Quantitative Evaluation of Mission-Specific Pants Fit Using Air-Gap Volume Analysis

Choi J. Y¹, Kim Y. E¹, Choi H. E.¹,²^†

1 Department of Fashion and Textiles, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea

2 Research Institute of Human Ecology, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea

As digital technologies continue to transform the apparel industry, virtual fitting and data-driven garment evaluation are becoming increasingly important. Our recent study explores a new approach to evaluating the fit of mission-specific pants by focusing not only on body measurements, but also on the spatial air-gap distribution formed between the body and garment during wear.

Why Air-Gap Volume Matters

Traditional fit evaluation methods mainly rely on linear measurements such as circumference or garment dimensions. However, these methods often fail to fully explain how garments behave during actual movement and wear, especially in mission-specific clothing where mobility, pressure distribution, and compatibility with equipment are critical.

To address this limitation, this study proposed a volumetric fit evaluation framework using 3D body scan data and segmental air-gap analysis. Instead of evaluating fit only through cross-sectional dimensions, the study examined how space is distributed throughout different lower-body regions while wearing mission-specific pants.

Research Overview

Using a high-resolution whole-body 3D scanner, male participants wearing mission-specific pants were analyzed under different sizing conditions. The study extracted both cross-sectional measurements and segmental air-gap volumes from multiple anatomical regions of the lower body.

The analysis focused on:

• Relationships between sizing deviations and air-gap distribution

• Reference air-gap ranges representing proper fit conditions

• Spatial volume redistribution patterns according to different sizing conditions

 Key Findings

The results showed that traditional cross-sectional measurements had limited ability to explain sizing differences, whereas air-gap volume was much more sensitive to fit changes. In particular, the spatial distribution of air-gap volume clearly reflected how sizing conditions altered garment behavior around the body.

Distinct spatial response patterns were also identified:

• Waist down-sizing tended to reduce air-gap volume around the hip and thigh regions

• Height mis-sizing mainly redistributed volume toward lower-leg regions

These findings suggest that proper fit is determined not only by garment dimensions, but also by how spatial volume is distributed across anatomical segments.

Implications for Virtual Fitting and Mission-Specific Clothing Design

This study demonstrates the potential of segmental air-gap volume as an objective indicator for evaluating the fit of Mission-Specific Clothing. The proposed framework may support:

• Data-driven virtual fitting systems

• Automated size recommendation

• Mission-Specific Clothing design optimization

• Reduced reliance on repetitive physical wear trials

By introducing volumetric evaluation criteria into apparel research, this work contributes to the development of more realistic and interpretable virtual fit assessment methods for mission-specific clothing and future apparel systems.