Unless you’re somehow blessed to have a body that clothing sizes were designed around, there’s a chance that more often than not, an M-size from one retailer might be bigger or smaller or have a different fit compared to another retailer. Also, as we gain or lose weight, it further complicates things when it comes to shopping for clothes.
However, there could be an answer to that problem in the future thanks to researchers from the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) at Harvard. They have created a 3D printable material made from keratin (the same protein found in hair) that results in a wool-like material that can remember old forms and can shape shift when a stimulus is applied to it.
According to the researchers, they believe that this technology could help aid the fashion industry by cutting down on waste, by creating clothing using this material that can morph and shift to fit the wearer, essentially creating a true one-size-fits-all clothing. This means that less clothing sizes need to be made, which can cut down on the wastage from materials.
They also believe that it could also help users replace clothing less frequently because since the clothes (in theory) should always fit, it would result in less stretched-out clothes, which is usually one of the reasons why clothing needs to be changed every now and then.