Under the "SizeGERMANY" project in 2007/2008 representative serial measurements were taken from over 13,000 men, women and children between the ages of six and 87 years using cutting-edge 3D-body scanner technology. 

 

Under the "SizeGERMANY" project in 2007/2008 representative serial measurements were taken from over 13,000 men, women and children between the ages #

Since then the institute has been in possession of up-to-date information about the vital statistics of Germany's inhabitants - data that is more detailed than ever before. A major step forwards, particularly given that most manufacturers of ready-made fashion have now adjusted their body measurement tables in line with the new figures. 

 

Under the "SizeGERMANY" project in 2007/2008 representative serial measurements were taken from over 13,000 men, women and children between the ages #

Problems with fit are nevertheless common in over-the-counter trading and above all with mail-order and online sales, with the latter bemoaning returns rates of 20 percent and more due to fit. How can this be? Is buying a brand "unseen" from top to toe doomed to remain a dream for consumers (and commerce)? 

 

Under the "SizeGERMANY" project in 2007/2008 representative serial measurements were taken from over 13,000 men, women and children between the ages #

In this interview Stephanie Müller, Division Manager Clothing Technology at the Hohenstein Institute, looks into the background and possibilities for optimisation available.

 

Under the "SizeGERMANY" project in 2007/2008 representative serial measurements were taken from over 13,000 men, women and children between the ages #

How can we explain the continuing problems with fit?

Stephanie Müller replied, “Correct measurements alone are no guarantee of a good fit. Whether a garment is considered to fit properly depends on how it looks and feels on the wearer's body. Key factors here are the cut, the fabrics used and their mass per unit area and weight per piece. This is why, when testing fit, our motto is 'People rather than dummies'.”

 

Under the "SizeGERMANY" project in 2007/2008 representative serial measurements were taken from over 13,000 men, women and children between the ages #

How does an item behave when the wearer sits down or bends over?

You can only judge this on a person, not on a dummy, especially where the wearer can also say at once if the garment is too tight or cuts in somewhere. Thanks to their awareness of the critical points, our experienced clothing technicians are able to ask searching questions and assess the fit of the item in typical body positions.

 

Under the "SizeGERMANY" project in 2007/2008 representative serial measurements were taken from over 13,000 men, women and children between the ages #

With this in mind, some manufacturers work with their own house models – so how does fit testing at the Hohenstein Institute still offer added value?

Stephanie Müller, said, “We don't just have one or two test subjects. Our database contains some 250 people of all shapes and sizes and of all ages who pretty much match the SizeGERMANY measurements. During testing we can call on "fitting" persons from this pool. This lets us, for example, not only check whether an item in size 10 fits as it is meant to but also find out whether it has an identical cut throughout all sizes of the available range. And we don't just test the fit when the garment is new, but also following care treatments.