Research and Publications - Department of Clothing, Textiles & Interior Design
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Item Pain from Fashion(Bloomsbury, 2020) McKinney, Ellen C.; Sanders, Eulanda A.Being “fashionable” has not always been good for one’s physical or psychological health. In the mid-nineteenth century, women wore long skirts that brushed along the ground. At a time before germ theory was discovered, this meant that families were sickened by germs that hitched a ride along the garments’ hems. Additionally, dyes made from unsafe methods sometimes caused rashes, nasal allergies, and even eye damage. At other times in history, women have subjected their bodies to constrictive corsets or unnatural heels that caused short- and long-term damage to their bodies. In our modern era, people are adopting variants to older trends (e.g. corsets have morphed into girdles and now into the “waist training” devices promoted by some celebrities), while there is a resurgence in the popularity of higher heels. While the goal may be to be beautiful and fashionable, the end result oft en is something else—physical and emotional pain. Th is chapter will examine the items women have worn (and continue to wear) that can cause pain and try to explain why those items are eagerly sought aft er and readily worn in the quest to be beautiful and fashionable.Item Analysis of Zero Waste Patternmaking Approaches for Application to Apparel(Springer, 2020) McKinney, Ellen C.; Cho, Sunhyung; Zhang, Ling; Eike, Rachel; Sanders, EulandaThe apparel industry is a major contributor to environmental problems from textile manufacturing through garment production and distribution to consumer discard – donation, landfill, reuse, or otherwise (Gam, Cao, Farr, & Heine, 2009). In 2015, there were estimated 400 billion square meters of fabrics produced worldwide and 60 billion square meters wasted during apparel production. Vennström (2012) stated that in the United Kingdom around 2.35 million tons of waste comes from the clothing and textile industry per year, which estimates about 40 kilograms (kg) per person each year. Of the 40 kg (88 lbs.) of apparel waste each year, 74% ends up in landfills (Vennström, 2012). Even though the fashion industry applies a variety of technologies to minimize the fabric waste in pursuit of cost reductions, it is still far from eliminating the waste of fabric during the cutting process. On average, 15% of fabric is wasted during the cut-and-sew garment production process (Rissanen & McQuillan, 2016). Professionals and researchers in apparel design and product development discipline are facing a tremendous challenge of combining the innovative patternmaking methods, aesthetics of apparel design, and fabric waste reduction. Zero waste patternmaking offers a solution by utilizing the entire yardage of fabric, leaving no scrap left after the garment completion (Carrico & Kim, 2014). Further, zero waste has been touted as a means to more creative apparel design outcomes (Townsend & Mills, 2013). Many approaches to zero waste patternmaking have been proposed through a range of sources— blogs, websites, books, and articles (e.g. Townsend & Mills, 2013; Carrico and Kim, 2014; Fletcher, 2013; Antanavičiūtė & Dobilaitė, 2015). Unfortunately, many of these approaches are tied to the particular fabric width and finished garment size they are presented in. The aim of this chapter is to conduct a systematic review of these approaches. In so doing, we may understand the key principles and be able to apply them across a range of fabric widths and garment sizes. The main method will be to collect a representative sample of zero waste patternmaking approaches and analyze them. Approaches will be analyzed through visually for their pattern shapes, garment components, and three-dimensional finished garment shapes. Selected approaches will also be drafted, cut, and sewn to further understand the outcomes. Research questions include: (1) What are the major pattern design principles, (2) What outcomes do these results in? (3) What challenges exist with these approaches? These findings will provide information that will help designers successfully apply zero waste patternmaking methods in apparel design. Further, the research findings will provide focus for needed areas of future research.Item Repurposing Design Process(Springer, 2020) Eike, Rachel; Irick, Erin; McKinney, Ellen C.; Zhang, Ling; Sanders, EulandaThe fashion industry has innumerable damaging impacts to the environment (Zaffalon, Text World 16:34, 2010). Presently, the vast majority of all textile- based products, including clothing and home good fashions, end up in landfills (Kozlowski et al. J Clean Prod 183:197-207, 2018). Consumers often purchase new clothing because the style is outdated rather than because of lack of functionality. In other words, what consumers discard can still be functional and valuable in another form. The current phenomenon of fast fashion and increased turnover of merchandise has led to an abundant quantity of functional production level textile waste and secondhand clothing (Fletcher, Sustainable fashion and textiles design journeys. Earthscan, London, 2008). It has been suggested that the greatest opportunity for reclaimed fashion goods is to repurpose them into new products (Hawley, Recycling in textiles. Woodhead Publishing Limited, Cambridge, 2006a; Hawley, Cloth Text Res J 24: 262, 2006b). Design efforts that employ reuse, repurposing, or upcycling techniques could assist in assigning renewed value from unwanted yet still functional, discarded clothing. In this chapter, the term “repurposing” is used to describe the process that utilizes discarded textiles to create new fashion (textile-based) products. Textile “recycling,” described by Lewis et al. (Int J Fash Des Technol Educ 10:353-362, 2017), is the process of returning a textile product back into its original fiber form and is not covered in this chapter. Repurposing researchers (Irick, Examination of the design process of repurposed apparel and accessories: An application of diffusion of innovations theory. Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, 2013); (Irick & Eike, Teaching the repurposing mindset: The introduction of a repurposing project into an advanced apparel construction course. International Federation for Home Economics Conference. Sligo, 2017) have identified four levels of repurposing: (1) re-style to repurpose, (2) subtractive repurposing, (3) additive repurposing, and (4) intentional patternmaking to repurpose. This chapter provides analysis of the four repurposing levels through case study application to detail the creative design process employed by select designers for the purpose of repeatability and advancing research connected to repurposing. Case studies walk the reader through research and discovery, sampling of techniques, descriptions of full-scale design, and reflection to share learned experiences alongside detailed images of completed repurposed fashion designs. The chapter concludes with a cross-case analysis of all repurposed designs and suggests future directions to advance “repurposing” endeavors for industry and/or academic design scholars.Item ‘I’m not a doctor, but I can sew a mask’: The face mask home sewing movement as a means of control during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020(Intellect, 2021) Martindale, Addie K.; Armstead, Charity; McKinney, Ellen C.As the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, a widespread shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) specifically N95 face masks were exposed. This need was quickly answered by home sewers who did not hesitate to answer the request of medical professionals to help fill the PPE shortage. As the United States entered a national quarantine, home sewers turned to social media, specifically Instagram to share their participation and communicate the need to recruit others to join them in their mask sewing efforts. This research aimed to interpret the Instagram post messages shared to understand the motivations of participation in mask sewing efforts. Social media hashtags were used to identify the messages related to home sewing face masks for the pandemic. A netnographic qualitative research approach uncovered five overarching themes: this is helping me, call to action, do it right, rising to the occasion and I’m ready for this.Item Examination of Current U.S. Female Firefighting Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Sizing and Fitting Process Challenges: An Opportunity to Improve Safety(Springer, 2022) Sokolowski, Susan L.; Griffin, Linsey; Wu, Yingying; McKinney, Ellen C.; Morris, Kristen; Bettencourt, ChristineBetween 2010 and 2014, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) estimated that female firefighters experienced 1260 injuries on the fireground each year. Previous research attributed some of these injuries to ill-fitting fire personal protective equipment (PPE). Therefore, in this mixed-method paper, the authors explored the relationship between fire PPE and injuries, and how they related to sizing and fit. To achieve this aim, data were collected from manufacturer-provided web communications regarding sizing and fit, user surveys (n = 74), and 1:1 interviews (n = 31) with U.S. female firefighters. The data considered how the size and fit standards established by the NFPA and how leading fire PPE manufacturers’ interpretation of standards impacted fit for female firefighters. Interview and survey data pinpointed experiences with the PPE sizing processes that led to poor fit. The data also identified previously undocumented knowledge gaps between NFPA size standards, commercialized products, and processes used by manufacturers and firehouses to fit female practitioners. The study discovered several opportunities to improve the size and fitting process women experienced when acquiring new turnout gear. With effective fire industry partnerships and future research, women can experience fewer injuries, improved comfort, and work performance with their PPE while establishing equality with their male counterparts.Item Insights from an Industry Advisory Board about Online Education for Practitioners(Iowa State University Digital Press, 2014) Sanders, Eulanda A.; Zhang, Pollyanna; McKinney, Ellen C.; Lee, Young-A; Bennett, SarahHigher education institutions are increasingly using media and Internet for teaching and learning. The 2011 Survey of Online Learning reported that the number of students taking at least one online class was 6.7 million (Allen & Seaman, 2013). Sixty-five percent of higher education organizations perceive online education as a necessary part of their long-term development strategy (Babson Survey Research Group). Moreover, online education not only applies to college students, but also expands to continuing education of industry employees. Increasing technical skill requirements in apparel companies cause employees to need continued training, to keep up with the ever-changing work environment.Item A Framework for Classifying the Content of Online Reviews of Formalwear Rented Online(Iowa State University Digital Press, 2014)While online reviews are regarded as a key ingredient in product success, little is known about the content of online reviews of apparel products. This study focuses on online reviews found on Rent the Runway (RTR), a very successful firm, which provides consumers who want to wear designer formalwear for special occasions the opportunity to rent at a fraction of the retail price.Item Case Study as a Means to Document and Promote Creative Pattern Cutting Processes(2013) McKinney, Ellen C.Practical experiences of traditional and emerging processes in creative pattern cutting can be successfully documented and promoted through case study. Case study is a comprehensive research strategy for investigating an empirical topic by following a set of pre-specified procedures (Yin, 1994). The case study method is different from research methods such as experiments and surveys where statistical generalization is used to extend the results to a larger population. In the case study method, analytic generalization is used to generalize from the case study to theoretical propositions. This paper explores reasons and solutions for undocumented pattern cutting knowledge. Pattern cutters mentally store their experiences and processes used in cutting patterns; however, rarely is this information documented and shared. Reasons include complexity of the knowledge, difficulty in identifying and documenting specific interactions of measurement, shape, ease, fabric, and personal preference, and the fact that successful design methods are traditionally regarded as trade secrets or the genius of an individual. Case study offers a framework for identifying current practices and documenting the knowledge of the creative pattern cutter. Historically, the legal and medical professions have used case studies to document practice and learn core principles of the profession. Case study has the potential to be used effectively in research of creative pattern cutting practice.Item Proposed Typologies for the Dress Needs of Nursing Mothers and Babies and Available Nursing Dress: An Evaluation of the Relationship between Concepts in These Typologies(Iowa State University Digital Press, 2013) McKinney, Ellen C.; Ghalachyan, ArmineIn the U.S., the majority of babies are weaned from the breast by the time they are three months old (CDC, 2007) in contrast to the recommendation of “exclusive breastfeeding for about 6 months. . ., with continuation of breastfeeding for 1 year or longer” (Eidelman & Schanler, 2012). Women who feel comfortable feeding in public breastfeed longer than women who are not comfortable (Allen & Pelto, 1985).Item Adapting Lindqvist’s Kinetic Garment Method for an Upcycled, Zero-Waste Childrenswear Romper(Iowa State University Digital Press, 2018) Stanley, April Elisha; McKinney, Ellen C.The purpose was to research methods for creating a sustainable little girls’ garment by upcycling menswear (e.g., button-down shirt and ties). Specific elements of sustainability focused on include zero-waste and garment adjustability to increase useful lifespan. The market analysis invoked a secondary goal: a bifurcated design. Lindqvist’s (2013) experimental patternmaking technique of kinetic garment construction was chosen for experimentation in conjunction with upcycled textiles as his cutting and wrapping methods may be adaptable for creating upcycled and zero-waste garments.Item New Configurations in Fashion: Innovative Forms Meet Engineered Textile Printing(Iowa State University Digital Press, 2018) Sanders, Eulanda A.; McKinney, Ellen C.; Baytar, FatmaJune 15 – 21, 2017 the New Configurations in Fashion: Innovative Forms Meet Engineered Textile Printing workshop was held at Iowa State University. The project was funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Donna R. Danielson Professorship in Textiles and Clothing at Iowa State University. The goal of the workshop was to establish a physical space and time where participants can: (a) create innovative textile and fashion designs, (b) develop textile designs that follow the form and structure of the garments, and (c) utilize patternmaking techniques such as subtraction cutting, zero waste, three dimensional, computerization, or 3D body scanning. The workshop was designed for junior faculty and graduate students who had a demonstrated record of artist excellence or the potential for excellence in the field of fashion and textile design.Item Slow the Fashion: Teaching Handcraft Techniques in Fashion and Textile Design in Higher Education(Iowa State University Digital Press, 2018) Wang, Liwen; McKinney, Ellen C.; Dong, HuanjiaoIt has been found that textile and fashion industry is among the leading resource-consuming and polluting industries especially with the advent of fast fashion. Under the high pressure from increasing environmental problems in the world, a movement of slow fashion is gaining increasing attention. It is challenging fast fashion’s obsession with mass-production and globalized style and becoming a guardian of diversity and indigenous handcraft. Studies show that handcrafted items can evoke positive emotional bond between consumer and maker hence increase the value of a garment, which adds to the sustainability of the item through extended wear. For designers, handcrafting nurtures their creativity as hands are subtle, sensitive, probing and closely connected to the mind. Since designers have a lot control of products that are introduced, it is significant to ensure that fashion design students are aware of the importance of sustainable fashion, and get training on sustainable design techniques for further application. Although more and more fashion schools in the world are providing sustainability education in fashion and textile design, few have introduced sustainable design techniques such as handcrafting in class. To address this gap, a learning unit of handcraft manipulation of yarns and fabrics was developed and implemented in an undergraduate creative design studio class.Item Self-sewn Identity: How Female Home Sewers Use Garment Sewing to Control Self Presentation(Iowa State University Digital Press, 2018) Martindale, Addie; McKinney, Ellen C.Personal garment sewing is currently experiencing a renewed interest by women. The results of this qualitative research found personal garment sewing allowed the participants to present themselves in clothing that more accurately represented their taste and personality. The women interviewed used their sewing skills to control the style, fit, and quality of their clothing. The research findings bring forth an awareness of how garment sewing can allow women to gain increased control over their appearance. The women in the study were found to have increased authority over their appearance than their non-sewing peers. Women's time spent sewing was also validated, as it provided significant benefits regarding satisfaction with appearance and self presentation to others. Theories of self presentation and identity are used to explain the findings.Item Kimono: Elucidating Meanings of Japanese Textile Artifacts for a Museum Audience(SciELO, 2021) Luu, Sophia; McKinney, Ellen C.The objective of this research was to create museum texts and educational materials for a textiles section of a major year-long university museum exhibit focused on exploring Japanese culture and aesthetics through works of fine and applied art. Little background information about the textiles was available. A sample of historical Japanese kimono, yukata, and obi in a university collection was examined using material culture and semiotics research methods. The motifs present in the textiles were identified and explored for how the motifs represent values relevant to Japanese cultural practices throughout time. In particular, motifs were analyzed for their noted conveyance of a society’s religious and cultural values. Motifs were predominantly botanical, emphasizing the respect for nature within Japanese culture. Other motif categories present included geometric, animals/insects, cultural/everyday objects, and landscape motifs. 104 individual motifs were identified. Symbolic meanings were examined and interpreted alongside present materials, colors, and techniques. The use of material culture and semiotics research methods for analyzing Japanese textiles is mapped in this study.Item ‘I’m Not a Doctor, But I Can Sew a Mask’: The Face Mask Home Sewing Movement as a Means of Control During the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020(Intellect, 2021) Martindale, Addie K.; Armstead, Charity; McKinney, Ellen C.As the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, a widespread shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) specifically N95 face masks were exposed. This need was quickly answered by home sewers who did not hesitate to answer the request of medical professionals to help fill the PPE shortage. As the United States entered a national quarantine, home sewers turned to social media, specifically Instagram to share their participation and communicate the need to recruit others to join them in their mask sewing efforts. This research aimed to interpret the Instagram post messages shared to understand the motivations of participation in mask sewing efforts. Social media hashtags were used to identify the messages related to home sewing face masks for the pandemic. A netnographic qualitative research approach uncovered five overarching themes: this is helping me, call to action, do it right, rising to the occasion and I’m ready for this.Item An Inquiry into Gradable Zero-Waste Apparel Design(MDPI, 2022) Carrico, Melanie; Dragoo, Sheri L.; McKinney, Ellen; Stannard, Casey; Moretz, Colleen; Rougeaux-Burnes, AshleyThe implementation of standardized grading production practices within the mass market has been challenging for scholars experimenting with zero-waste apparel design. The purpose of this research was to test the efficacy of the Carrico Zero-waste Banded Grading (CZWBG) technique, which utilizes bands inserted in strategic locations as a method of grading zero-waste patterns across various consumer categories. An additional purpose was to evaluate the ways in which this grading approach affected the aesthetic outcomes of garments across a size run, and to determine whether this method affected the overall design process of the designers involved. Through experimental research design, six design scholars successfully tested and incorporated the CZWBG technique in zero-waste one or two-piece apparel item(s), subsequently developing three sizes in an industry-specified size range for their product category. Each design was cut from zero-waste patterns in a mid-range size and graded up and down one–two sizes using an industry-standardized grading scale. The grading was achieved by varying the widths and lengths of strategically inserted bands of fabric or trim. The designers utilized various grading methods, textiles, pattern development methods, and size runs, showing that the CZWBG technique can successfully be applied across multiple consumer categories in the apparel industry.Item The Role of Nostalgia in Retro Sewing(Sage, 2022) McKinney, Ellen C.; Armstead, Charity S.This article explores the role of nostalgia as a motivation for retro sewing and the ways in which nostalgia shapes the practices of retro sewing. Retro sewers circumvent typical models of clothing consumption by opting out of the commercial fashion cycle, and instead creating clothing for everyday use that replicates or is inspired by styles from the past. As such, the practice of retro sewing is inextricably linked to one or more of the many forms of nostalgia. Previous studies on consumers and nostalgia have not considered the full breadth of how consumers interact with nostalgia. This article explains what types of nostalgia motivate the practice of retro sewing, using qualitative analysis of interview data collected as part of a larger study. Forms of nostalgia that motivate retro sewers include both connecting with the past and using the past in the present. Retro sewing is often motivated by an interest in history and personal nostalgia for childhood and family. Some retro sewers would like to live in the past, whereas others prefer to enjoy past fashions in the present. Retro sewers value aspects of the past as useful tools in the present; they collect and consume vintage items, maintain knowledge, refer to history as a guide for the present and future, and use and reinterpret aesthetics of the past in their clothing. Methods used in designing and sewing retro clothing vary depending on which types of nostalgia are most salient for the retro sewer for any given project.Item Microfoundations of dynamic capabilities: experiences of apparel product developers(Taylor & Francis, 2022) Feori-Payne, Meegan; McKinney, EllenThe purpose of this paper was to explore apparel product developers’ experiences with microfoundations of dynamic capabilities while at work. A phenomenological qualitative approach was pursued to complete in-depth interviews and analyze the data. Apparel product developers were interviewed because literature supports that product development constitutes a dynamic capability. The findings of this study propose a conceptual framework that explains the experiences of apparel product developers with the microfoundations dynamic capabilities. The conceptual framework illustrates inhibitors, facilitators, and occurrences of the microfoundations for apparel product developers and can facilitate strategic and innovative decisions for firms and inform academic programmes. This study offers new insight into the microfoundations of dynamic capabilities from the perspectives and experiences of apparel product developers. It also proposes that non-managerial personnel can initiate and complete the microfoundations of dynamic capabilities: Sensing, seizing, and reconfiguring.Item Examination of current U.S. femalefirefighting personal protective equipment(PPE) sizing and fitting process challenges:an opportunity to improve safety(Springer, 2022) Sokolowski, Susan L.; Griffin, Linsey; Wu, Yingying; McKinney, Ellen; Morris, Kristen; Bettencourt, ChristineBetween 2010 and 2014, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) estimated that female firefighters experienced 1260 injuries on the fireground each year. Previous research attributed some of these injuries to ill-fitting fire personal protective equipment (PPE). Therefore, in this mixed-method paper, the authors explored the relationship between fire PPE and injuries, and how they related to sizing and fit. To achieve this aim, data were collected from manufacturer-provided web communications regarding sizing and fit, user surveys (n = 74), and 1:1 interviews (n = 31) with U.S. female firefighters. The data considered how the size and fit standards established by the NFPA and how leading fire PPE manufacturers’ interpretation of standards impacted fit for female firefighters. Interview and survey data pinpointed experiences with the PPE sizing processes that led to poor fit. The data also identified previously undocumented knowledge gaps between NFPA size standards, commercialized products, and processes used by manufacturers and firehouses to fit female practitioners. The study discovered several opportunities to improve the size and fitting process women experienced when acquiring new turnout gear. With effective fire industry partnerships and future research, women can experience fewer injuries, improved comfort, and work performance with their PPE while establishing equality with their male counterparts.Item Enhancing Comfort and Absorbency: A Comparative Analysis of Commercial Nursing Pads and Proposal for the Integration of Nanofiber Technology(Iowa State University Digital Press, 2023) Zhang, Ling; Xiang, Chunhui; McKinney, Ellen C.Breastfeeding mothers frequently rely on nursing pads to prevent leaks and maintain hygiene and comfort between nursing sessions. Despite the widespread use of commercial nursing pads, existing literature has highlighted their poor performance, prompting the need for a quantitative evaluation of their functional properties. To bridge this gap, this study evaluates nine commercially available nursing pads and a proposed new nanofiber material for the nursing pad, assessing their functional characteristics, such as the capacity of absorbing liquid. Ultimately, this research aims to provide new insights into the functional properties of nursing pads and evaluate the efficacy of a new alternative.