GB2294864A - Work wear - Google Patents

Abstract

Work wear is constructed in such a manner as to move, when worn, with the natural movements of the body, such as at the shoulder, elbow and knee. The work wear may be formed from a plurality of panels produced by tailored pattern cutting which could involve, for instance, the juxtaposition of at least one straight and at least one curved cutting line. The accommodation of movement may also be provided by a pleat, tuck or gusset which in turn may be provided with fastening means such as a zip, epaulette, stud and popper, button and eye, or velcro. Alternatively different material such as stretchable material or quilting or padding may be incorporated.

Description

WORK WEAR This invention relates to work wear such as overalls for use in protecting a wearer and the wearer's top clothing against damage and spoilage in the workplace.

The work wear described in this application includes coveralls, upper and lower body garments, coats and jackets, bib and brace overalls and salopettes, overall trousers, front-fastening overalls and two-piece working rig, all being for the use by either sex.

Work wear of the type exemplified by the traditional overall, coverall or boiler suit has changed little over the last fifty years. The advent of the Health and Safety at Work etc.

Act 1974 in Great Britain has led to the creation of a recommended standard to help manufacturers comply with the Act. The standards are published by the British Standards Institution.

The British Standards Institution produces, in consultation and under the direction of the Textiles and Clothing Standards Policy Committee, a recommended specification and guidelines for workwear and career wear of which the current standard is BS 3426 1993. Previous standards of 1976 and BS 5426 : 1987 have been superseded by the present standard.

Although there is no legal obligation to comply with the specification, manufacturers nearly always do so. Conforming to the latest British Standard allows a manufacturer to benefit from marking their product with the British Standard.

The British Standard specifies to manufacturers the materials, standards of manufacture, sizing and marking requirements for work wear including overalls. Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the standard accepted sizing measurements for, as an example, a fastened overall garment and are indicated by reference to letters of the alphabet on Figure 1.

The neck measurement is taken as the length of the binding at that point. Chest or bust measurements are taken 2.5 cm below the underarm seam with the figure multiplied by two (position A on Fig. 1). The measurement across the back at position B in Fig. 1 is measured at a point 12 cm below the centre back neck, straight across between the armholes. Sleeve length is measured from the centre back to the full length of the sleeve, i.e. position C totalled with half the length of position B. The back neck to crotch measurement (position D in Fig. 1) is measured from the centre back neck collar seam to the crotch. The seat of the garment is measured 20 cm below the waist line at position E and the resulting value is multiplied by two.The inside leg measurement at position F is measured from the crotch seam to the bottom of the leg hem, the bottom of the leg at position H on Fig. 1 being measured along the seam itself and the resulting value multiplied by two. Finally the thigh or upper leg measurement is made 5 cm below the crotch line at position G and that value is multiplied by two.

Figure 2 sets out the recommended standard sizes for all the above measurements in relation to the subject's height and chest or bust girth. Recommended marking for garments designed specifically for short, regular, tall or very tall persons are provided by means of the suffixes S, R, T or XT respectively.

Although strict compliance with the work wear standard is not intended, it can be seen that the standard dimensions are sweeping and a good fit cannot be guaranteed for every individual. Indeed, comparisons can be drawn with the high street fashion industry in which each manufacturer and retailer interprets the relevant British Standard in their own particular way leading consumers to shop at retailers that stock garment sizes which fit them.

However, although manufacturers interpret the British Standard in their own particular way, for reasons of Health and Safety in the work place, they are unlikely to deviate far from the Standard as the fashion industry would do.

The deficiencies in the British Standard stem from the reliance upon the fact that all other measurements of the body size will flow from a correlation of chest or bust and height measurement. In addition, this problem has been compounded by the use by manufacturers and retailers, when interpreting the British Standard, of straight cut seams. The applicant has undertaken extensive field studies of the use of a present British Standard overall in real-life, day-to-day conditions so that the problems associated with the British Standard garment could be identified.

The British Standard sizing is designed to fit a wearer at rest with arms at his or her sides (as is illustrated at Fig.4) but does not take into account the need to accommodate the movements and postures that the wearer could adopt during work. The shape of the human body is not straight and angular, but the shapes assumed by the body are nearly always curved or arced. Imposing a predominantly straight seamed garment on the body therefore does not lead to the comfort of the wearer, or the ergonomic efficiency in use.

The applicant has found that a particular point of restriction in British Standard work wear is at the shoulder. A good deal of the everyday movement of the arms is when they are swung in an arc about the shoulder in normal walking movement. The British Standard work wear copes with such movements satisfactorily.

However, it has been found by the applicant that, in particular, individuals working in work wear such as overalls, experience particular discomfort from movement which involves work with arms raised to overhead. An example of such work is when a motor vehicle mechanic is repairing the underside of a vehicle which has been raised above head height on a hydraulic lift for ease of access or an electrical repair worker stretches to reach over head power supply lines.

The discomfort includes "fighting" against the cut and restriction of the garment at the shoulder leading to tiredness at the shoulder and a restricted field of movement. Above head work also stretches the garment, extending in turn the back neck to crotch fixed distance leading to discomfort in the crotch.

It was found that, among other deficiencies, when a workman wearing a British Standard overall felt particularly uncomfortable, or his movement was particularly restricted, he would undo the overall to the waist and tie the arms of the garment around his waist.

From the point of view of safety, this occurrence could lead to disastrous, and even fatal, accidents, particularly if the fabric of the garment is used to protect the wearer should an accident occur in the workplace. An example of the properties of the fabric being designed to protect the wearer of the overall garment is if it is made from fire proof or flame retardant material to protect the wearer against flash fires, or as another example, against hazardous chemical spillage.

The problem with tightness and restriction is particularly acute in the winter months when an individual wishes to wear additional layers for increased warmth. Such additional layers when worn under the usual sized overall the individual wears during warmer months exacerbates the movement difficulties at the shoulder and a wearer experiences an all round tightness. The applicant, who has provided work wear for industry to British Standards, has noticed that orders for larger sized garments increases during the winter months so that wearers can work in less constrictive work wear. Not only does this solution increase costs for the purchaser, but it does not solve the source of the problem.

Although a wearer may feel more comfortable in a larger size due to increased cut in certain areas, the safety of the wearer may be prejudiced: sleeves may need to be rolled up or trouser legs turned up to accommodate the increased "standard" length of limb associated with increased sizing, as can be seen by reference to the table at Figure 2.

On a day-to-day basis, the problems of loose or floppy folds of material at the wrist or ankle may be minor and may include tripping up of the wearer as the material gets under feet, or a need continually to roll up sleeves as they roll down. Over a period of time loose folds of material tend to wear less well and become damaged more easily, such as when the wearer regularly treads on the heel of material which comes under foot, or where material becomes snagged on a door handle or a table as the wearer passes.

Clearly, replacement of a damaged garment prior to the usual life expectancy will increase costs to a purchaser.

Additionally, A freak occurrence attributable to the oversize cut of the sleeves and legs of the garment only needs to occur once to lead to the serious injury of the wearer. If, for example, a rolled-up sleeve slips and becomes caught or snagged in a machine, the wearer could be dragged into the working parts of the machine and at the least be seriously injured, and at the worst be killed. It can also be appreciated that a rolled up sleeve will not protect the wearer's forearm from chemical or fire injury should the fabric of the garment be designed to protect against such injury.

Another area in which the standard straight seamed cut of the British Standard work wear restricts the wearer in use, is at the joints of, in particular, the knee and elbow.

Individuals working in ill fitting work wear will do a good deal of bending and stretching in a work garment in a typical working day. Knee bending, for example when kneeling or climbing, and elbow bending, perhaps when leaning on an elbow to adjust a car engine, occurs many times during in a wearer's average working day.

However, the applicant has found that a wearer develops a mannerism to help make room for their joint movements before bending the joint. In much the same way as a city businessman lifts the cloth of his trousers at the knee to allow less restriction in the action of sitting down, the workman lifts the cloth at the knee of his overalls when he bends down. A similar routine is followed at the elbow. However, it has been found by the applicant that this restriction cannot be solved purely by a better cut.

It is interesting to note that, with the advent of the single market in Europe, a European Committee for Standardization (CEN), under whose supervision European Standards are prepared and who comprises the British Standards Institution, has produced a harmonising standard for the general requirements of protective clothing. The European Standard EN 340 : 1993 has the status of a British Standard and includes, at point 4, a requirement for ergonomics in which it states inter alia: Protective clothing should be designed and manufactured as follows: d) Its design should facilitate its correct positioning on the user and should ensure that it remains in place for the foreseeable period of use, taking into account ambient factors, together with movements and postures that the wearer could adopt during the coursc of work.

It is against this background that the applicants have devised their invention.

Accordingly, the main object of the present invention is to provide an article of work wear, such as an overall, in which the foresaid disadvantages are overcome or at least substantially reduced and in particular to improve the wearer's comfort to such an extent that the risk of injury is minimised and lives are saved.

Applicants have discovered a principle which is that work wear does not have to be made from panels that utilise traditional pattern cutting are which defined to comply with the aforementioned British Standard leading to all the problems and disadvantages that have been previously described. Surprisingly, in the light of this discovery, applicants have found that tailored pattern cutting can actually provide the level of comfort that applicant desires for work wear to reduce risk of injury and save lives.

In order to carry this principle into effect, and from one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of making an article of work wear which is formed from a plurality of cut out panels, in which tailored pattern cutting is utilised to make the panels.

By means of the invention there is provided work wear which is ergonomically adapted to allow freedom of movement, and therefore comfort, in use, leading consequentially to increased safety in the workplace.

In order to facilitate natural movements of the body whilst wearing articles of work wear made in accordance with the method of the present invention, the pattern cutting of the panels may, in at least some instances, involve the juxtaposition of straight and curved cutting lines which are joined together, as by sewing, in the finished garment. For example such cutting provides roundness at the back thereby creating pouches which facilitates bending movements.

Articles of work wear made in accordance with the method of the invention will move with the natural movement of the body.

Therefore from another aspect, the present invention consists in an article of work wear which is made and constructed in such a manner as to move when worn by a wearer, with the natural movements of the body.

In one way of enabling the article of work wear to move with the natural movement of the body, the material is cut so as to provide at least one section which accommodates joint movement.

In the case of an article of work wear comprising a jacket or overalls, the work accommodating sections are advantageously provided at least in the regions of the shoulder joints. However, it is also preferred that movement accommodating sections are provided in the regions of the elbow joints.

Where the articles of work wear are overalls, salopettes or trousers, movement accommodating sections may also be provided in the regions of the knee joints.

It has been found advantageous for the or each movement accommodating section to be made of the same material as that which surrounds the section.

The or each movement accommodating section may be provided by a pleat, tuck or gusset or in any other appropriate way. In the case of the or each movement accommodating section corresponding to the knee and/or the elbow, the pleat or tuck may conveniently be sewn into an available seam in a sleeve or a leg.

By locating the knee joint movement accommodating section forward of the wearer's knee, the movement imparted to the article of work wear sympathises with the normal bending of the knee.

Similarly, such sympathetic movement of the article of work wear can be produced in the region of the wearer's elbow by locating the movement accommodating section rearwardly of the wearer's elbow to accommodate the normal bending movement of the wearer's elbow.

The amount of movement accommodation in the or each shoulder joint may be variable, for example to accommodate additional clothing in winter. To this end, the or each upper shoulder region(s) may be provided with means such as a zip or an epaulette which, when fastened in one position, permits of a lesser amount of movement of the article and in another (unfastened) position permits of a greater amount of movement position. Naturally, intermediate fastened positions, which allow additional variation in the amount of movement intermediate to previously mentioned positions may be catered for.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a diagram of an overall corresponding to British Standard BS 5426 1993; Figure 2 is a reference table of standard dimensions whose measurements refer to Figure 1; Figure 3a is a Computer Aided Design printout of the panels of material which may be assembled into a set of overalls embodying the invention; Figure 3b is a Computer Aided Design printout of the panels of material which, when assembled, comply with the British Standard; ; Figure 3c is an overlay of Computer Aided Design printouts of the panels of material which can be assembled into a set of overalls complying with British Standard (in dotled lines) and the panels of material which can be assembled into a set of overalls embodying the invention; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a shoulder section of an article of work wear embodying the invention; Figure 5 is a front view of a knee section of an article of work wear embodiment work wear embodying the invention; Figure 6 is a perspective view of an elbow section of an article of work wear embodying the invention; Figure 7 is a front view of a model wearing, on the left, a set of overalls according to the present British Standard, and on the right, a set of overall embodying the invention;; Figure 8 is a rear view of, on the left, a set of overalls according to the present British Standard, and on the right, a set of overalls embodying the invention; Figure 9 is a rear view of, on the left, a set of overalls according to the present British Standard, and on the right, a set of overalls embodying the invention with the model with his hands raised to overhead; Figure 10 is a perspective view of, on the left, a set of overalls according to the present British Standard, and on the right, a set of overalls embodying the invention with the model with his hands out in front of his body; Figure 11 is a detail from Fig. 10 of the shoulder section of the British Standard prior art set of overalls;; Figure 12 is a side view of, on the left, a set of overalls according to the present British Standard, and on the right, a set of overalls embodying the invention with the model assuming a typical work position; and Figure 13 is a side view of, on the left, a set of overalls according to the present British Standard, and on the right, a set of overalls embodying the invention with the model bending forward at the waist.

Figures 1 and 2 indicate the prior art work wear illustrated by an overall corresponding to British Standard BS 5426 1993. Figure 2 shows how work standard measurements result from a person's height and chest or bust size. However, as previously discussed, the human form rarely complies totally with a standard fitting or sizing.

Referring to figure 3a, the pattern of the panels of a set of overalls which may be assembled into a set of overalls embodying the invention include a back panel section 38, a forepart 60, a topside 62, an underside 64, a top sleeve 66, an under sleeve 68, a collar 70, an arm hole gusset 72, a cuff 73, a forepart side panel 74, pocket panels 75A, 75B and 75C, a pocket bag 76 and a panel 77. In assembly, the front of the garment is formed by joining line AE of a topside 62 panel and a forepart side panel 74 with an overlap of 2 cm on full scale. The back of the garment is formed by joining line BC of the back panel section 38 and of the underside 64 are joined with a 2 cm overlap on full scale. The sleeve of the garment is formed by joining line FD of a top sleeve 66 and an under sleeve 68 with a 2 cm overlap on full scale at the seams.

The prior art set of overalls involves the assembly of the panels illustrated in Fig. 3b which include: a forepart 78, a topside 80, an underside 82, a sleeve 84, a collar 86, pocket panels 87A and 87B, a centre back panel 88, a cuff panel 89, a back side panel 90 and panels 91A and 91B. In assembly, A and A of the forepart 78 and the topside 80 are joined by a 2 cm to form the front of the garment, and B and B of an underside 82 and the centre back panel 88 and C and C of an underside 82 and a back side panel 90 to form the back of the garment.

Figure 3c compares the construction size and shaping of the panels which are assembled into the set of overalls embodying the invention (full lines) and the British Standard (dashed lines). As can be seen from the drawing, the panels from which a set of overalls embodying the invention are made, deviate from that of the British Standard in the areas which the applicant has pin-pointed the restrictiveness of movement of the wearer in use.

In particular, the forepart 60 has extra cut of cloth at the armpit section, which allows a greater universal movement at the shoulder joint 12 in particular use of the arms extended above head height and stretched out in front of the body. Greater length in the body is shown in the section 94 corresponding to the clavical bone of the wearer. Extra length in the body eliminates the discomfort experienced at the crotch when a wearer works with arms overhead or bends forward at the waist.

The bending at the waist and elimination of discomfort in the crotch is further reduced by allowing extra room in the buttocks section 96 and the curved lower edge portion 98 of the back panel section 38. The curved lower edge portion 98 in particular allows extra room to be developed in the back panel section for the wearer as a result of a curved seam being sewn onto a straight seam (see 46 at Fig. 8).

The sleeve as a whole when the top sleeve 66 and under sleeve 68 are sewn together, allows extra room for movement of the arm as can be seen from the sleeve section 100, and the universal shoulder movement is further enhanced by provision of a better cut at the shoulder section of the sleeve 102 which corresponds with the shoulder joint 12 of the wearer. The shoulder gusset section 72 is unique to this particular design.

It can therefore be seen that, in the areas indicated in this comparison, as a result of research which the applicant has carried out, a set of overalls has been invented that allows more freedom of movement, is more comfortable and is ergonomically sympathetic to the wearer in use.

Figure 4 illustrates a movement accommodating section 10 of material corresponding to a shoulder joint of the wearer 12. The movement accommodating section 10 features a tuck 14, fold, pleat or the like of material to enable the garment to expand when warm winter layers of clothing are worn beneath the work wear or when extra range of movement is required by the wearer during work. The tuck 14 may conveniently be contained by a tab 16 and 16' either side of the tuck 14 when not in use and can be fastened by a stud and popper, button and eye, velcro fastener or the like.

The person skilled in the art will be able to envisage other methods of achieving the movement accommodation of the section 10 without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, it can be envisaged that the movement accommodating section 10 can take other forms, for example, the material corresponding to the wearer's shoulder joint can be inherently resilient such as containing lycra TM, elastane TM or the like.

Equally, the tuck 14 can be contained by other means such as a zip, velcro for or popper and stud type fastening along the extent of seam 18.

Referring to Figure 5, this illustrates the section 19 of the work wear forward of the wearer's knee 20. The provision of extra material forward of the wearers knee is accomplished by use of tucks 22 and 22' in the side seams 24 and 24' of the leg of the work wear. The extra material provided by the tucks 22 and 22' allow bending movement of the wearer's knee without restriction from the work wear garment.

It is within the scope of the invention for the section 19 forward of the knee to be made of a different material to the rest of the garment such as lycra TM or, for example, a quilted or padded section to reduce wear and tear on the wearer's knees when kneeling is required. Such a quilted or padded section can equally be sewn inside the garment to avail the wearer of the comfort without needing a separate section of material to be sewn into the knee section 19 of the garment.

Figure 6 shows the section 26 of material corresponding to the wearer's elbow 28 and on the left, in detail. The extra material rearward of the wearer's elbow 28 is provided in this embodiment by folds 30 and 30' or tucks sewn into the seam 32 of the work wear garment. In use, the extra material provided at the section 28 of material rearward of the wearer's elbow 26 allows restriction free bending of the wearer's elbow.

It can be realised by a person skilled in the art that, without departing from the scope of the invention, an area of a different material such as lycra TM or a quilted or padded section can be sewn into the elbow section 26. Equally the padding may be positioned inside the garment.

In Figures 7 to 10 and 12 to 13 inclusive, the set of overalls manufactured to British Standard is featured on the left of the Figure and compared with that of a set of overalls embodying the invention on the right. The sizing of both sets of overalls worn by the model is equal for proper comparison purposes.

Figure 7 compares the front view of a set of overalls of the British Standard with that of a set of overalls embodying the invention.

Referring to Figure 8, it is immediately apparent that there is more fabric cut for the wearer in the sections corresponding to the legs 34, the buttocks 36 and the back 38 of the wearer. This is not only as a result of a more generous cut than specified in the British Standard, but is due to the application of tailored pattern cutting. For example, referring to the back panel section 38, the extra material which can be seen by the folds at 42 are as a result of a curved edge portion 98 (as can be seen more clearly from reference in Fig. 3c) of the lower end of the back panel section 38.When the curved lower edge portion 98 is sewn onto the straight buttock section panel (in Fig. 3c) to form a straight seam 46 in Fig. 8, the resulting work wear garment gives a greater amount of room because the fold lines provide movement accommodating pouches for bending and stretching of the wearer as can be seen by reference to Figs. 9, 12 and 13.

The buttock panel section 36 is shaped to the wearer's buttock size and is not straight cut as is seen in the British Standard. This is an advantage when the wearer bends over because the buttocks will fill the cut of the buttock panel section 36 and not reduce the length of the back neck to crotch measurement 44 which leads to discomfort in the crotch area.

As can also be seen from Fig. 8, the extra material present in the section 26 corresponding to the wearer's elbows 28 are as indicated by the folds 47 of extra material at the elbow section.

Figure 9 compares the effect of the British Standard work wear overall and an overall embodying the invention. As can readily be seen from the various tension creases in the British Standard overall, a wearer of the British Standard can experience difficulties in undertaking overhead work in particular due to lack of cut of the cloth in the back section panel 48 and the length of the back neck to crotch measurement 50 (indicated by the dashed line) leading to discomfort in the crotch region.

As can be seen from Fig. 9 the overall constructed according to the invention allows a more generous cut in the back panel section 38 as previously described, and the back neck to crotch measurement 44 (indicated by the dashed line) is generous enough to allow discomfort free overhead work by the wearer. It can also be seen that the movement accommodating section 10 corresponding to the shoulder 12 of the wearer provides for a greater freedom of movement at the shoulder joint and hence for the comfort of the wearer when working overhead.

Figures 10 and 11 indicate how a British Standard restricts a wearer's movement when performing work involving extension of the arms forward of the body. It can be seen from Fig 10 at the section 52 corresponding to the wearer's shoulder 12, and in detail in Fig. 11, that the tension creases 51 in the fabric at the shoulder section 52 are an indication that movement is restricted to its maximum. Although the British Standard does not expressly provide for the pleat 53, it can be seen that the pleat is only designed to allow lateral movement of the arms when they are extended out in front of the wearer, and not all round universal in particular longitudinal arm movement.The pleat 53 in Fig. 10, and in detail in Fig. 11, is at full stretch and the strengthened seam stitching 54 and 54' has creases radiating therefrom into the surrounding fabric.

By comparison, work wear constructed in accordance with the invention allows a greater latitude of movement indicated by the non-tensioned folds in the back panel section 38 corresponding to the shoulder 12 joint of the wearer. Additional to the generosity of cut in the back panel section 38, the movement accommodating section at the shoulder 10 allows for extra freedom and for the overall to be worn with extra layers beneath the overall during the winter.

Figure 12 compares the British Standard overall with the overall embodying the invention in which the model is assuming another typical working pose in which the wearer is bracing his stance by leaning on a leg with his foot on a step.

As can be seen in the British Standard overall, there are tension creases 56 in the leg in the section corresponding to the wearer's knee and in the buttock panel section 36. The overall embodying the invention has reduced tension creases and therefore improved freedom of movement at the knee 20 due to the provision of extra material forward of the knee which, in this embodiment is provided by pleats 22 or tucks in the seam at the knee 20. The generosity of cut provided in the buttock panel section results in a reduced restriction and ease of movement when assuming this position.

Figure 13 shows the model assuming a bending stance in which several of the previous mobility problems are exemplified in one position. As discussed previously, the generosity of cut of the back panel section 38 as featured in the overall embodying the invention does not lead to a discomfort in the crotch of the wearer. However, as is indicated by the tension creases 51 in the back panel section 38 of the British Standard overall, the shortness of the distance between the back neck to crotch distance leads to discomfort in the crotch area of the wearer.

Additionally, because the model has his arms out in front of him when assuming this positions, there is extra tension applied to the back panel section 38 of the British Standard overall at the section corresponding to the shoulder as indicated by the further tension creases 51 in the fabric in Fig. 13. However, as can be seen from a comparison with the overall embodying the invention, the generosity of cut in the back panel section 38 allows for the non-restrictive movement when a wearer assumes this position.

Additional movement is available at the shoulder due to the provision of the movement accommodating shoulder section.

The overall as described and illustrated in the drawings embodying the invention is by way of example only. The person skilled in the art will be aware that adaptations to work wear as described can be envisaged. For example, areas of particular wear can be reinforced by the positioning of strengthening materials at the points of stress e.g. at the elbows, knees and the crotch and the area between the upper thighs. Such strengthening materials may include, for example, Kevlar TM Although it can be envisaged that the movement accommodating sections can be made from a different material to that which surrounds the section, it will be realised by a person with knowledge of the art that certain materials and fabrics will not be suitable for extended re-use following laundering for example, because of rotting through perspiration.Further, certain materials, although suitable for home laundering, will not be suitable for the industrial laundering necessary to remove the any industrial contaminant.

To prevent excessive moisture during work, the work wear, where appropriate, can be venled by air holes in the area of the work wear corresponding to, for example, the armpit and the crotch. Alternatively, material may be employed at these positions which possess the inherent characteristics of "breathability", such as Gortex ".

Where the work wear is manufactured from a fabric designed to prevent injury in the work place from flash fires, it is desirable to include a means designed to prevent the wearer from rolling up their sleeves. This requirement can be satisfied by the inclusion of no-vent pleats with adjustment at the wrist made by a two position popper and stud arrangement, but equally may be fastened by velcro, button and eye or fastening.

Alternatively, the no-vent pleat construction may be replaced by a resilient wrist roll, for example an elasticated material.

The invention as described is by reference to overalls as an example of work wear to which the invention may be embodied. Where appropriate the features embodied in the overall can be embodied in other work wear for the upper and/or the lower body. For example, such work wear may include coveralls, coats and jackets, bib and brace overalls and salopettes, overall trousers, front-fastening overalls and two-piece working rig for both sexes.

Claims (19)

1. A method of making an article of work wear which is formed from a plurality of cut out panels, in which tailored pattern cutting is utilised to make the panels.

2. A method of making an article of work wear according to claim 1, wherein the pattern cutting of the panels involves the juxtaposition of at least one straight and at least one curved cutting line which are joined together in the finished article.

3. An article of work wear which is made from a material and is constructed in such a manner as to move, when worn by a wearer, with the natural movements of the body.

4. An article of work wear according to claim 3, wherein the material is cut so as to provide at least one section which accommodates movement of a joint.

5. An article of work wear according to claim 4, wherein, where the article of work wear covers at least the upper body, the or each movement accommodating section is provided in a region corresponding to an elbow joint.

6. An article of work wear according to claim 5, wherein the or each movement accommodating section is situated rearward of the elbow joint.

7. An article of work wear according to claim 4, wherein, where the article of clothing covers at least the lower body, the or each movement accommodating section is provided in a region corresponding to a knee joint.

8. An article of work wear according to claim 7, wherein the or each movement accommodating section is situated forward of the knee joint.

9. An article of work wear according to any of claims 5 to 8, wherein the or each movement accommodating section is provided by a pleat or tuck.

10. An article of work wear according to claim 9, wherein the or each pleat or tuck is joined into an available seam in a sleeve or a leg.

11. An article of work wear according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the or each movement accommodating section is provided in a region corresponding to a shoulder joint.

12. An article of work wear according to claim 11, wherein the or each movement accommodating section is provided by a pleat, tuck or gusset.

13. An article of work wear according to claim 12, wherein the or each movement accommodating section is provided with fastening means which, when fastened, permits a greater amount of movement of the article, and when unfastened, permits a lesser amount of movement.

14. An article of work wear according to claim 13, wherein the or each fastening means is a zip fastener.

15. An article of work wear according to claim 13, wherein the or each fastening means includes an epaulette.

16. An article of work wear according to any of claims 4 to 15, wherein the or each movement accommodating section is made of the same material as that which surrounds the section.

17. A method of making an article of work wear according to claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described.

18. A method of making an article of work wear substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 3a, 3c, 4 to 10 and 12 and 13 of the accompanying drawings.

19. An article of work wear substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, Figs. 3a, 3c, 4 to 10 and 12 and 13 of the accompanying drawings.