Sizing system for functional clothing — Uniforms for school children

In this study, a sizing system is proposed specifically for school-aged children in Malaysia. The sampling frame is based on the female population in the age group 7-17. For this study, 1001girls have been selected randomly from 29 different schools in urban and rural districts of Malaysia. Principal component analysis is used for key dimensions determination. Data mining has been done to develop the sizing system using cluster analysis and classification tree technique. This study has successfully produced four main sizing systems for garments of girls aged 7-12 and 13-17 covering upper and lower body. In total, 93 sizes have been developed for the girls of 7-17 years age. The sizing system coverage for 7-12 years old girls is found to be 99.6% for upper body and 99.2% for lower body. The coverage for girls of 13-17 years age is 93.6% for upper body and 98.2% for lower body. This is the first comprehensive anthropometric survey conducted to develop a sizing system in Malaysia in order to design school uniforms locally. The benefit is an enhanced fit of school uniform and a guideline for a proper sizing system and sizing designation.