Sizedoesmatter

NeedforSizeIndiaNationalBodySizingSurveyofIndian
By Prof (Dr.) Noopur Anand
National Institute of Fashion Technology

Ministry of Textile. Govt of India

Whatarenationalsizingsurveys?
Anationalsizingsurveyisanexercisewhereanthropometricdataiscollectedfromastatistically
justified sample to create a database of measurements which is a true representation of the
entire population of the nation/region. The database of thus collected measurements is
represented, analyzed and published for research, commercial and industrial use. This
anthropometric data is normally used in clothing design, industrial design, ergonomics and
architecture where this statistical data about the distribution of body dimensions in the
populationisusedtooptimizeproducts.1

WhogainsfromtheNationalSizingSurvey?
Thesurveybenefitsconsumers,manufacturersandretailers.Forconsumerstheadvantageisof
getting productswhicharedesigned tosuittheirbodyshapeandsize.Formanufacturers and
retails this data would allow them to design and stock products suited to the physical
dimensionsofthetargetmarketsegmentsandtherebyachievebetterbusinessresults.
AdvantagetoApparelindustry
Betterunderstandingofbody,leadingtoimprovedfitofgarments
Optimizedefficiencyofsizecharts
Increasedpercentageoftargetcustomersthatwouldfitintotheavailablesizes.
Increasedsales.
Improvedcustomersatisfaction
AdvantagetoOthersectors2
Security forces: Apart from well fitting military uniforms the information can assist in
designing ergonomically suitable appliances and gadgets and applications for security
personnel
Medicine: Anthropometric information can be used to improve products and
proceduresformedicalareasincludingprosthetics,forensics,cosmeticsandfitness
Automotive & aerospace industries: Greater efficacy through improved design of
helmets,dummiesforcrashanalysis,seatinggeometry,ergonomicpersonalequipment,
facemasks,protectiveclothingandlifesupportsystems,workspaceetc.
Furnitureandworkplacedesign:Anthropometricinformationcanbeappliedtodesign
workplacetoensureimprovedworkplaceergonomics&laborsafety.
Industrial equipment: the information can assist in designing ergonomically suitable
appliances,machines,shopfloorsetc.
Others:Theapplicationofnewsizechartswillalsobeofrelevancetoartandsculpture,
animation,computergamesetc.

InternationalscenarioofAnthropometric&SizingSurvey

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CollaborativenationalsizingsurveyshavebeentakenupbygovernmentsincludingtheUK,USA,
China,Sweden,France,Mexicoetc.andhavebeenapproachedinconsortiummodewiththeir
technologyindustry,apparel(retail)industryandacademia.

GeneralfeaturesofNationalSizingSurveys:
Itisacollaborativeeffortbygovernments,technologycompanies,academicinstitutions
andapparelindustry
3Dbodyscannershavebeenusedtoundertakethesurvey
Thevolunteerswerescannedinstandingand/orsittingposturesinscanningsuits
Volunteers were recruited through publicity in the national media, via retailer
promotion(e.g.mailsshots,instoreleafletsetc.),andviathewebsite.Volunteerswere
asked to provide information on age, gender, ethnicity, perceived size, choice of
measuring location and contact details. Subjects were then selected using quota
samplingtomeetthenationalstatisticsofage,ethnicorigin,socioeconomicgroupand
geodemographics.
Eachsubjectwasaskedtocompleteanextensivemarketresearchquestionnaire,which
captured information on personal details, clothing issues, shopping habits and
preferences,lifestylehabitsincludinghealth&fitness,occupationandemploymentand
ethnicity.
The retailers were responsible for recruiting subjects to be measured, with subjects
being encouraged to register online. In some cases the principal clothing colleges
managethedatacollectionprocessandthisisseenasaneducationalopportunity.

Collaborativeeffortsingeneratinganthropometricdataamongdifferentcountries:
Countries undertake collaborative anthropometric surveys for large scale benefit. Some
examplesare:

TheCAESARstudy(CivilianAmericanandEuropeanSurfaceAnthropometryResource)
is a survey of body measurements for civilian population conducted in three NATO
countries: USA, The Netherlands, and Italy. It was a collaborative effort that included
partners from more than 35 companies (e.g. Levi's, General Motors, Ford, and Boeing
etc.),severalgovernmentagencies,andrepresentativesfrom6countries.3
WorldEngineeringAnthropometryResource(WEAR)isacollaborativeeffortincreating
a world wide resource of anthropometric data for a wide variety of engineering
applications.Theobjectiveistoidentifyanddevelopdatamodels,analyticandsoftware
tools,theoreticalconstructsandprinciplesthatsupportthedevelopmentofanonline
worldwide information system for utilizing the latest anthropometry databases in
engineeringenvironments. 4
The World Health Organization (WHO) convened an Expert Committee to reevaluate
the use of anthropometry at different ages for assessing health, nutrition, and social
wellbeing. The Expert Committees report, developed in consultation with more than
100 experts worldwide, provides scientists, clinicians, and public health professionals
with an authoritative review, reference data, and recommendations for the use and
interpretationofanthropometrythroughoutthelifecycle.5

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SummaryofNationalSizingSurveysofsomecountriesisunderneath
Country UK

UK

Project

SizeUK

Shape GB

The
National
Childrens
wear
Survey

SizeUSA

Year

2002

2011

Age

1690

Sample
Size

11000
female
andmale

Scanner TC2

USA

Australia

France

Mexico

Thailand

China
Design
Smart
Initiative
3D
data
base for
head &face
shapes

USA

Sizing
Survey

Sizing
Survey

A Sizing
Study of
the
Populatio
n
of
Mexico

Thailand's
National
Anthropom
etrics
Database

CAESAR Civil American and European Surface

AnthropometryResourceProject

Swedish
anthropometr
icsforproduct
and
workplace
design

sizingsurvey

2003

2004

2005

started in
2010

2006

2006

2006

2000

2000

2002

2007

417

1870

570

1865

1690

417

1865

1865

1865

1865

2500
Boys and
girls

10500 female
andmale

1330
female
and 135
male=14
65

11560
female and
male

16,000

13,442

20,000

2,500

2400femaleandmale

1200 female
andmale

800 female
andmale

367 subjects,
105malesand
262females

TC2

TC2

TC2
&
laser

Cyberwar
e
and
Vitronic

VitrusSmart
Human
solutions

TC2

TC2

Human
Solution

Cyberware

CyberwareWB4

VitrusPro

Vitrus Smart
Human
solutions

Body
Excluding
Hand Feet
AndHead

3d Head
AndFace
Scanner

FullBody

FullBody

FullBody

FullBody

standing
andsitting

face7head

standingandsitting

standing and
sitting

standing
andsitting

standing and
sitting

60+ automatic & 40+

manual= more than
100

82 automatic
+40
manual=124

60
automatic
+40
manual=
100

43

Scan
Data

Body
Excluding
Hand
Feet And
Head

Body
Excluding
Hand
Feet And
Head

Body Excluding
Hand Feet And
Head

FullBody

Currently
In
Progress

Stances

standing
and
sitting

standing
and
sitting

standing
sitting

standing
andsitting

currently
in
progress

54

55
automatic +
10
manual=65

currently
in
progress

130
Measure automati
ment
c + 10
Points
manual=
Total140

200

and

140

China

(Multiplesourcecompliedbytheauthor)6

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Netherland

Italy

Sweden

WhydoesIndianeedNationalSizingSurvey?
ThereisnodenyingthefactthatthesizesbeingofferedinretailestablishmentsinIndiaarenot
addressingconsumerneeds.Therelevantsizesarenotavailableatallandhenceconsumersdo
not find the size that fits them. They are forced to have alterations done, get custom made
clothesorsimplywearillfittingclothes.Also,thesizeswhichareavailablecreateconfusionin
the minds of the consumers because of the inconsistencies in the sizing systems between the
brand and sometimes within the brands as well. These issues are primarily the result of the
following:

Selection of size charts of other countries Due to the lack of Indian sizing surveys
retailers/manufacturersareforcedtousethesizechartsofothercountriesi.e.USand
/orUKwheretheanthropometricmakeofthepopulationisverydifferentfromthatof
India. This results in manufacturing of a product which might not fit the Indian body
types.Inevitably,consumersareoftennotabletofindthesizethatfitsandareforcedto
havealterationsdoneorsimplywearillfittingclothes.

Adaptationofsizechartsfromothercountries:Inmostofthecasesthesesizecharts
from other countries are tweaked based on the manufacturers instinct and
experience to address the Indian builds. Each brand has its own understanding /
sensibilities regarding Indian build and hence its own sizing label which might be very
differentfromthatoftheotherbrand.Thisvariationinsizingsystemsbetweenbrands
andsometimeswithinthebrandleadstoconfusioninthemindsofconsumers.Theyare
forcedtotrymanygarmentsofdifferentsizesbeforethefinalpurchasecanbemade.

Thesesizedevelopmentstrategiesresultindissatisfiedconsumersandlossofsales.

This problem is not fully captured in the key business indicators. A key indicator for business
performanceforacompanyandmerchandiseplanningisthecompanyssalesdata.Companies
usesalesdatatogetfeedbackonwhatsizesaresellingandinwhatproportionsbutsalesdata
nevercaptureslostsalesonaccountofimpropersizingandretailersandmanufacturesmissout
onconsiderablesalesvolumeasaresult.

So it can be said that lack of accurate anthropometric data and resulting Indian size chart is
leadingtoindustryinefficiencyinprovidinggoodfittinggarments,lostbusinessopportunity,and
consumerfrustration.

Tovalidatetheaboveasmallstudywasundertaken,whereinsevenwomenswearbrandsfrom
organized retail were surveyed for bust measurements in womens tops in comparable styles.
ThedatafromthesameisintheTable1.Table2showsthedeviationeachbrandhasfromthe
mean value of a particular size set. The table 1 & 2 highlights the disparity in measurement
amongvariousbrandsanditcanbeseenthatthedisparitiesarehuge.

BRANDWISEMEASUREMENTS(INCM)Table1
Bust
measurements
A.
B.
C.

S
76
80
84

M
80
85
89

L
85
90
94

XL
91
95
102

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XXL STDDEVIATION

D.
E.
F.
G.

85
87
92
100
86.29

MEAN

89
93
98
103
92
97
102

96
104
112

106 111
117
122
91.00 96.29 102.43 112.50

10.94

BRANDWISEDEVIATIONFROMMEAN(INCM)Table2
Bust
measurements
S
M
L
XL
XXL
A.
10.29
11.00 11.29 11.43

B.
6.29
6.00 6.29
7.43

C.
2.29
2.00 2.29
0.43

D.
1.29
2.00 3.29
4.43
9.50
E.
0.71
1.00 0.71
0.43

F.
5.71
5.00 7.71
9.57

G.
13.71
15.00 14.71
14.57
9.50
MEAN
86.29
91.00 96.29 102.43
112.50

EffortssofarHistoryofAnthropometricdatacollectioninIndia

Several attempts have been made at different levels to collect and standardize the
anthropometric data in India over the last few decades, but none of these is either
comprehensivenorweretargetedtoresolvethechallengesfacedbytheapparelindustry.

Inearlierattemptstheapproachwastoclassifyonthebasisofracialtypologies.Afewexamples
oftheseattemptsare7
Risley(1891)tookmeasurementsfromBengalandotherprovincesofNorthernIndia.
HisobservationswereformulatedinCensusofIndia1901(1903)andhehasclassified
the people of India into the following types: TurkoIranian; IndoAryan; Scytho
Dravidian; AryoDravidian; MongoloDravidian; Mongoloid; and Negrito of the
AndamanIslands
Eikckstedt (1934) analyzed Sikh, Punjabi and Musalman and the other communities
(19201923).AccordingtoEikckstedttheIndiancategorieswereasfollows:Indid;Grace
Indid; North Indid; IndoBrachid; Veddoid; Gondi; Malid; Southmelanid; Nothmelanid;
Nordid;Dinarid;Alpine;Mediterranean;Palaemongoloid;andOrientalid
B.S. Guha (1935) this study was based on 2511 subjects and is one of the most
significant studies done. He classified people of India into six main races with nine
subtypes: Negrito; ProtoAustraloid; Mongoloid; Mediterranean; Western
Brachycephals;andNordic

Inalaterphasetheapproachwasshiftedtoaninterregionalframework.Underthisapproacha
fewsignificantregionalstudieswereconductedinMaharashtra,Gujarat,UPandBengal6:
Mahalanobis,MajumdarandRao1949forUttarPradesh
MajumdarandSen1949forGujarat
KarveandDandekar1951forMaharashtra

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 MajumdarandRao1960forBengal
Malhotra,Balakrishnan,andKarve1981forTamilnadu

Butthesamplesizeandcoverageofpopulationgroups,consideringthepopulationstrengthand
biologicalvariationinIndianpopulationswereinadequate.

AnthropologicalSurveyofIndiahasundertakenthreelargescaleanthropometricsurveys:6

TheAllIndiaAnthropometricSurvey:SouthZone(19621963)
61 districts from four states, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu were
covered;14000adultsmaleindividualsbelongingto109differentcastes,communities
and tribes were surveyed to create generalized anthropomorphometric features of
eachstate.
TheAllIndiaAnthropometricSurvey:NorthZone(19631969)
172 districts from twelve states of North, Central, Eastern and Western India. Assam,
Bihar,Orissa,Punjab,Haryana,HimachalPradesh,JammuandKashmir,Rajasthanwere
covered.47000adult malesand198populationgroupsweresurveyedforgeneralized
anthropomorphometricfeaturesofeachstate
PeopleofIndia1985.
421districtsfrom1011towns,3581villagesoftheStateandUnionTerritoriesofIndia
werecovered;25000peopleweresurveyedforcreatingananthropologicalprofileofall
thecommunitiesofIndia.

However, the measurements taken during the above anthropological studies were quite
differentfromthoserequiredforthepurposeofdevelopingsizechartsforthegarmentindustry
andhencewerenotreallyhelpful.

Some anthropometric surveys have been undertaken by the academic campuses, retailers or
ergonomisttocollectdataforthepurposeofpatterndevelopment,garmentmanufacturingor
workplace design respectively, but either the data collected is from a small and hence
insignificant sample size or proper statistical analysis was not done or the results were not
sharedinthepublicdomain.8

So it may be concluded that there exists no record of a systematic all India anthropometric
surveyeverconducted.

NeedofthehourNationalsizingsurveySizeIndia

With a growing retail sector, movement of production towards mass customization and
increasingly awareanddemandingcustomers,theneedofthe houristohaveanIndian Body
Sizechartandthepreconditiontodevelopthischartistocarryoutanationwidecomprehensive
bodysizingsurvey.

The thought process and efforts have been made to undertake the Size India initiative.
However due to some of the key challenges which an exercise of this scale would definitely
encounter;theseattemptshavefizzledoutatthedrawingboardstageitself.Aconcertedeffort
isrequiredtoovercomethesechallenges;someofthekeychallengeswhichareprovingtobe
thebiggestroadblockareoutlinedbelow.

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ChallengesforSizeIndia
ThechallengesforSizeIndiaare:
1 The project cannot succeed unless the academia, apparel industry (retailers/
manufacturers) and government collaborate. The challenge is formalizing and
operationalizingthiscollaboration
2 Creatingawarenessamongthemasses,makingSizeIndiaanationalcampaign.
3 Identification and procurement of 3D scanning technology to be used in view of the
timeframeofthe project;,accuracy;portability& transportabilityofscanners:Indian
weatherconditionsandmostimportantly,Indianpsychology
4 Identificationofdatacollectionlocations.
5 Datamanagementplanningi.e.datastoring,datamininganddataretrieval.
6 Data points identification keeping in mind the final consumers i.e. apparel industry,
automotivesindustry,medical,glovesandmillineryetc.
7 Trainingofpersonnel.
8 Key challenge is to define and identify statistically relevant sample size and further
ensurethatthedatacollectionisfromtherelevantsample.

Theneedisestablished,thechallengesareknown,anditstimeforactionnow

Bibliography
1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropometry
2. SizingSurveyBenefitsManyManufacturersPublishedon:Jul,31,2002by:KellyRoach,
SCRC http://scm.ncsu.edu
3. http://www.sae.org/standardsdev/tsb/cooperative/caesumm.htm
4. http://wear.io.tudelft.nl/
5. http://www.who.int
6. UK:http://www.bodymetrics.com
UK:www.shapegb.org/
US:http://www.sizeusa.com/
Australia:Veitch,D.Veitch,L.andHenneberg,M.;SizingfortheClothingIndustry
UsingPrincipalComponentAnalysisAnAustralianExamplePublishedOnline:27April
2007;SEDL/Journals/JournalofASTMInternational(JAI)
France:ElfriedeKirchdrferandMartinRupp;Possibilitiesandcapabilitiesof3Dbody
scanningsystemsforthepurposeofriskassessmentHETRARfPC1.6HumanHealth
ProjectsConsumerExposure2005
Mexico:KarenDavisASizingStudyofthePopulationofMexicoJuly1,2010;Publication
TC2
Thailand: Supiya Charoensiriwath and Piyawut Srichaikul , Constructing Thailand's
National Anthropometrics Database using 3D Body Scanning Technology ,National
ElectronicsandComputerTechnologyCenter,Thailand2009
www.sizethailand.org.
China:EducationalShowcaseEmbarksOnSizeSurvey,juststyle.com,June2004
China:RogerBall,IDSA,SizeChinaTheWorldShapes,InnovationFall2008Page158
www.innovationjournal.org

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CAESAR: The most comprehensive source for body measurement

data;http://www.sae.org/technicalcommittees/caesarhome.htm UK National Sizing
Survey
Sweden: LarsHanson, Lena Sperling, Gunvor Gard, Staffan Ipsen, Cindy Olivares
Vergara, Swedish anthropometrics for product and workplace designApplied
Ergonomics,Volume40,Issue4,July2009,Pages797806
7. AnthropometricdatacompliedbyReetuYadavMFTstudentforSizeIndiaprojectas
partofMinorresearchprojectunderguidanceofNoopurAnand2009
8. Indian Body Dimensions, Dr Deepti Gupta, March 2008, IIT Delhi
www.techexchange.com/library

December2011

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