We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Michelle Paxton, Mia Nyman, and Jeff Scott. Special appreciation is expressed to the administrators, teachers, students, and parents at Broadmor and Laird Elementary Schools, Tempe, Arizona. We also thank Carol L. Martin for her comments on drafts of this article.

Product development model 343presents a comprehensive model of the process of developing a line of apparel products based on the current practices found in the US apparel industry.

Purpose -This paper presents a model for an effective product development process, which is now becoming increasingly critical to success of apparel firms. Design/methodology/approach -This research modeled apparel product development as a market driven process and integrated the consumer purchase decision in the model of proactive product development integrating consumer requirements (PPDICR). The PPDICR links the consumer purchase decision and multiple consumer research strategies to specific stages of the no-interval coherently phased product development model for apparel through 15 avenues of consumer input. Findings -The PPDICR model contributes to our understanding on how consumer input can be used to facilitate the process and through what avenues that input may be acquired. This model provides an effective tool for intra-company to inter-business analysis of consumer input into the apparel product development process.Research limitations/implications -The PPDICR provides a theoretical understanding of apparel production, and is useful to researchers in visualizing the impact of changes in the business environment, integrating research projects, and establishing research priorities. Practical implications -Practitioners may use the model to improve and develop products, select appropriate consumer input, and strategically plan organizational changes. Originality/value -This model is a useful tool for effective product development both for researchers and industrialists alike. It brings in the important element of the integration of consumer information.

PurposeTo provide researchers with the details of developments in instruments to measure fabric drape and review the literature related to fabric drape.Design/methodology/approach – In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in investigating the aesthetic behavior of fabrics due to the developments in objective evaluation techniques. To understand drape behavior, it is essential to know how drape is measured quantitatively. This paper reviews research related to drape characteristics of fabrics, two‐dimensional instruments and analysis of drape by measuring stiffness, three‐dimensional instruments developed to measure drape, fabric mechanical properties and their influence on drape measurement, and the latest developments in the field including image analysis, the dynamic drape tester and other related research.Findings – Many instruments for measuring drape have been developed including the earliest that assessed stiffness of fabrics, later versions of drape meters and recent innovative instruments for capturing complex drape information. Even though extensive detail for simple geometric forms such as circles and squares can be provided by the newest methods, measurement of the drape characteristics of complex forms needs the consideration of researchers to extend the work on drape measurement to garments. It was also noted that there are some contradictory conclusions regarding the properties influencing fabric drape.Originality/value – This paper is offered as a concise reference for individuals beginning research in the area of fabric drape.

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