Functional Development of Residential Fire-Retardant Clothing for Older Adults

Abstract

Older adults are at higher risk for fire-related injuries and deaths than younger people due to their impaired physical and sensory functions. However, current fire-safety products could not satisfy their requirements. The purpose of this study was to develop a novel fire-safety product to help older adults safely evacuate from fire. A multifunctional fire-retardant clothing item was developed for older adults through requirements analysis and design features selection, which can provide greater body coverage for better thermal protection and flexibility for leg movement compared to current fire blankets. Several special design features were also developed to meet the specific needs of older adults. For example, an asymmetric placket with a combined opening was developed to guarantee dressing convenience for older adults or caregivers. Moreover, this newly developed fire-retardant clothing can be folded into a cushion cover for easy storage and maintenance as well as used in a variety of emergency situations. This new fire-retardant clothing has the potential to be useful in future fire prevention and safety strategies. Practical research outcomes, including new ideas and design approaches, can also provide guidance in the future design of age-oriented residential fire-safety products.

Keywords:

• older adults
• fire safety product
• functional design
• fire-retardant clothing

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the materials support from Shanghai Tanlon Fiber Co., Ltd; the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities [Grant No. 2232021 G-08]; and the Graduate Student Innovation Fund of Donghua University [Grant No. CUSF-DH-D-2020089].

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Shitan Wang

Shitan Wang is currently a PhD candidate in the Fashion Design Department of Donghua University, Shanghai, China. Her research focuses on clothing comfort and function, clothing ergonomics and human factors for functional product development. [email protected]

Qingyuan He

Qingyuan earned her MS in Fashion Design and Engineering from Donghua University, Shanghai, China and is an associate instructor at Jiangxi Institute of Fashion Technology, Nanchang, China. Her research focuses on clothing structure design and functional product development. [email protected]

Canming Liu*

Canming Liu* (corresponding author), Professor of College of Fashion and Art Design at Donghua University. PhD student in the School of Fine Arts at Tsinghua University. Among the Top 10 Fashion Designers in China, Shanghai Young High-End Creative Talents, Member of The Art Committee of China Fashion Association, Director of Shanghai Young Creative Talents Association, Expert member of the Hebei Cashmere Industry Technology Research Institute. Research direction: The application and theoretical research of multiculturalism in modern clothing design. He founded ZIGE and CM.LOOSE and served as the art director of these two fashion brands. He has exhibited more than 30 fashion design works in the United States, Korea, Beijing, Shanghai and other international fashion shows. [email protected]

Yunyi Wang

Yunyi Wang is a professor in the Fashion Design Department, Donghua University, Shanghai, China. Her research interests focus on textile performance, development of functional clothing and creative fashion. [email protected]

Daiwei Wu

Daiwei Wu is currently a PhD candidate in the Fashion Design Department of Donghua University, Shanghai, China. Her research focuses on comfort and function of thermal clothing, evaluation of functional clothing products. [email protected]