About

Dr. Cynthia L. Istook received her Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Merchandising, Clothing, and Textiles from Texas Christian University. She worked for Sanger Harris, a Federated Department store, for nearly three years in the management training program as an assistant buyer and department group manager. She earned both her Master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Texas Woman’s University, with her master’s thesis focusing on the durability of Texcellana 80% Cotton-20% Wool fabric, and her dissertation research centered on Computer-Aided-Design (CAD) in the apparel industry. Dr. Istook has taught at Baylor University, the University of North Texas, and Texas Woman’s University before joining NC State University as an associate professor in the apparel management program in 1997. She was promoted to full professor in May 2010, becoming the first female to achieve this rank at the Wilson College of Textiles in its over 100-year history, and she holds the position of Cornelson Distinguished Professor of Textile and Apparel Design. Her research focuses on 3D Body Scanning, sizing systems, fit, mass customization, and rapid prototyping, aiming to help the industry meet consumer clothing needs. She actively participates in national committees to establish data integration standards and sizing standards for apparel products. Dr. Istook conducts workshops and seminars for industry leaders and educators on technologies such as 3D Body Scanning, Mass Customization, Rapid Prototyping, and Digital Printing, among others, to facilitate their understanding and application of these developing technologies.

Research topics

• Computer science
• Engineering
• Engineering drawing
• Mathematics
• Business

Selected publications

• Exploring Participants’ Perceptions of Fit for Customized Dresses

  2025-01-18

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  This is an accepted article with a DOI pre-assigned that is not yet published.This research explores participants' perceptions of fit for customized dresses, utilizing two different CAD systems, Gerber AccuMark and Telestia Creator. The study examines how each system's made-to-measure (MTM) capabilities affect the fit of a princess line sleeveless shift dress on four models with different body shapes. Through quantitative and qualitative methods, the study evaluates the fit of eight dresses developed using the two CAD systems. Results indicate that dresses created using Telestia Creator generally received higher ratings for fit. The study highlights the importance of considering consumers' fit preferences and body characteristics in the MTM process, which can significantly influence the success of customized garment production. This research offers valuable insights for apparel companies and designers in optimizing CAD technologies for improved fit and reduced garment returns, contributing to fashion sustainability.

  PublisherDOI

• Exploring Participants’ Perceptions of Fit for Customized Dresses

  2025-01-20

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  This research explores participants' perceptions of fit for customized dresses, utilizing two different CAD systems, Gerber AccuMark and Telestia Creator. The study examines how each system's made-to-measure (MTM) capabilities affect the fit of a princess-line sleeveless shift dress on four models with different body shapes. Through quantitative and qualitative methods, the study evaluates the fit of eight dresses developed using the two CAD systems. Results indicate that dresses created using Telestia Creator generally received higher ratings for fit. The study highlights the importance of considering consumers' fit preferences and body characteristics in the MTM process, which can significantly influence the success of customized garment production. This research offers valuable insights for apparel companies and designers in optimizing CAD technologies for improved fit and reduced garment returns, contributing to fashion sustainability.

  PublisherDOI

• A regression waist level defined for 3D body scans

  Journal of the Textile Institute · 2024-07-01

  articleOpen access

  Finding waist levels on 3D scans is challenging because measurement programmes measure bodies non-invasively in a digital environment. However, most body measurement standards require interactions between measurers and subjects, such as bending and touching, to find accurate waist levels. Research shows that the accuracy of commonly used waist substitutes, such as the small of the back and the narrowest from the front view, depends on 3D scans’ body shape and size, making the waist substitutes not ideal as generic ways of locating 3D waist levels. This research aimed to study the relationship between 3D waist levels found by domain experts and digital landmark coordinates identified by commercial body measurement programmes to develop regression models that predict waist levels on 3D scans. The developed regression model was tested and found to perform better than the selected waist substitutes. It assists the standardization process of extracting waist-related body measurements from 3D scans.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Comparing Rectangle Body Shape Using Unsupervised Machine Learning Algorithms

  Breaking Boundaries · 2022-09-23 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Key body dimensions to classify female body size and shape can be different from different sample populations. Considering body shape can contribute to better accuracy and fit performance in pattern making and developing sizing systems to cater to a large and diverse population. Therefore, this research explored identifying potential key body dimensions other than the bust, waist, and hip girths and grouping clusters for a rectangle body shape population. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and Finite Mixture Model (FMM) with the Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm were used to identify interaction patterns among 39 body measurements and categorize rectangle-shaped female subjects into 5 groups based on the frequency of horizontal and vertical measurements and the shoulder slant slope. The shoulder slope could be a potential key dimension to analyze the anthropometric data and develop a sizing system that enables the production of correctly sized clothing for the rectangle-shaped population.

  PublisherDOI

• Fashionable sportswear working as a body measurement collecting tool

  International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology · 2022-03-09 · 5 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Purpose A two-dimensional (2D) body measurement system was implemented to study the application of sportswear design in measurement garment development. A total of 50 participants were recruited. The basic demographic information and sportswear preference data were collected through a survey to understand consumer preferences and acceptance of the new designs. The body measurements were collected through both the selected 2D measurement system and a commercial three-dimensional scanning booth to evaluate measurement accuracy. Design/methodology/approach Finding the right size has been a long-existing problem for clothing consumers. Size problem is the most common reason for e-commerce returns and adds a high cost for retailers. One possible solution is to offer consumers an easy-to-use method that extracts accurate body measurements to be used for clothing size selection. The purpose of this research is to apply sportswear design elements on measurement garments to see if consumers’ interest in using the 2D measurement system can be increased without influencing the measurement accuracy. Findings The results showed that the added design features increased consumers’ interest in using 2D body measuring technology without significantly influencing measurement accuracy. Originality/value This research applied sportswear elements to convert a 2D measurement bodysuit to a fashionable clothing product. The solution resolved users’ privacy concerns and increased their acceptance and use of the technology. Other studies have not focused on using aesthetic features to improve the 2D measurement technology.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A 2D image body measurement system developed with neural networks and a color-coded measurement garment

  International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology · 2022-08-12 · 8 citations

  articleOpen access

  Purpose Two-dimensional (2D) measurement technology has become more popular than before, thanks to the widespread availability of smartphones and smart devices. However, most existing 2D body measurement systems have background constraints and may raise privacy concerns. The purpose of this research was to test the idea of designing a 2D measurement system that works with a color-coded measurement garment for background removal and privacy protection. Clothing consumers can use the proposed system for daily apparel shopping purposes. Design/methodology/approach A 2D body measurement system was designed and tested. The system adopted a close-fitted color-coded measurement garment and used neural network models to detect the color-code in the garment area and remove backgrounds. In total, 78 participants were recruited, and the collected data were split into training and testing sets. The training dataset was used to train the neural network and statistical prediction models for the 2D system. The testing dataset was used to compare the performance of the 2D system with a commercial three-dimensional (3D) body scanner. Findings The results showed that the color-coded measurement garment worked well with the neural network models to process the images for measurement extraction. The 2D measurement system worked better at close-fitted areas than loose-fitted areas. Originality/value This research combined a color-coded measurement garment with neural network models to solve the privacy and background challenges of the 2D body measurement system. Other researchers have never studied this approach.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Evaluation of 2D CAD Technology for Garments Customized for Body Shape

  Fashion Practice · 2021-11-04 · 8 citations

  articleSenior author

  Computer-aided-design (CAD) software packages have been applied to apparel product development and have their specific uses. In this study, we want to explore a more economical and efficient solution for made-to-measure (MTM) and investigate factors that affect the fit outputs of the MTM systems. Gerber AccuMark and Telestia Creator were evaluated for this purpose. Four body shapes were selected for customized garment development. A [TC]2 3 D body scanner was utilized to extract five selected models’ measurements. The results showed that Gerber AccuMark is more suitable for an industry customization process, while it requires adequate patternmaking knowledge. In contrast, Telestia Creator could fit for more style changes and less quantity of garments because the process is more focused on the customized approach. Telestia Creator could also be an affordable solution for the product development of small and medium-sized companies. Moreover, we discovered the factors that impacted the customized fit. Even though the garments were customized for the four body shapes, specific measurements – which include the back-waist length and bust length – influenced the customized fit more than the body shapes did. Other factors, such as alteration selection, measurement accuracy, and fabric, also affected the fit result.

  PublisherDOI

• An exploratory study of participants’ fit perceptions of customized garments

  Research Journal of Textile and Apparel · 2021-08-25 · 4 citations

  articleSenior author

  Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore participants’ fit perceptions of customized garments and investigate the factors that affected the customized fit. Design/methodology/approach Because different patternmaking methods generate varied fit results, eight customized dresses were developed for four fit models aged 18–25 using two different made-to-measure (MTM) systems (Gerber AccuMark and Telestia Creator). The authors designed a questionnaire to assess the fit of the final garments on each of the four models. A total of 12 participants (four fit models and eight experts) attended a live evaluation meeting and completed the questionnaire. The quantitative and qualitative data of the participants’ fit perceptions were collected and analyzed. Findings The authors compared the fit outputs of the two MTM systems and determined the fit issues from the participants’ perceptions. The results showed that the participants evaluated the customized fit mainly according to the ease, seam placement and wrinkle occurrence. The majority of fit models and experts preferred Dress B created using Telestia Creator to Dress A developed using Gerber AccuMark. The participants’ fit perceptions also revealed that many factors, such as the MTM systems, participants’ fit preferences, models’ body characteristics, fabric and ease, impacted the fit results. In addition, the experts perceived more fit issues than the models. Originality/value The fit output comparison of the two MTM systems could be valuable for pattern makers to use the systems. The research results would also be useful for apparel companies to conduct a fit evaluation and improve their customization processes.

  PublisherDOI

• The Digitization of a Nationally Significant Historic Dress Using 3D Apparel Simulation Software

  2020-12-28

  articleOpen access

  The use of 3D apparel simulation software for prototyping is becoming prevalent in the fashion industry. This technology can also be used as a tool to digitize historic costume for permanent online display and access, to increase audience engagement, and as a marketing tool to draw visitors to online and onsite exhibitions. For this research, a silk and lace evening gown (ca 1920-1930) worn by suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt was simulated using CLO 3D apparel simulation software. The objective was to investigate the tools needed for 3D digitization and visualization of historic costume and to determine the decision-making process. The results show that digitization of historic costume using 3D apparel simulation software is feasible. However, it requires construction knowledge of historic garments and silhouettes to create a historically correct simulation. Also, the continuous decision-making process that is involved can be subjective which affects the final results. <br>

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Digital Fabric Libraries: Managing Digital Assets

  2020-12-28 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st author

  The digital transformation of the fashion and apparel industry is ongoing. Some pioneering brands have made progress with partial or company-wide workflow digitization and exploration of 3D virtual garment technology in the recent decade. As product design and development workflow are becoming digitized, advanced digital visualization technologies for material came into the world. This paper brought information on currently available digital material library platforms and fabric scanners and suggested potential spaces for improvements of those technologies to take an essential step toward enhancing the reliability and accuracy of the 3D virtual simulation and gaining full acceptance of the introduced digital material visualization technologies.&nbsp;

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Andre West

  North Carolina State University

  17 shared

• Sibei Xia

  Louisiana State University

  12 shared

• Uikyung Jung

  University of Central Oklahoma

  12 shared

• Jiayin Li

  Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence

  8 shared

• Su‐Jeong Hwang Shin

  Sungkyunkwan University

  7 shared

• Jiayin Li

  6 shared

• Ho-Sun Lim

  4 shared

• Keunyoung Oh

  University at Buffalo, State University of New York

  4 shared

Education

• BS Clothing and Textiles, Fashion

  Texas Christian University

• MS, Clothing & Textiles, Fashion & Textiles

  Texas Woman's University

• Ph.D. Clothing & Textiles, Fashion and Textiles

  Texas Woman's University

Awards & honors

• First female promoted to Full Professor at Wilson College of…
• Cornelson Distinguished Professor of Textile and Apparel Des…