Make Them Work
After a long Friday morning workshop on product testing, I finally feel inspired to give my garments a chance to live a real life, full of adventures. To do that, I have to prepare them really carefully, as if raising a child.
For this stage of my project, I focus on six main areas – durability, usability, fit, color, comfort, and stretch.
The first subject I am going to dive into is durability, as this has been a huge issue not only at uni but obviously in the industry as well. Most important of all components seem to be stretch recovery, fabric durability, and trims. The things I might need to do, in order to get the data I want are the following: stretch the material to a maximum, see if it breaks, if it shrinks and if the seams fall apart when pulled. The buttons are the only trims that could cause any problem, so it will be a good idea to test if they break or not.
To me, usability will be hardest to test, as it involves lots of key elements, and is also dependent on the athlete’s opinion and honesty. To complete the test, Joshua (the tennis player I am collaborating with throughout this whole project) will have to play on the court for a week to see if the clothes ride up or stretch in any wrong places, if it allows freedom of movement, or if, by any chance, the movement of the fabric prevents brilliant performance. Specifically for the tennis shorts, it is essential to test the tennis ball pocket – if the tennis ball fits in without falling out. Although the moisture wicking qualities of the fabric I am using are proven, that is another thing I would like to check on the athlete, whilst he is playing.
It is also worth considering the correct fit of the two garments. The first thing I could do is estimate the overall silhouette of the outfit and if it looks flattering on the body. When I look more in-depth, though, I should definitely take into consideration the fit and the hight of the waistband and check the shoulders, chest, and hips as key areas.
A relatively easy component to test is the color, which has to be printed onto the fabric – first of all, I should decide if the colors look as I want them to and if the print works alright with the stretch. Once properly printed I should check how the colors react to water, sun, and abrasion.
One of the most important areas of the test is the comfort. Unfortunately, for this part, I will have to completely rely on the athlete’s opinion. The questions I am thinking of focusing on are if the fabric feels good next to the skin, if any of the seams are running against the body, if the garments are either too tight or too loose. It is also crucial to consider the interaction of the design with the athlete’s body shape.
To test the stretch, I will simply ask Joshua to play tennis in different weather conditions (such as rain, sun, wind) and see if the stretch still works properly. Other factors I will also need to consider are stretch recovery (measure before and after wash) and reaction to tumble dryer.
So, having all this in mind, I can’t wait to start experimenting.
Image Sources: openclipart.org, pixbay.com