Design and Product Development

Bridging the Gap: Developing Custom Dress Forms for Wheelchair Users

---

Abstract

Standard dress forms typically embody standard-sized, symmetrical, and proportional body shapes, offering limited representation for individuals with physical disabilities whose bodies often exhibit asymmetries and non-standard proportions. This creates significant challenges in adaptive apparel design, particularly for students or young designers who lack experience working with nontraditional body shapes. This study documents the development of full-scale custom dress forms for four wheelchair users to improve garment design, fit, and educational outcomes in an introductory flat pattern course. 3D body scanning and digital avatar creation technology were used to create 3D body data for models with varying levels of mobility. The data were processed into 1-inch cross-sectional slices, laser-cut from polyethylene foam, and assembled into full-scale forms. Despite some challenges related to posture, asymmetry, and software limitations, the resulting dress forms provided representations of the models. The students reported improved visualization, more effective pattern adjustments, and reduced need for in-person fittings.

Keywords: custom dress form, disabilities, body scanning, avatar

How to Cite:

Kumphai, P., Slot, K. M., Agnew, L., Mull, I. R., Heroux, J. & Sultana, N., (2025) “Bridging the Gap: Developing Custom Dress Forms for Wheelchair Users”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 82(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.21761