Intelligent design systems for apparel mass customization

Abstract To deal with the challenges of shortened product life cycle while considering various trends and consumers’ demands, several companies have begun to explore mass customization. In this paper, we study the economic factors leading to mass customization, review the advanced technologies and develop a new process of computer‐aided design (CAD) for effective mass customization. To define the purchasing patterns of the consumers, we analyze the statistical data of the world economy, consumer expenditures and online sales in the apparel sector. We also use statistical information about employment and labor cost in the textile industry to understand growing interest in mass customization. Based on our understanding of the advanced technologies developed for mass customization, we offer two potential ways to facilitate the design personalization in the entire process of apparel mass customization: two‐dimensional and three‐dimensional computer‐aided garment intelligent design systems. By developing a new CAD system that provides a versatile selection of styles and fits for apparel production processes, the efficiency of mass customization can be improved in the apparel industry. Keywords: mass customizationapparelcomputer‐aided design (CAD) Acknowledgement We appreciate the support by US Army Natick Soldier Research, Development, and Engineering (RD&E) Center for giving us an opportunity to extend this intelligent design technology for development of the mass customized military uniforms. Notes