Fifteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

Due to a high use of social network services (SNS) activities to show one’s fashion style and consumption activities, there is a greater demand for active-wears that are both functional and fashionable. Hiking clothes in particular are widely available in outdoor and sports brands, but they tend to lack hiking clothes that combine both lightweight and fashionable elements in addition to packable functionality. Therefore, the goal of this project is to develop a new hiking clothing design with a focus on fabric weight reduction and design differentiation by making the clothes packable. In addition, to promote sustainability, we used environmentally friendly materials, such as polyester fabric, which was recycled from plastic PET bottles. Minimum cutting lines and mesh fabric were used in the design to make the clothes more lightweight and breathable. To maximize the functionality of the clothing, elements from a backpack were combined with a pocket to increase the storing capabilities. To differentiate this design from the available designs in the market, we made our design more streamlined and stylish, staying away from a prototypical linear and military form. Another differentiating point of this design is the use of polyester fabric for the outer shell, which was recycled from PET bottles. To make the design more light weight and breathable, we used a mesh-structured fabric. There is a unique feature in the back of the design in that there is a backpack-shaped small bag that turns into a packable when the bag is flipped inside out.