Innovations in the Design of Pleated Clothing Using Digital Printing and Dyeing Technology

Pleating technology plays a major role in the design of pleated clothing. Also known as wrinkle clothing design, pleating is a high temperature process that has been significantly influenced by progress in science and technology. The combination of pattern design and pleating through the use of digital printing and dyeing technology has become a key aspect of the visual presentation, embodiment of style, and decorative art associated with pleated clothing. This paper explores the historical background and performance of the technologies used in the pleating process, and examines the various modeling techniques that have been brought to bear. The principal innovations in the pleating process can be divided up into shaping, shrinking, and decorative technologies. The relationship between changes in pleating and clothing patterns is also discussed, together with how design thinking has approached the craft of overlaying patterns on pleated clothing. Depending on the clothing and kind of technology being used, there are three main ways in which innovative design can be applied to the pleating process: to create geometric clothing patterns; to create basic clothing patterns; and through the superposition of shrinking technology. A Chinese design case is presented to illustrate how the integration of technology and art can be realized. This paper may serve as a source of future reference for technological innovation in the design of pleated clothing.