Exploring the application of modular product development in achieving multiple styling options in women's pants

Abstract

The contemporary fashion industry is driven by a strong focus on sustainability and innovation. This research focuses on the Component-Sharing Modularity (CSM) technique as a transformative design approach for the women’s pants category. Rather than using a fixed single style garment, CSM introduces a system in which pant components are designed to be shared and reconfigured across multiple styles to achieve different style variations. This practice-based study uses prototyping to explore how CSM can offer a range of styling options for consumers using a limited number of components. By focusing on women’s pants, the project explores the modular technique in a familiar yet underexplored category, discovering possibilities for applying modularity in the apparel industry. The research highlights that CSM empowers designers to build collections with fewer garments and offers wearers the freedom to personalize their garments, using the multiple style options. This approach extends the effective use period of the garment, reducing consumption rates, encouraging responsible consumption and production. The challenges encountered when applying CSM to pants are addressed through experimentation, revealing new pathways for adapting modularity. The study presents CSM as both a technical and design solution that aligns with contemporary values of the fashion industry.