Functional Clothing Design is an interdisciplinary design volume that explores how clothing functions—and why it works. Starting from the dynamic relationship between the human body, the environment, and clothing, the book introduces new perspectives on how apparel can achieve multiple goals in different contexts, including protecting the body, enhancing health and safety, improving workplace efficiency, and even augmenting human performance.
Co-authored by Susan M. Watkins and Lucy E. Dunne, the text presents technical concepts in clear, accessible language, making it approachable for beginning design students without a background in science or engineering. Building on Watkins’s groundbreaking work Clothing: The Portable Environment, this book systematically organizes the full scope of factors involved in functional clothing design.
Key topics include apparel designed to protect against thermal stress, impact, and environmental hazards; functional configurations that enhance mobility and visibility; smart clothing that increases bodily function through intelligent textiles and wearable technologies; clothing designed for people with disabilities; and specialized protective apparel for groups such as the military, who face multiple and complex risks. The book emphasizes the entire development process—from user-needs analysis and material selection to design development and evaluation—and features numerous case studies that connect theory with practice.
In addition, the volume incorporates the latest advances in smart textiles and wearable technology, reflecting the rapid convergence of design and technology today. For fashion and apparel designers, product designers, engineers, and professionals seeking clothing-based solutions across diverse fields, this book offers a shared language that bridges disciplines and supports the exploration of both problems and practical design solutions.