For many years, the body forms that fashion creatives and companies have used as part of their design practice – colloquially known by the gendered terms “Judies” and “Jimmies” – have been sculpted in a very narrow range of sizes and shapes. This is likely not a shock to the millions of people who stand outside the pervasively minuscule statures we’ve seen on runways and in clothing boutiques for decades, making us acutely aware of the absence of bodies that challenge these perimeters.
Collaborating with another professor at TMU, PY Chau, and research assistant Delfina Russo, the group organized their thoughts around one key component in the design process – what garments are crafted on – and were eventually granted the go-ahead to work with the school’s Design and Technology Lab to innovate on their idea.
The work being done at TMU reflects an adage often quoted by inclusivity advocates: You need to see it to be it. The lifestyle app Pinterest has taken this to heart with its introduction of a Body Type search function this past March.