Adobe Illustrator was used to connect the front and back side lines. FreeCAD was used to get absolute crotch coordinates, which were used to detect and measure front, back, and total crotch's lengths in Adobe Illustrator. Seven body measurements (i.e., height, front and back curve lengths, total curve length, anterior-posterior length, max-hip girth, and depth) were compared based on participants' BMI, race, and age to analyze the correlations among the variables. Descriptive statistical analyses, regressions, ANOVA and Pearson's correlation tests at 95% confidence level were conducted in SPSS 25. Results: One hundred and seventy useable survey responses were collected from women aged 18 years and older. Most of the particip...

Over a two-week period in 2017, the artist-in-residence, faculty, and graduate and undergraduate students collaborated on a temporary art installation of soft and hard sculpture located inside of an academic building on campus, as part of the university's public art collection. Working together as a creative team, and involving the community, they built the sculpture, applying stainability practices through the extended use phase of the materials. In 2019, the fashion faculty led a new team to breakdown the sculpture and increase again the life cycle of the components by using them for two different community-based art and fashion education nonprofit workshops that provide art and fashion learning for children in foster care.