Clothing & comfort

1.0) Introduction: 

 Clothing is a basic human need.

  Without clothing we can’t think civilized life. 

 It is needed in different environmental situation. 

 Needs comfortability 

 Physical & Psychological need. 

 New generation need. 

1.1 ) Definition of comfort: 

  According to dictionary, the definition of comfort is “a condition of feeling of pleasurable ease, well-being& contentment (satisfaction). 

 Comfort is sometimes defined as absence of discomfort. i.e. Absence of pain, ,prickle, itch, hot, cold & disagreeable feelings. 

  Widely acceptable definition is “freedom from pain & discomfort as a neutral state. 

 “Slater defined comfort as “a pleasant state of physiological, psychological & physical harmony between human being & the environment. 

1.2) Degree of comfort: Degree of comfort is expressed by PMV. i.e. Predicted mean value of comfort/ discomfort. PMV is expressed as psychological scale rating. It ranges from -3 to +3 determined by the assessment of a large group of people. 

1.3) Types/ classification of comfort:

 Mainly divided into four groups:

 a) Thermal or thermo-physical comfort.

 b) Sensorial comfort 

c) Garment Fit 

d) Psychological comfort

a) Thermal/ Thermophysical comfort: 

 Thermal balance of human body (thermal balance means; heat generation = heat loss.)

  Not cold, not warm, not sweating (when thermal balance exists). 

 Factors affecting thermophysiological comfort are the heat loss or heat gain by radiation, conduction, convection, evaporation, perspiration, respiration, work load & environment. 

 Thermophysiological comfort of clothing is much more complex to asses when purchasing the clothing. 

 It is dependent on the interactions between the human body, the clothing and the environment. 

b) Sensorial comfort: 

 Feeling of skin/body about clothing worn. 

 Prickling, itching. stiffness, softness etc. 

 Related with thermo-physical comfort. 

 Due to cling discomfort may arise if sweating occurs. 

 Fabric properties like protruding fibres, fibres & yarn diameter, fabric thickness etc. affects the sensorial comfort. 

c) Garment fit: 

 Tightness or looseness of clothing when worn. 

 Sizes of clothing ( loose , tight ). 

 Loose fitting garment may be a cause of accident in working environment. 

d) Psychological comfort: 

 Deals with aesthetic issues like color, construction, fashion etc. 

 Reliability on protective clothing performance. 

 Feelings with skin will be reduced. 

1.4) Role of clothing on comfort: 

 We can’t survive in the civilized society without clothing. 

 It has a number of functions like adornment, status, modesty & protection.

  Luxurious & well-fitting clothing enhance status. 

 To hide faults in human body.

  Protects human life in extreme weather.6 

 Protects human body from different injuries (abrasion,radiation,wind, electricity, chemical, microbiological and toxic substances) .

  All the functions of clothing determines the subjective perception of comfort. 

 Interaction between clothing & comfort. 

 There are mainly 4 processes which determine the status of comfort: 

1) Physical process : clothing and surrounding environment, such as heat and moisture transport, reflection and absorption of light etc.

 2) Physiological process : thermal balance of the body 

3) Neurophysiological process : Sensory signals from skin, eyes and other organs.

 4) Psychological process : The process of the brain which form subjective perception of sensory sensation against past experiences.