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Mahee Desai

The Science Behind Clothes

Everything in our life is based on science. Everything created by mankind has logic, thought and reasoning to it. Even our outfits have been through the same process of thought and logic when being manufactured.


The process of selecting clothing has many factors that must be taken into consideration like size, gender, material, weather, income and occasion. The choice of clothing should also be in accordance with the personality of a person. Proper dressing helps in the development of confidence which helps in building one's personality. For example, people who wear light and sober coloured clothes are commonly more introverted, while people who wear bright and gaudy coloured clothes are more extroverted. Clothes also indicate profession, like doctors wear white attire while lawyers wear black or grey attire.


Clothing worn by a person also depends on their body type. Everyone has a unique figure and due to this, a person should wear clothes most comfortable for their figure, irrespective of the latest fashion trends. For instance, a person wishing to look tall and slim should wear pieces with vertical lines and designs, but if a person wants to look short and healthy, they should wear clothes with horizontal lines.


Thermo physiology is the movement of heat and moisture through a fabric. When the weather is cold, the human body loses heat to keep itself warm, which is why we cover our bodies with layers of clothes during the winter. Due to the extreme heat during the summer, we turn towards an outfit that is light and breezy. Picking the clothing according to the weather is a spectacular way to ensure the maximum amount of comfort and confidence. To balance and maintain the body heat there are 4 main mechanisms known conduction, convection, radiation and evaporation. The material should be such that it should be able to protect the person from wind and water, ensure moisture permeability, and insulate in order to provide thermal comfort.


In 1879, Thomas Burberry created a fabric which was weatherproofed in the yarn before weaving, using a secret process and then proved again in the piece, using the same undisclosed formula. The new material was untearable and weatherproof, whilst cool and breathable. The material made breakthroughs in the fashion industry.


Researchers at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that can automatically regulate the amount of heat that passes through it. When conditions are warm and moist, such as those near a sweating body, the fabric allows infrared radiation (heat) to pass through. When conditions become cooler and drier, the fabric reduces the heat that escapes. This development was reported on 8th February 2019 in an issue of the journal Science. They created the fabric from specially engineered yarn coated with a conductive metal. Under hot, humid conditions, the strands of yarn become compact and activate the coating, which changes the way the fabric interacts with infrared radiation. They are referred to as "gating" of infrared radiation, which acts as a tunable blind to transmit or block heat.


Therefore, the next thing you keep in mind when you walk into H&M or Shoppers Stop is the factors affecting our clothing choices and the science behind those praise-worthy pieces.



Bibliography:

  1. McMurray, Patrick.”The Art Of Science in Fashion And Textile Design” Fibre2Fashion. Mar, 2008. Web. 17 Sep, 2022. <https://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/3172/the-art-of-science-in-fashion-and-textile-design>

  2. Liang, Liang. “Clothing Manufacturers and Their Types.” Techpacker. 22 Jul, 2020. Web. 17 Sep, 2022. <https://techpacker.com/blog/manufacturing/types-of-clothing-manufacturers/>


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