(Posted 8-27-99)
IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Steve Gilliam, 336-334-5619

TEXTILE PROFESSOR SEES FUTURE
IN CLOTHING FOR OLDER ADULTS

     GREENSBORO — Dr. Dianna Vass foresees the day when older adults buy their clothes at Granny Gap.
    Clothing makers and retailers should take notice as baby boomers age, says Vass, an assistant professor in the Department of Textile Products Design and Marketing at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
    Older adults, particularly those who suffer from osteoporosis, have special clothing needs, and designers need to account for those, Vass says. Osteoporosis, a disease that weakens the bones in older adults, typically affects posture, causing adults to stoop.
 This can affect the way clothes fit, Vass says. As the body stoops forward, the hem line goes up in back and down in front.     The challenge for designers is to account for the changes in posture while keeping the clothes looking fashionable, she says.
 "People with osteoporosis don't want to look different from anyone else," says Vass, who has studied older adults' clothing interests. "It gets down to, clothing is a basic human need, and how do you answer that need in an attractive and functional way?"
    In spring 1998, Vass' advanced design students surveyed residents of a Greensboro retirement community about their clothing interests, and were surprised by what they learned. For example, residents reported a desire for brightly-colored clothing, not drab attire.
     "It's neat to see them connect to older people," says Vass, adding that traditional-age university students usually are exposed only to their peers and parents, and have preconceptions about what older adults are like.
 Last spring, Vass' class went to the retirement community to design clothes for the residents. Using fabric donated by Guilford Mills, the students made a variety of clothing.
     Vass wants apparel makers to pay attention to older adults, the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population and one that is affluent. Her research could lead to new pattern technologies that improve the fit of clothes for older adults. The American Society for Test Methods and the Swedish Institute for Textile Research have established sizing standards for women 65 and older. These standards need to be applied to some apparel fit research, Vass says.
     The market could be huge, Vass says, particularly in special occasions clothing, such as formal wear for grandchildren's weddings and sportswear for recreation.  "A lot of them would love to find swimwear," she says.
     Several apparel makers already cater to older adults. But Vass says that more mainstream retailers such as Gap, which has specialty stores that target children and babies, will seek out the older market.

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