Fashion 4.0: exploring the intersection of sustainability, digital fashion, and virtual reality

• Autor(a) principal: Legoinha, Cláudia Sofia Martinho
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10773/40734
• topic: Industry 4.0; Digital fashion; Textile industry; Sustainability; Virtual reality; Pseudo-tactile feedback

The industrial world is entering a new era. Industry 4.0 and the accompanying digital technologies are at the forefront of transforming industries and are considered a powerful vehicle to address the environmental issues that will arise in the coming decades. In addition to ecological reasons, the growing interest of consumers in technological and sensory experiences has led the fashion industry not to be left out of this transformation, seeking solutions in digitalization, despite its significant delay in adopting these technologies. This industry represents one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. With the continued use of the same production methods, emissions of these gases could double the limit set in the Paris Agreement by 2030. Therefore, digitalization in this sector is an imperative action to contribute to the reduction of its environmental impact. Among the various technologies used to meet future needs, Virtual Reality stands out as a strong catalyst for innovation in the textile sector. Its implementation will allow for the creation and development of 100% digital clothing pieces, reducing resource waste and eliminating the need for production and associated emissions. Despite many advancements in Virtual Reality technology, given the physical nature of the fashion industry, its use has some disadvantages, with the main one being the inability to touch the clothing pieces. Thus, it is essential to identify possible compensatory sensory cues that can enhance the perception of touch in virtual clothing pieces. From this premise arises the research question, "How can textile pseudo-tactile feedback be effectively created in Virtual Reality without the need for haptic devices?" To answer this question, a project based on VR technology was developed in partnership with Petratex, which involved the development of two experimental virtual scenarios evaluated by employees from different departments of the textile company. The development of these scenarios, using crossmodal correspondences between different visual elements and tactile sensation, proved to be effective in more than 80% of the respondents. It was possible to determine through a questionnaire that the sensations perceived were aligned with those intended to be conveyed.