And she began to cut.
Take a 10cm length of fabric, stretch it comfortably, and measure how much it extends. If it stretches to 12cm, you have a 20% stretch factor.
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A significant part of her career was spent as a designer for , one of the world's leading lingerie brands. This industry experience provides her with a unique and invaluable perspective. She later joined the faculty of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University to teach patternmaking. She is also the founding editor of the International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education .
Drafting for comfort by removing underwires and focusing on fabric stretch for support. 5. Elastication and Finishing Patternmaking For Underwear Design.pdf
Picot, plush, fold-over (FOE), and flat elastics. 2. Drafting Basic Patterns
The Blueprint of Comfort: A Deep Dive into Patternmaking for Underwear Design
When grading underwear up or down, the body expands much more in width than it does in vertical height. Your grade rules must increase the hip and waist widths at a higher ratio than the crotch depth.
For those ready to secure a copy of this invaluable resource, the search is generally straightforward. And she began to cut
Designing underwear differs significantly from standard garment construction. Because these garments sit directly against the skin, patternmakers must navigate specific technical hurdles.
Standard clothing patterns include "ease"—extra room to allow for movement. Underwear patterns require "negative ease," meaning the flat pattern measurements are smaller than the actual body. This ensures the garment stretches to fit snugly without slipping or bunching.
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Hold it against a ruler and pull it firmly but gently until it resists. If it stretches to 13cm, it has a 30% stretch factor. Grainlines and Bias The only file on the desktop was titled:
Standard sizing often fails to account for diverse hip-to-waist ratios.
Unlike traditional garment construction, underwear requires a deep understanding of negative ease. Because intimate apparel is designed to fit snugly against the body—often using stretchy fabrics—the pattern pieces are actually smaller than the body measurements they are designed for.
The back rise is too short, or the gusset is too narrow at the narrowest point. Add length to the back rise curve or widen the center of the gusset.
Underwear design is a niche area of fashion that requires a unique combination of technical precision, understanding of body anatomy, and fabric technology. Unlike outerwear, intimate apparel must fit like a second skin, offering comfort, support, and a flattering shape while working with highly elastic materials.
Grading is the process of scaling a master pattern into smaller or larger sizes. In underwear design, grading is non-linear.