Fashion vs. function
Mallory Morris
Issue date: 12/11/08 Section: Entertainment
You may have noticed that there is a large amount of students enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Stout in creative and artistic majors, and not only in the fine arts department. A number of these students are in the apparel design and development program which is a major that is almost always recognized as extremely creative. But while many see clothing design as strictly fashion, they overlook the strong technical and functional capabilities of an article of clothing.
For this reason, instructor and program director Gindy Neidermyer teaches Functional Clothing Design, a class that focuses strictly on the design of clothing that is functional instead of simply fashionable. This fall’s class spent the semester working in groups doing extensive research, design, editing and prototyping of a medical garment assigned to them. The class was split into four groups, each focusing on one of the following: a hospital patient gown, a military medic uniform and bag, an army uniform and hospital medical scrubs.
Each group did in-depth research including talking to various nurses at Red Cedar Medical Center, talking to family members who are nurses or who are in the field of medicine, talking to patients, ROTC members, an army nurse who served in Iraq and two former medics. In addition, each group used the Internet, magazines and one group even looked at new concepts and ideas from MIT students.
Students working on the hospital patient gown decided to experiment with different materials and a front-closing robe style gown in order to take a patient’s comfort into account. They also included a cinching mechanism for a one-size-fits-all gown. Their main goal was to create an affordable, easily washable garment that could be more private for hospital patients.
Students working on the military medic uniform and bag decided to develop a uniform that would be restructured to fit the majority of things military medics need to carry into the uniform instead of into an extra backpack or bag. They spent a lot of time considering the physiology of the body, including things like stance, weight distribution, and making sure there was a significant freedom of movement. They worked on developing new fastening systems that would be quiet, and compartments within the garment that could fold out and help to make the current bag part of the uniform.
Students working on the army uniform decided to create a uniform that could be transformed into a stretcher to make things easier for medics. They also integrated handles that are hidden in pockets on areas of the body like the shoulders or the chest that could make it easier for other soldiers to help each other get out of a dangerous area when wounded. They also did research into new fabrics and materials that are stronger, more breathable and water resistant, but still comfortable.
Students working on the hospital medical scrubs decided to redesign scrubs to make them more user-friendly as well as updating styles to be more fashionable. They took the current design and reworked it to make it adjustable for a more individual look that can vary in silhouette, style and fit, and added a breathable fabric on the back and underarms for more comfort. They added pockets for specific items that doctors and nurses are currently forced to carry around with them such as their stethoscope. The goal was to create a uniform for the medical community that could be personalized and adjusted to make their own.
Students almost unanimously agreed that the setup of the class made this challenging project easier. Most also agreed that working in groups for a whole semester was a very challenging as well as rewarding experience. They each had to learn to work with each other, as each member brought something different to the table. But when it came to research and brainstorming, it was much easier to have group members to bounce ideas off of and to have multiple people to turn to if there was a question or a problem.
After participating in Functional Clothing Design, most apparel design and development students come out with a whole new idea of fashion and how to look at it. Since the functional side of fashion is so often overlooked, it is an interesting experience for students to see it firsthand and find out how rewarding it is to fulfill a need in the fashion market as well as creating something beautiful that people want to wear.
For this reason, instructor and program director Gindy Neidermyer teaches Functional Clothing Design, a class that focuses strictly on the design of clothing that is functional instead of simply fashionable. This fall’s class spent the semester working in groups doing extensive research, design, editing and prototyping of a medical garment assigned to them. The class was split into four groups, each focusing on one of the following: a hospital patient gown, a military medic uniform and bag, an army uniform and hospital medical scrubs.
Each group did in-depth research including talking to various nurses at Red Cedar Medical Center, talking to family members who are nurses or who are in the field of medicine, talking to patients, ROTC members, an army nurse who served in Iraq and two former medics. In addition, each group used the Internet, magazines and one group even looked at new concepts and ideas from MIT students.
Students working on the hospital patient gown decided to experiment with different materials and a front-closing robe style gown in order to take a patient’s comfort into account. They also included a cinching mechanism for a one-size-fits-all gown. Their main goal was to create an affordable, easily washable garment that could be more private for hospital patients.
Students working on the military medic uniform and bag decided to develop a uniform that would be restructured to fit the majority of things military medics need to carry into the uniform instead of into an extra backpack or bag. They spent a lot of time considering the physiology of the body, including things like stance, weight distribution, and making sure there was a significant freedom of movement. They worked on developing new fastening systems that would be quiet, and compartments within the garment that could fold out and help to make the current bag part of the uniform.
Students working on the army uniform decided to create a uniform that could be transformed into a stretcher to make things easier for medics. They also integrated handles that are hidden in pockets on areas of the body like the shoulders or the chest that could make it easier for other soldiers to help each other get out of a dangerous area when wounded. They also did research into new fabrics and materials that are stronger, more breathable and water resistant, but still comfortable.
Students working on the hospital medical scrubs decided to redesign scrubs to make them more user-friendly as well as updating styles to be more fashionable. They took the current design and reworked it to make it adjustable for a more individual look that can vary in silhouette, style and fit, and added a breathable fabric on the back and underarms for more comfort. They added pockets for specific items that doctors and nurses are currently forced to carry around with them such as their stethoscope. The goal was to create a uniform for the medical community that could be personalized and adjusted to make their own.
Students almost unanimously agreed that the setup of the class made this challenging project easier. Most also agreed that working in groups for a whole semester was a very challenging as well as rewarding experience. They each had to learn to work with each other, as each member brought something different to the table. But when it came to research and brainstorming, it was much easier to have group members to bounce ideas off of and to have multiple people to turn to if there was a question or a problem.
After participating in Functional Clothing Design, most apparel design and development students come out with a whole new idea of fashion and how to look at it. Since the functional side of fashion is so often overlooked, it is an interesting experience for students to see it firsthand and find out how rewarding it is to fulfill a need in the fashion market as well as creating something beautiful that people want to wear.
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