Development of Mass Customization Tech-pocket Smart Fashion Using Computer Embroidery Machine: Website Development Reflecting the Characteristics of Generation MZ

2. 2. 1. Definition of Mass Customization Smart Fashion

Customizing smart fashion is based on the utilization of big data and information technologies. It refers to setting or changing hardware and software functions as well as instructions according to users’ needs or reorganizing them according to individual time, place, and occasion(TPO) in a broad sense for users’ easy use and convenient maintenance(Lee, Tak & Han, 2017).

2. 2. 2. Case Analysis of Mass Customization Smart Fashion

As customized services have become a trend in the traditional fashion industry, the scope of research is expanding to marketing research (Jang, 2013), public consumer participatory design research (Park, 2014), and various online service platform research (Yang & Lee, 2017; Lee & Chung, 2020). However, current studies lack prior studies on the case of mass customization smart fashion that considers consumer needs. According to the need for research, examples of mass customization smart fashion products that consider consumer needs among smart fashion products were analyzed and presented. Customization smart fashion products are differentiated from common fashion products for their user-centered nature to take into consideration functionality and aesthetics based on wearable technology. After examining their characteristics in functions and aesthetics, the investigator traced the trends of mass customization in the smart fashion industry and analyzed cases in the four aspects of content, item, module, and customization types<Table 1>.

First, such products were divided into entertainment(25%, 4), infotainment(50%, 8), healthcare(19%, 3), and safety protection(6%, 1) according to the content types of their main functions. The characteristics of entertainment content-type products as a playful element can be changed to the desired text or form by changing LED colors and patterns in conjunction with mobile applications. It can also experience an animation effect that responds to music or external sounds and vibrations designated by the product user. A representative example of this is Pix's “Pix backpack”, in which the front LED display of the bag can be changed to suit the customer's needs. The characteristics of infotainment content-type products control major functions of smartphone applications, provide various schedules and information notifications, and analyze users' lifestyles and provide information. As for the design characteristics, the user can change the watch face design or detached/attached the module-type strap. A representative example of this is Jacquard X Levi's “Commuter trucker jacket” which can receive notifications about various information from linked applications. The characteristic of healthcare content-type products is that it collects, analyzes, and notifies users of big data based on a transmitter made in tag form. Each tag has the advantage of being detachable and compatible with various items. As a representative example, SKT X Misfit's “Health on Shine” can be detached and attached to a single device and used in the form of various watches, necklaces, bracelets, and tags that users want. The characteristic of safety protection content-type products is similar to entertainment types in that it changes LED colors and patterns, but as in the case of Roadwarez's “Smart cycling backpack”, it has specialized features for biker safety protection, such as accident detection technology, emergency user location notification, cycling path recording, etc. By producing each of these features in the form of a built-in standard product, it is linked to operating as a mass production approach for efficiency in market and economic factors. In addition, unlike general fashion industry, various functions based on wearable technology are built into the product itself, which itself links the development of information technology in industrial and technological factors. Second, they were divided into clothes(3 T-shirts, 1 jacket, 1 dress) and accessories(including 3 bags, 2 shoes, 3 watches, 3 jewelry) according to the item types. Third, they were divided into functional and design modules according to the module types. While functional modules refer to partial modules of products with built-in functions, design modules are partial modules based on design elements of smart products. In this regard, Blocks' “Modular smart watch” can be deformed by detached and attached functional modules with various types of sensors depending on user needs, and each module has a different design. This is connected to the modularization of product design in the product elements of mass customization in that modular products with built-in functionality and modular design products can be detached and attached according to customer situations and needs. And fourth, such products were divided according to the design and use stage according to the characteristics of customization to reflect user needs. As an example of the design stage, Sygnal's “LED t-shirt” is customized by users participating in the design phase by themselves through option settings. Examples of use stage include changing LED color or modifying a module-type design. This is linked to the involvement of individual customers in the previously derived customer component of mass customization in that the various tastes and needs of the customer can be directly reflected in the product during the design and use stage of the product.

2. 2. 3. Strategic Directions of Mass Customization Smart Fashion

Mass customization had the following guidelines and strategic directions in the connected smart fashion industry according to its characteristics by the five elements analyzed above: First, importance was placed on the efficiency of the mass production system as a market and economy element in a broad sense along with a flexible process and organizational structure as a process and organization element. A standard product would be made with built-in functions for the parts manufactured in advance or in modular designs for each form, being connected to the modular forms in the smart fashion industry. The present accepted smart fashion products as an “instrumental” concept capable of production based on the mass production system and flexible process in order to carry out mass customization and set a goal of finding a tool fit for the making of a smart fashion product.

Second, the participation of individual customers emphasized as a customer element allows consumers to reflect their needs in product service through option choices. This reflects customer needs through their participation at the design and use stage, being connected to the customization types in the smart fashion industry. In the present study, customization methods through the participation of individual customers were developed at the design and use stage. At the design stage, customers are allowed to choose options themselves according to their needs at a smart fashion website. At the use stage, they can alter or revise the smart products designed at the previous stage according to their diverse situations and tastes. This means that users can choose between function and design options of smart products within a website in the aspect of functions. In the aspect of designs, this means customized products that customers can alter and revise themselves.

Third, the modularization of product designs emphasized as a product element means partial parts or additional components of products are made in modular forms. Modular products with built-in functionality or modularized design products can be made detachable according to the situations and needs of individual customers, which is connected to the modular form types in the smart fashion industry. In the present study, products were designed that would be detachable to various platforms in modular forms in the design aspect.

And fourth, the development of information technologies and e-business emphasized as an industrial and technological element was connected to the content types in the smart fashion industry based on information and wearable technologies. In the present study, a website was built which targeted the online mass customization market based on the utilization of wearable technology in the smart industry. <Figure 1> shows the guidelines of mass customization smart fashion products.

2. 3. 1. Mass Customization according to the Consumption Characteristics of Generation MZ

Generation MZ has emerged with greater importance than any other generations because they have become active economically and begun to exert the biggest economic influence(Choi, 2020). Companies home and abroad expand design options or make individual custom products based on IT by examining the tendencies and consumption trends of Generation MZ. Furthermore, they launch products in whose making process consumers take part, offering custom products and services targeting Generation MZ. The present study proposed the following approaches to mass customization according to the five consumption characteristics of Generation MZ analyzed in previous studies on the generation:

First, Generation MZ is accustomed to the Internet and mobile environment as a digital generation and is active with activities of consuming IT-applied products such as smartphones. Smart fashion products with built-in functions should be developed for Generation MZ accustomed to various IT environments and products along with a website that provides them with experiences in the online shopping mall form; second, Generation MZ wants to express their individualistic identifies, which raises a need to develop products with function and design option settings based on diverse combinations of trendy colors and materials to satisfy their individual tastes and individualities; third, Generation MZ seeks after experiential consumption, which raises a need to develop mass customization products and websites to induce their active participation as prosumers along with special experiences; fourth, it is analyzed that Generation MZ will have great preference for smart fashion products developed around entertainment content to receive instant feedback as they are in pursuit of instant amusement; and fifth, Generation MZ seeks after cost-effectiveness for their pursuit of balanced consumption, thus having high preference for mass customization products with the efficiency of mass production. In the present study, a website was built in the online environment for mass customization targeting Generation MZ that generated economic effects as a major axis of consumption in 2020 in accordance with the growing trend of mass customization.

3. 1. 1. User Scenario and System Design

In the study, the investigator realized customization for customers by allowing Generation MZ, who is accustomed to the digital environment with a pursuit of their own individuality and experiential consumption characteristics, to participate in the manufacturing process. User scenarios were also designed to make smart fashion products based on mass customization as a concept of large-scale customization through the efficiency of the mass production system. As Generation MZ has preference for playful fun, sensors were attached which would interact with each external environment around entertainment content. Five sensors were selected including illumination, temperature, acceleration, twinkle, and UV sensors for compatibility among modules in the design of a circuit diagram to ensure the flexible process of fast reactions. <Table 2> shows user scenarios and system designs for each sensor.

System designs were divided into hardware and software designs. In a hardware design, fabric electronics technology was designed and embodied with a computer embroidery machine and conductive yarns. According to the information provided by Arduino LilyPad, the laundry reliability of Arduino LilyPad recommends hand-washing with a mild detergent and drip-dry after disconnecting the power supply. The main board of Arduino LilyPad, which was designed to be compact and light with laundry reliability, was used. Sensor modules were connected to this including five sensor modules reacting to surrounding environments, feedback notification sensor modules, and coin cell battery modules that users can replace themselves for light wearability and usability. Five sensors were attached to react to external environments including illumination, temperature, acceleration, UV, and twinkle sensors. The consumption characteristics of Generation MZ in pursuit of fun were applied in the aspect of entertainment content through Visual Writing, and feedback for each sensor was organized based on light(LED). Additional options were set including vibration(vibration sensors) for users that would want tactile feedback and sound(piezo sensors) for users that would want auditory feedback. Five different LED colors including white, red, yellow, green, and blue were introduced to give visual notification feedback in reaction to each environment. A battery holder with an on/off switch was designed according to the needs of users that would want each function or no functions. A circuit diagram was designed with the fabric electronics technology based on a computer embroidery machine capable of mass production to offer customization in the efficiency of the mass production system. The size of a circuit diagram was designed with the minimum path of action on mind so that users would not have inconvenience with wearing the product with the design elements of the tech pocket undisturbed. The same LED arrays and module positions were designed and developed to allow five sensors to change easily without any restrictions according to designs and functions in the mass customization form through computer embroidery machine programming for the efficiency of mass production. In software design, twinkle sensors with built-in MCU were excluded for random LED luminescence. The remaining four sensors were programmed in a way that LED, vibration and piezo sensors would react to each designated sensor value according to the factors of an external environment based on the Arduino IDE(integrated development environment) of the LilyPad Arduino 328 main board.

3. 1. 2. Build the Mass Customization Tech Pocket Smart Fashion Website

(1) WYW PROJECT Website Based on Wix

A website was built with Wix, a CMS platform, which would offer a range of function and design options for mass customization tech pocket smart fashion products. Wix was selected for the study as it was a platform for many micro-enterprises compared with the old HTML environment with the saving of initial costs and time based on easy revision and change thanks to more than 500 free template designs and intuitive interface in the drag-and-drop method. The present study developed a website for mass customization tech pocket smart fashion products based on Wix, and it was called “WYW Project”(Whatever You Want Project) (https://wywproject.wixsite.com/home). <Figure 2> shows the menu tree according to the 1 depth, 2 depth, 3 depth of the website. The main screen of the WYW Project website was comprised only of main menus with a navigation bar designed in a horizontal collinear form. The global navigation menus included “Home,” the main menu, “About,” which introduces the brand, “CUSTOMIZE WYW,” which offers a variety of function and design option choices, “COLLECTION,” which offers product pictures and videos in each season, “C/S CENTER,” which is a customer service center menu for customer inquiries and FAQs, “REVIEW,” which allows customers to post the pictures or videos of their customized products freely, and “NEWS,” which provides the latest news and issues of the brand.

(2) Functional/Design Option Selection

Of the two customization approaches through the participation of individual customers emphasized as a customer element, the design stage makes it possible to make individualistic tech pocket smart fashion products based on the diverse combinations of function and design options according to the tastes and needs of individual customers at the WYW Project website. It was designed to allow users to select and purchase a product option under the Customize WYW menu on the global navigation menu. Each product and service was designed to reflect the consumption characteristics of Generation MZ around each function and design option including a men’s trench coat and women’s bomber jacket with a tech pocket of entertainment content and detachable tech pocket. Based on sensor modules needed to make fabric electronics, a tech pocket was comprised of sensors reacting to an external environment, visual, tactile, and auditory notification feedback methods, and LED color changes for function options. There were four design options including graphic embroidery designs in the newtro concept, addition of mesh and vinyl materials, color changes of embroidery yarns, and changes of texts in English numbers. Another design option, a hood, was added to the customized men’s trench coat and women’s bomber jacket<Figure 3>.

3. 2. 1. Design Concept and Characteristics

(1) Modular Design

The modular tech pockets are design elements for mass customization and can be compatible between men’s trench coat and women’s bomber jacket according to users’ tastes and situations. They were designed to ensure easy attachment to clothes and detachment from them with a snap at the back and an open zipper at the bottom. They were also designed to be detachable on their own so that there would be no sense of difference along the boundary of everyday clothes and functional ones. In addition, they were designed to serve as pockets attached to clothes and detachable bags as a carrying system. A detachable system in the same form was applied to the chest of men’s trench coat and the chest and back of women’s bomber jacket<Table 3>.

(2) Customization

Of the two customization approaches through the participation of individual customers emphasized as a customer element, the use stage makes customization possible according to users’ tastes and situations. The men’s trench coat was designed to enable the attachment and detachment of the bottom hem and sleeves, and the women’s bomber jacket was designed to enable the attachment and detachment of sleeves. At the website for mass customization smart fashion products, users were also allowed to choose a hood as a detachable additional option<Table 4>,<Table 5>.

(3) Visual Lighting

LED was used to express the individuality of Generation MZ through light and colors based on entertainment content. Given the characteristics of Generation MZ that yearned for attention from others through the expression of their individuality, LED-based Visual Writing increased attention on users further and enabled emotional interactions between users and non-users. Reacting to surrounding environments, sensors were designed to give feedback based on visual LED effects through random or sequential luminescence.

(4) Newtro Graphic Embroidery Design

Newtro graphic embroidery designs were made with ZSK’s multi-head computer embroidery machine. Newtro is a new coinage of “new” and “retro,” referring to the trend of enjoying retro anew among the new generation(Kim, Jeon & Kim, 2019). It is one of the biggest concept issues among Generation MZ, as well. Six graphic elements including “record, roller skate, radio, call, tape, and television” were selected fit for newtro from the old objects and items and designed and printed in graphic embroidery designs with ZSK’s computer embroidery program(EPCwin) <Table 6>.