Alicia Comito, Woofers World Cleaner Uniform
Transcript
Alicia’s ‘Woofers World Cleaner Uniform’ is designed to meet a brief to improve the job efficiency of afterschool cleaners at a pet care centre. She has done so using a process of ethical research that included surveying workers’ tasks, preferences and behaviours. Her PDT folio identifies the four core activities as wiping surfaces, spraying, hosing down, and dealing with rubbish, and the nature and dimensions of the products and tools required to complete these activities. The final product comes as a result of:
- An evaluation of constraints and considerations of factors involved in designing and producing the final product;
- An evaluation of the current uniform(s);
- Visualisations of a range of potential solutions;
- Testing of materials’ durability and resistance to water and pet hair;
- Trialling of materials and design features;
- Risk assessment of creating the product;
- A detailed set of instructions for each stage of the production process.
- A final Toile was created and offered up for feedback from workers.
The final garment consists of a pair of brown overalls made of a polyester soft-shell fleece fabric, with secure, adjustable cotton canvas neck strap, and a range of bagged, inserted and patched pockets tailored to carry task-related resources such as rags, spray bottles and dog poo bags. The pockets on the garment’s thigh are elasticated at the top to keep the contents within secure. A patch pocket takes up the majority of the bib’s front. Unlike the fleece-lining of the trousers, the bib is backed by a soft PU brown fabric. A central hole within this pocket allows for dog poo bags stored within to be easily plucked from the chest area. The bib is linked to the pants using large press-studs, rendering it detachable – offering an option for a pant-only wear. The pants themselves have paw-shape-decorated padding (‘trapunto’) at the knees, made of lightweight leatherette for water resistance. Additional choice to convert the pants into shorts is realised through Velcro fastening. The shorts/pants waist band is elasticated both for ease of putting on/taking off and for increased comfort for a range of body shapes and sizes. The front of the bib carries the ‘Woofers’ logo in vibrant yellow embroidered woven patches. The waistband of the pants/shorts includes a hook to hold up a bin bag for mobile rubbish disposal.
A final evaluation invited possible improvements (which included the addition of an extra pocket for personal items and the use of zips instead of Velcro to transform the pants into shorts).