Survey to document size changes in US & Canada

Besides the truck that will go on tour this month, 3D body scanners are already in place and ready to complete scans at North Carolina State University in Raleigh and Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant. The survey is being conducted by Human Solutions in collaboration with the Canadian Institute, Vestechpro.

The body measurements and proportions of the North American population have changed considerably in recent decades, as has the demographic structure of the US and Canada. The anthropometric data and standard size tables that are currently available derive from old data and can therefore only help the industry in a limited way.

The changes that have occurred within the populations are not addressed and detailed information on specific target groups and market shares is currently not available. Additionally, data about children and young adults is also a major point of focus. There is an extremely limited amount of data available for the age groups from 6 to 17, and current children’s size tables are based off datasets from 1930 to 1970. Size NorthAmerica is set out to remedy this by capturing and documenting the changes of recent years.

“We start our tour with the survey in February in the Raleigh area and will be on road for about 15 months across the US. Every man, woman and child between the ages of 6-75 is eligible to participate in the survey. The data we collect will be used to develop up-to-date size tables for apparel industry,” said Tim Guenzel, project manager for Size NorthAmerica at Human Solutions of North America, Inc.

The participants are scanned in different postures in suitable underwear. The data is being stored anonymously and processed to meet the demands of the automotive and apparel industries. During the survey, body measurements, proportions and demographic data of 18,000 men, women and children is being collected.

“This large-scale serial measurement program carried out with our project partner Vestechpro will enable us to determine the changes in the body measurements and proportions of the North American population. The data we acquire will be processed to obtain current body dimension statistics, which will meet the demands of the apparel industry,” added Guenzel.

The data collected will be integrated into the iSize web portal, allowing quick and convenient access, plus straightforward evaluation and analysis.

The globally powerful technology has proven itself during large serial measurement surveys in Germany, Italy, France, Sweden, China, Spain and many other countries. (KD)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India