The apparel and textile industries are depressed with apparel retailing now slipping. Consumer objection to "sameness" caused by present mass production techniques is being cited as a major reason for the downturn. There is a lack of communication from the consumer to the retailer, to the apparel manufacturer, and to the textile mill; yet there exists a vast amount of information that when effectively systematized could solve multiple problems. Most apparel information is composed of 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional images, and conceptual movement patterns in apparel designing and production; and there is no available technology that can sort images for a database. "Stylometrics", an innovative idea for such a language, is being designed by Shirley Willett, Inc. This language will compress apparel images to a code similar to a binary code, but it will be composed of straight lines and lengths. The feasibility of "Stylometrics" will be investigated and evaluated through the research projects. It is anticipated that this image compression technology will enable images to be codified and sorted to build an indexed, interactive electronic encyclopedia of apparel information. Commercial Applications: The potential commercial applications are computerized training techniques with apparel imagery manipulation; electronic linkage systems using images with CAD/CAM; image databases for EDI; interactive encyclopedia of apparel-textile style and fabric information; and interactive videos for use in videotex computer shopping.
