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How To Make Fashion Designers Fully Understand The Fabric Held On The Digital Network

2023/2/24 2:45:00 6

Online Fabric

 

The continuing COVID-19 pandemic forced the fashion industry to digitize its traditional work system. Fashion designers are required to work at home, and textile trade shows are held online. However, fabric suppliers cannot present their fabrics in a way that is easy to understand their characteristics. The visual information provided by the fabric supplier, such as photos, videos and brief descriptions, is not enough for fashion designers to understand the characteristics of the fabric. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the key information of fashion designers in digital fabric search and find an effective way to present these information. Through content analysis of several online fabric retailers, the current situation of online tactile information is analyzed. Then, semi-structured one-on-one in-depth interviews were conducted with 25 fashion designers to determine the advantages and disadvantages of existing types of visual and text information. The results reveal the most effective way to display fabrics online. Specific guidelines have been developed for photographing or writing each type of information. Finally, the conceptual framework of fabric tactile communication in digital environment is developed. This research helps to improve designers' experience in the online fabric market, and can be used as a basic guide for designers to feel the tactile sensation of fabrics, which can support technologies such as tactile devices and 3D clothing simulation software.

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the physical distance criterion has been formulated worldwide, so the demand and dependence on business communication through non-contact methods are increasing rapidly. Most parts of the world are moving online, which accelerates the digital transformation of the textile industry. With the rapid digitization of professional settings, the traditional working system of the fashion industry has collapsed. International and domestic travel is restricted, and various large-scale public and private activities are prohibited. Textile exhibitions and trade fairs are held in digital form. Unfortunately, the textile industry is not ready for these changes. Companies are unable to clearly display their fabrics in order to understand their characteristics.

Fashion designers are particularly difficult to make any design decisions based on the information available online. Visual information; Such as photos, videos, and online fabric suppliers' explanations in a few words are not enough for fashion designers to understand the characteristics of fabrics. For these reasons, it is necessary to improve the method of presenting fabrics in digital form.

Different from the textile industry, the clothing industry has been developing its display methods for decades to solve the uncertainty of consumers. It tries to provide as much specific information as possible by providing various photos, zooming in functions, videos and real-time chat services. In addition to these methods of providing information, tactile devices and additional services on research (Chen et al., 2015; Volino et al., 2006) have been actively carried out to address consumers' uncertainty about identifying clothing items. However, these two industries still haven't introduced a method to convey the feeling similar to touching real fabrics. There is a clear gap between technology and real life. The tactile properties of mechanical measurement and transmission are not equivalent to the tactile perception of human hands touching fabrics (Chen et al., 2015). Therefore, it is necessary to have a basic understanding of human touch before developing touch technology (Chen et al., 2015).

However, most of the previous studies on related topics focused on the perspective of ordinary consumers rather than designers. General consumers and fashion designers have different views on fabrics (Petreca et al. 2015) Therefore, the information searched by fashion designers when purchasing fabrics cannot be determined through previous research on ordinary consumers. There is still a lack of academic research to provide specific guidance for enterprises on how to display fabrics online, and it is unclear which factors are important when displaying fabrics digitally. Therefore, this study explores how fashion designers perceive fabrics online and find effective ways to display fabrics in a digital environment. This study also aims to develop a conceptual framework for tactile communication between fashion designers and the textile industry in the digital environment. The design of this study has three research objectives. First, identify and analyze the current state of haptic online content. Second, reveal the factors that affect how fashion designers view fabrics online. Third, determine an effective way to show fabrics to fashion designers online.

We conducted content analysis on several online fabric stores to analyze the current situation of online tactile content. Then, we conducted semi-structured one-on-one in-depth interviews with fashion designers to determine the advantages and disadvantages of existing types of visual and text information. The results reveal effective methods for online display of fabrics, which are used to establish guidelines for each type of photo or writing information. Finally, we develop a conceptual framework for fabric tactile communication in the digital environment. The results of this research will help to improve designers' experience in the online fabric market, and can be used as a basic guide for designers on the tactile perception of fabrics, which can support technologies such as tactile devices and 3D clothing simulation software.

   Journals reviewed

According to Xue et al. (2013), most tactile fabric properties can be perceived visually without touching. When people see and touch an object, their brain will store tactile information obtained from multi sensory experience. After the initial tactile contact, the visual performance of objects may evoke sensory memory (Jang&Ha, 2021). Therefore, when touch is deprived, visual information can fully convey tactile characteristics, but its accuracy depends on the level of information provided. When people perceive information through computers, their vision collects visual and tactile information through the website interface. Previous studies (Chiang&Dholakia, 2003; Hassanein&Head, 2007) have proved that the amount of information, the way of information presentation and website design have a significant impact on consumer behavior and the reliability of websites and products.

A large number of studies have been carried out to determine the relationship between websites and user satisfaction, which emphasize the importance of information quality (Bailey&Pearson, 1983; Delone&McLean, 2004; Negash et al., 2003). The quality of information can be determined by a single attribute, such as accuracy, but other attributes, such as understandability, reliability and usefulness, will affect the quality according to the type and purpose of use.

According to the time line, a set of slightly different criteria for judging the quality of information are defined. The accuracy, reliability, timeliness, relevance and confidence of the system are the most important factors (Bailey&Pearson, 1983). Later, the perspective of e-commerce was added to the traditional standards. Nagash et al. (2003) saw two aspects of information quality: information volume and entertainment. Accuracy, relevance, timeliness, ease of use and comprehensiveness are the elements of information volume. Entertainment means whether the interface is entertaining, joyful, joyful, interesting and stimulating. This research shows that the overall experience of information quality, system quality and service quality is related to user satisfaction.

  Market research methods and participants

In this study, 25 women's fashion designers aged between 30 and 45 were selected as participants. Similar qualitative studies (Fernandes&Albuquerque, 2008; Baumgartner et al., 2013; Kahrimanovic et al., 2011) included 16 to 25 participants. Our goal is to have at least 20 people and no more than 30 people. 27 people were recruited at the initial stage, and 25 people participated. According to previous research (Musa et al., 2019), women tend to have better tactile sensitivity than men. Therefore, only female participants were recruited. The main criteria for selecting participants were high tactile sensitivity and familiarity with clothing fabrics. In the fashion industry, associate designers with three years of experience are usually called "experienced designers". Therefore, assistant designer level (1-2 years of experience) is excluded. All participants have more than three years of experience in fashion or textile design. It is expected that there may be differences between fashion textile designers and fashion designers. However, whether there is a difference between the two has not yet been academic proof in this regard. Therefore, the study was conducted among a wide range of participants. Due to the lack of previous research on this particular topic, the purpose of this study is to seek various opinions and reveal different views on the basis of qualitative methods. Participants were recruited through online message boards of women's fashion companies. Female fashion designers with more than three years of experience are encouraged to participate. Since fashion textile designers also consider themselves fashion designers, some of them are textile designers. There are 8 fashion (clothing) textile designers and 17 clothing designers. Table In view of fashion, textile designers also consider themselves fashion designers, some of whom are textile designers. There are 8 fashion (clothing) textile designers and 17 clothing designers. Table In view of fashion, textile designers also consider themselves fashion designers, some of whom are textile designers. There are 8 fashion (clothing) textile designers and 17 clothing designers. Table 1 provides specific information about participants. This study was approved by the IRB of Seoul National University. The approval number is IRB No. 2108/001-004.

  Research process

This study adopts qualitative research methods. Qualitative research is used to determine various views on phenomena or problems and identify relevant factors. It is effective for identifying the interaction of complex factors (Creswell, 2021). In this exploratory study, the content of online fabric stores was analyzed, and in-depth interviews were conducted with fashion designers.

The study was conducted in five steps (Figure 1). First of all, the content of several online fabric stores is summarized and analyzed to analyze the current situation of tactile information provided online. Domestic (Korean) and international online fabric stores were analyzed to identify and classify the types of visual and text information currently used to describe fabrics online. A preliminary survey was conducted among 20 designers and fashion students living in major fashion cities (New York, Seoul, Paris, London, Milan). They were recruited by snowball sampling. The preliminary investigation includes the following four questions.

(1) Where do you usually buy fabrics in the city? Lists the name of the store.

(2) Do you buy fabrics online? If you have purchased fabrics online (even for personal use), please list the name of the website.

(3) Even if you have never purchased fabrics online, please let us know if you know the website for online fabric sales.

(4) In some cases (such as COVID-19), if you had to buy fabrics online, where would you buy them? How do you find the website?

Their answers to the first and second questions indicate that most of them shop offline. In addition, their answers show that although there are many cloth companies, there are few stores selling all kinds of cloth. Searched the list of offline fabric stores they provided to confirm whether they had online websites. The search found two US and two UK websites actively selling fabrics online and offline. From the second question, we found an Italian website and two Korean websites. Seven websites were identified in the first two questions. No new website was found for the third question, so more websites were added on the basis of the answer to the fourth question. Most participants (n=16) replied that they would use a search engine, such as Google, and use the keyword "fashion fabrics online," "online fabric store" to verify the results again. The same method was implemented according to their suggestions, and more websites were found and classified according to their sources. According to the results, 26 online fabric stores were selected: 10 in the United States, 10 in South Korea, 2 in the United Kingdom, 1 in Italy and 2 in France. A maximum of 10 sites can be set for each country/region. The number of websites analyzed in each country is not equal, because there are few online fabric stores in European countries compared with South Korea and the United States. A wide range of fabrics, including cotton, polyester, silk, linen, wool, lace, plain knitted fabrics and printed fabrics, were investigated on each website to determine whether there were differences in their presentation. According to the results, 26 online fabric stores were selected: 10 in the United States, 10 in South Korea, 2 in the United Kingdom, 1 in Italy and 2 in France. A maximum of 10 sites can be set for each country/region. The number of websites analyzed in each country is not equal, because there are few online fabric stores in European countries compared with South Korea and the United States. A wide range of fabrics, including cotton, polyester, silk, linen, wool, lace, plain knitted fabrics and printed fabrics, were investigated on each website to determine whether there were differences in their presentation. According to the results, 26 online fabric stores were selected: 10 in the United States, 10 in South Korea, 2 in the United Kingdom, 1 in Italy and 2 in France. A maximum of 10 sites can be set for each country/region. The number of websites analyzed in each country is not equal, because there are few online fabric stores in European countries compared with South Korea and the United States. A wide range of fabrics, including cotton, polyester, silk, linen, wool, lace, plain knitted fabrics and printed fabrics, were investigated on each website to determine whether there were differences in their presentation. Compared with South Korea and the United States. A wide range of fabrics, including cotton, polyester, silk, linen, wool, lace, plain knitted fabrics and printed fabrics, were investigated on each website to determine whether there were differences in their presentation. Compared with South Korea and the United States. A wide range of fabrics, including cotton, polyester, silk, linen, wool, lace, plain knitted fabrics and printed fabrics, were investigated on each website to determine whether there were differences in their presentation.

Secondly, semi-structured one-on-one in-depth interviews were conducted with fashion designers to determine the advantages and disadvantages of existing visual and text information types. Based on the results of the content analysis, the researchers compiled a list of the types of information currently available online, with examples. The list was then presented to the interview participants. They then reviewed them and shared their views and ideas. The purpose of these interviews is to determine what further information is needed to improve the accuracy of digital fabric recognition. Every interview was recorded and transcribed, and Giorgi's (1970) phenomenological research method was used. George's method is to illustrate the meaning of human experience through transcription of in-depth interviews. The data analysis method is divided into four steps (Giorgi&Giorgi, 2003) First, researchers must read and understand the content. Secondly, researchers distinguish meaningful units. The third stage involves gathering meaning units together to create meaning structures. At this stage, researchers translate participants' language into academic expression. The theme and key significance of the participants' interviews are also determined at this time. Finally, integrate the meaning of focus, create a structural description of the perspective of participants, and make a general structural description representing the perspective of the entire participant. Three experts with doctoral degrees in clothing and textiles confirmed the overall process of researchers' classification and the applicability of semantic units.

Through content analysis and in-depth interviews, the first draft of online fabric display method was drawn up. It is verified and supplemented through additional tests and interviews. A test page similar to the fabric sales website was created, and five industry experts reviewed the online fabric display. All five experts have doctor's degrees. Engaged in fashion design and worked in the fashion industry for more than 10 years. The test page shows nine fabric samples (Table 2), and five experts are allowed to click and zoom in or out, and are given unlimited time to browse the content of the page. After the exploration, each of them was interviewed for about 90 minutes. Finally, the conceptual framework of fabric tactile communication in digital environment is developed.

   Scope of study

Our research focuses on women's clothing designers (ready-made clothes). A preliminary survey was conducted to identify the most challenging fabric types in the digital environment. A survey was conducted among 28 women's fashion designers with more than three years of experience. The survey included two simple questions about fabric types and tactile properties, and did not provide visual information to avoid any confusion. Our goal is to elicit spontaneous responses from their minds based on their previous experience. The results show that cotton, polyester and silk are the most difficult types of fabrics to "touch" online. Four tactile properties; The thickness, elasticity, gloss and drapability of the fabric are determined to be the most difficult characteristics to "feel" on the Internet. Therefore, this research focuses on the information about thickness. When cotton, polyester and silk are displayed online, it will provide elasticity, luster and drapability. For each type, three fabrics with different thickness, luster, elasticity and drapability are selected to create visual information examples for in-depth interviews (Table 2) After classifying the types of visual information according to the results of content analysis, researchers made sample photos and videos of various fabric types using sample fabrics to improve the presentation method. Nine kinds of fabrics were selected, and the general properties of fabrics were tested by KOTITI Testing&Research Institute (Table 2). As a previous study by Xiao (2016) proved that color would affect the tactile perception of fabrics, only black fabrics were used.

  Results and visual information

25 kinds of visual information were found from content analysis (Table 3) Most websites have a basic front photo of the fabric for sale and another close-up texture photo. Some of them provide high-quality magnification on the basic front photo, rather than providing a second texture close-up photo. In addition to the front and close-up photos, five kinds of photos showing the fabric folds are also identified: spiral folds, irregular folds, straight folds, hand folds (the hand in the photo is folding the fabric), and clothes clips are used to fold (the folds are fixed like folds). The most commonly used are spiral creases and irregular creases. Since these basic photos are not enough to illustrate the characteristics of various fabrics, some websites provide additional images.

As a supplement, four kinds of photos showing the edge of the fabric are determined (Figure 2): folding edge, flat edge, fabric edge with hand, and the role of the fabric.

For transparent fabrics, two kinds of photos showing the transparency of fabrics are found: using hands and using background colors. In addition, there are four photos and two videos showing the drapability of the fabric. The photo shows the fabric hanging on the wall, skirt, chair and basket, and hanging on the skirt. One video shows the fabric in the form of clothing, and the other video uses both the salesperson and the form of clothing. Most websites do not provide visual information about elasticity, but some of them provide photos or videos of stretching fabrics by hand. For waterproof fabrics, some websites provide photos or videos of water poured on the fabric to show its waterproof performance. Videos or photos of models wearing samples produced with the fabric were also found.

When analyzing these types of visual information, fashion designers are interviewed to confirm or reject the effectiveness of each type. Although all participants agreed that it was appropriate to present 5 to 10 forms of visual information, the 8 favorite forms of visual information (n ≥ 18) included six photos and two videos. The six selected photos are: front photo, texture close-up photo, spiral crease photo, irregular fold photo, skirt fabric photo and drape photo. In addition to these photos, two videos were selected: one showing the elasticity of the fabric, and the other moving the fabric by hand. Although all participants agree that it is necessary to show flexible videos, they hope to adopt different methods to show flexibility,

Since there are many ways to describe each type, testing and a second interview with fashion designers are needed to determine the best presentation method. Five experts with doctoral degrees. Interviewed fashion design professionals and fashion designers with more than 10 years of experience. Based on the results of early interviews, alternatives were developed for each type. Each type of option was introduced and discussed with experts. In order to create a test page, more than half of the experts agreed on the method selected from the available alternatives. Finally, they reviewed a test page that showed a structure similar to a website. Through these additional in-depth interviews, each type of presentation method has been improved and confirmed (Figure 3) For example, the front photo is the most basic form of visual information in the industry. The ruler should be placed on the top of the fabric and taken at a distance of 30 cm from the fabric. If the distance is too close, the surface texture will be exaggerated. By placing a ruler on the fabric, designers can estimate the distance of the photograph taken. If the fabric is printed, they can see the pattern size. To best present the texture of the fabric, a close-up photograph should be taken at a 45 degree angle within a distance of 5 to 10 cm.

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Displaying fabrics in a digital environment: fashion designers' views on conveying the tactile quality of fabrics+_+ Fashion and textiles+_+ Full text_ files.pdf


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