Wear comfort has been listed as the most important property of clothing demanded by users and consumers according to recent studies. A fundamental understanding of human comfort and a knowledge of how to design textiles and garments to maximise comfort for the wearer is therefore essential in the clothing industry. Improving comfort in clothing reviews the latest developments in the manufacturing of comfortable apparel and discusses methods of improving it in various articles of clothing.The book begins by outlining the fundamentals of human comfort in clothing, from the human perception of comfort in apparel and factors which affect it such as the properties of fibres and fabrics, to laboratory testing, analysing and predicting of the comfort properties of textiles. Part two discusses methods of improving comfort in apparel, from controlling thermal comfort and managing moisture, to enhancing body movement comfort in various garments. Part three reviews methods of improving comfort whilst maintaining function in specific types of clothing such as protective garments, sports wear and cold weather clothingThe international team of contributors to Improving comfort in clothing has produced a unique overview of numerous aspects of clothing comfort, provides an excellent resource for researchers and designers in the clothing industry. It will also be beneficial for academics researching wear comfort. - Reviews the latest developments in the manufacturing of comfortable apparel and discusses methods of improving fit in various articles of clothing - An overview of how to design textiles and garments to maximise comfort begins with factors affecting comfort and properties of fibres and fabrics that contribute to human comfort - Improvements in thermal and tactile comfort and moisture management are explored featuring developments in textile surfaces

The book deals with the basic scientific concepts behind the various aspects of clothing comfort, such as concepts of physics, neurosciences, psychological sciences, material sciences, ergonomics, and instrumental and textile engineering. The book will appeal to those involved with innovation, product design, and development and material characterization with scientific approaches.

Protective clothing protects wearers from hostile environments, including extremes of heat and cold. Whilst some types of protective clothing may be designed primarily for non-thermal hazards (e.g. biological hazards), a key challenge in all protective clothing remains wearer comfort and the management of thermal stress (i.e. excessive heat or cold). This book reviews key types of protective clothing, technologies for heating and cooling and, finally, modeling aspects of thermal stress and strain. - Explores different types of protective clothing, their uses and their requirements, with an emphasis on full-scale or prototype clothing, including immersion suits, body armour and space suits - Considers novel and commercial technologies for regulating temperature in protective clothing, including phase change materials, shape memory alloys, electrically heated clothing and air and water perfusion-based cooling systems - Reviews the human thermoregulatory system and the methods of modelling of thermal stress in protective clothing through various conditions, including cold water survival and firefighting

Providing detailed analysis of the thermal comfort assessment of clothing as the basis for developing standards, this book discusses the thermal protective role of clothing as a way of modelling heat transfer from the body, general thermal regulation of humans, and the importance of globally accepted test methods and standards to improve quality. New materials and discoveries in the study of thermal comfort necessitate the need for standard improvements and update. The development of international standards and the unification of testing methods is of crucial significance to ensure cost reduction and health protection. The book promotes instruments, methods, implementation of unified specifications, and the definition of standards so that a clear quality management system can be established, for both production systems and testing methods. It discusses standards in ergonomics of the thermal environment, clothing thermal characteristics, and subjective assessment of thermal comfort, which allows for systematic control of the measuring methods and the services and final products that are distributed on the global market. This book is aimed at industry professionals, researchers, and advanced students working in textile and clothing engineering, comfort testing, and ergonomics.

Functional finishes for textiles reviews the most important fabric finishes in the textile industry. It discusses finishes designed to improve the comfort and other properties of fabrics, as well as finishes which protect the fabric or the wearer. Each chapter reviews the role of a finish, the mechanisms and chemistry behind the finish, types of finish and their methods of application, application to particular textiles, testing and future trends. - Describes finishes to improve comfort, performance, and protection of fabric or the wearer - Examines the mechanisms and chemistry behind different types of finishes and their methods of application, testing and future trends - Considers environmental issues concerning functional finishes

Protective clothing and equipment used for firefighters protect them against their harsh working environment loaded with strong thermal hazards, elevated environmental temperatures, low oxygen concentration and smoke. This book describes an in-depth review of firefighting clothing and equipment, and explicitly addresses the performance of protection and comfort in textile engineering, clothing design, and evaluation. Covered topics include protection and comfort requirements for firefighting clothing and equipment, testing methods, standards and performance evaluation, smart firefighting clothing for first responders and numerical modeling of performance of firefighting clothing. Key Features Presents complete overview about the requirements of firefighters' protective clothing/thermal protective materials Addresses performance of protection and comfort Includes human thermoregulation system and responses to firefighting working environment Discusses SMART firefighting clothing and equipment Suggests "how to improve the wear comfort?

An authentic resource for the fundamentals, applied techniques, applications and recent advancements of all the main areas of technical textiles Created to be a comprehensive reference, High Performance Technical Textiles includes the review of a wide range of technical textiles from household to space textiles. The contributors—noted experts in the field from all the continents—offer in-depth coverage on the fibre materials, manufacturing processes and techniques, applications, current developments, sustainability and future trends. The contributors include discussions on synthetic versus natural fibres, various textile manufacturing techniques, textile composites and finishing approaches that are involved in the manufacturing of textiles for a specific high performance application. Whilst the book provides the basic knowledge required for an understanding of technical textiles, it can serve as a springboard for inspiring new inventions in hi-tech fibres and textiles. This important book: Contains a unique approach that offers a comprehensive understanding of the manufacturing and applications of technical textiles Includes a general overview to the fundamentals, current techniques, end use applications as well as the most recent advancements Explores the current standards in the industry and the ongoing research in the field Offers a comprehensive and single source reference on the topic Written for academics, researchers and professionals working in textile and related industries, High Performance Technical Textiles offers a systematic, structured, logical and updated source of information for understanding technical textiles.

The Psychology of Fashion offers an insightful introduction to the exciting and dynamic world of fashion in relation to human behaviour, from how clothing can affect our cognitive processes to the way retail environments manipulate consumer behaviour. The book explores how fashion design can impact healthy body image, how psychology can inform a more sustainable perspective on the production and disposal of clothing, and why we develop certain shopping behaviours. With fashion imagery ever present in the streets, press and media, The Psychology of Fashion shows how fashion and psychology can make a positive difference to our lives.

Human sensory perception of clothing involves a series of complex interactive processes, including physical responses to external stimuli, neurophysiological processes for decoding stimuli through the biosensory and nervous systems inside the body, neural responses to psychological sensations, and psychological processes for formulating preferences and making adaptive feedback reactions.Clothing biosensory engineering is a systematic and integrative way of translating consumers' biological and sensory responses, and psychological feelings and preferences about clothing, into the perceptual elements of design. It is a link between scientific experimentation and commercial application to develop economic solutions to practical technical problems.Clothing biosensory engineering quantifies the decision-making processes through which physics, mathematics, neurophysiological and engineering techniques are applied to optimally convert resources to meet various sensory requirements – visual/thermal/mechanical. It includes theoretical and experimental observations, computer simulations, test methods, illustrations and examples of actual product development. - Describes the process of Clothing biosensory engineering in detail - Quantifies the decision making processes applied to optimally convert resources to meet various sensory requirements - Includes theoretical and experimental observations and examples of actual product development