India may soon map its own dress size chart

NEW DELHI: After years of borrowing a dress size from European countries or the US, India is finally getting around to mapping its own size chart. To be completed by 2021, the project, with a funding of Rs 30 crore, will scan and measure 25,000 men and women in the age group of 15-65 years across six major cities to come up with an extensive size chart that reflects the unique Indian body structure.

The survey, dubbed Size India, is under the aegis of the ministry of textiles and will be implemented by the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT). Whole body scanners will capture highly accurate 3D body maps, building a database of measurements. The scan, which will take less than 10 seconds per body, will tap and use over 120 measurements to form the basis of the size chart that will be representative of the Indian population.

Said

Sunil Sethi

, a member of the NIFT board of governors, “The idea is to bring some discipline to the sizing chart, which at present is very fluid.”

“The methodology will ensure that ISO standards are used for this scientific study so that the data is acceptable internationally,” added Noopur Anand, a professor at NIFT Delhi and one of the members of the team spearheading the project.

The entire scanning process, the professor added, would take around 15 minutes per scan.

As part of the process, NIFT will set up the full body scanners - three in total - across each six cities. “We will try to tap the maximum diversity of ethnicity so that the data is truly representative. The six cities have been chosen based on location,” said Sarada Muraleedharan, the director general of NIFT.

The six cities include Kolkata (east), Mumbai (west), New Delhi (north), Hyderabad (centre), Bengaluru (south), and

Shillong

(northeast).

Basic data, which includes gender, locality and age, will be collated for the survey. While the first phase of the survey will focus on a size chart for ages 15-65 years, the second phase will map the sizes for children, as well as for footwear etc.

NIFT is hoping to rope in industry players, like e-commerce giants and others, to participate in the survey. “It could be in the form of funding for the project, mobilisation of people, making venues available or simply perhaps offering gift coupons to encourage people to participate in the survey,” added Muraleedharan.

The data, which will be the property of the ministry of textiles, will need to be updated after 10 years, though the next survey can be done at a much smaller level, said Anand.

The size chart, besides being of immense help to consumers, is expected to be beneficial to the apparel industry.

“A standardised size chart for Indian apparel will be of tremendous value, as it will lead to a reduction of returns,” said Rajesh Shah, the chairman of the NIFT board. According to Shah, return of garments are in the region of 20-40 percent, with the primary reason for the returns being poor garment fit. It’s increasing with the increase of e-commerce, he added.