BACKGROUND: Before the emergence of ready-to-wear (RTW) garments, production of apparels relied on ergonomics considerations through body measurements (anthropometry) of individual users. This is an indication of the inherent nature of ergonomics in apparel fabrication; however active mention of ergonomics related to fashion engineering and design before then was lacking. OBJECTIVE: This article seeks to emphasize the need for an organized framework of knowledge for ergonomics suited to fashion engineering and design education and research. METHODS: Relevant literature have been reviewed and three main knowledge components of ergonomics relevant to fashion engineering and design have been identified and classified based on standard classes of areas within the general field of ergonomics. RESULTS: Areas of ergonomics applications in fashion engineering and design under the headings of consumer product design, i.e. apparel design, workspace or office design, manufacturing process design and man-machine system, have been discussed. CONCLUSION: Comprehensive ergonomics education related to fashion engineering and design consist of the three main knowledge components: (1) the five aspects of ergonomics, (2) anthropometry and biomechanics and (3) the three domains of ergonomics.

Several publications and even commercial products showcasing the application of optical fibers for textile goods abound in literature. Optical fibers can be employed as sensors by making use of physical principles to sense strain, temperature, and other quantities by tailoring the fiber such that the quantity to be measured alters the intensity, phase, polarisation, and wavelength of light within the fiber. However, a paper directed at the development of textile based applications or smart garments using optical fibers is lacking. This review seeks to serve as apt reference material for the development of optical fiber based textile sensors or smart garments with a focus on the application of plastic optical fibers (POFs). Highlighted are the salient material properties of POFs and their importance in delivering satisfactory sensing results. Special treatment has also been given to their proposed feasibility for embedment within weft knitted structures.