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IJCST
11,4
206
Received October 1997
Accepted March 1999
International Journal of Clothing
Science and Technology,
Vol. 11 No. 4, 1999, pp. 206-215.
# MCB University Press, 0955-6222
Application of cluster analysis
to fabric classification
Y. Chen and B.J. Collier
Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, School of Human Ecology,
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA, and
J.R. Collier
Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University,
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
Keywords Fabric, Analysis, Clothing
Abstract This paper introduces a new way of classifying clothing fabrics objectively.
Representative apparel fabrics were collected and measured by the Kawabata Evaluation
System for Fabrics (KES-FB). The disjoint clustering method was used to divide fabrics into four
clusters, each representing particular fabric performance and end-use characteristics. These
classified clusters were further analyzed applying the method of principal-component analysis to
acquire factor patterns that indicate the most important fabric properties for characterizing
different fabric end-use. Extracted information from the instrumentally obtained data in terms of
fabric physical properties is useful to fabric and garment producers, apparel designers, and
consumers in specifying and categorizing fabric products, in insuring proper fabric use, and in
controlling fabric purchase.
1. Introduction
Evaluation of fabric quality by expertise and experience has been the practice
in fabric and garment manufacture for many years. With the increasing use of
various kinds of synthetic fibers, and the scarcity of experienced tailors and
industry experts, this traditional approach is now not practical. As industrial
and commercial life becomes more diverse and rushed, and fabric classification
becomes more difficult, a reliable method for categorizing fabrics is needed.
This depends on two technical aspects. One is the development of fabric
objective measurement technology to instrumentally determine fabric
properties. The other is applied mathematical methods that can be used
practically for fabric classification and quality prediction. Use of the Kawabata
KES-FB instruments (Kawabata, 1980) and the Fabric Assurance by Simple
Test (FAST) instruments (CSIRO, 1989) has achieved industrial impact because
these two measuring systems are commercially available and industrially
applicable (Kawabata et al., 1982; 1986; Postle et al., 1983; Chen, 1995). Using
these instruments, a set of digital data that determines fabric physical
properties can be acquired, and objective classification of fabrics then becomes
possible. Meanwhile, some mathematical methods have also been employed in
Approved for publication by the Director of the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station as
manuscript No. 96-25-0161.
The authors are indebted to Mrs P. Rabalais and Mrs Y. Marquette for their help in sample
collection.
attempting to reveal the complexities of fabric hand and fabric classification Application of
(Baten, 1950; Howorth and Oliver, 1958; Stearn et al., 1990). For example, cluster analysis
quadratic discriminant function was used to establish the statistical model for
predicting end-use of apparel fabrics (Chen and Collier, 1997). In this paper,
another mathematical method, cluster analysis, is introduced to solve the
problem of classifying apparel fabrics objectively. Suitable fabric clusters, that
can be used as a reference data set to classify any new fabric, are formed from a 207
large data set obtained by measuring a variety of commercial fabrics using the
KES-FB instruments.

2. Mathematical principle
Cluster analysis is undertaken under a multivariate vector framework. A vector
is used to describe fabric physical properties, and can be expressed as
x x1 ; x2 ; :::; xp 0 1

where x1, x2, ..., xp are instrumental fabric measurements. Using this p-
dimensional vector each fabric sample (observation) is represented as a point in
a p-dimensional space. A fabric cluster can then be described as a continuous
region appearing in this space having a relatively high density of points and
separated from other clusters by regions having a relatively low density of
points. Cluster analysis involves two fundamentals: measures of similarity
within observations and clustering algorithms that are selected to produce a
rule of classification.

2.1 Similarity measures

The distance between two observations represents the closeness of this pair of
observations and can be used as a measure of similarity between observations.
A general distance measure is the Minkowski metric (Dillion and Goldstein,
1984), defined by
Xp
1
dij f jxik xjk jr g2 2
k1

where dij denotes the distance between observations i and j. Setting r = 2; the
Euclidean distance (Murtagh and Heck, 1987) is obtained
X
p
1
dij f xik xjk 2 g2 3
k1

This equation can be expressed by the following vector form:

d2ij x k xi xj k2 xi xj xi xj k xi k2 k xj k2 2x0i xj 4

where k xi k and k xj k are the norms of vector x indicating the vector length,
which are defined as:
 q q
IJCST k xi k x0i ixi x2i1 x2i2


x2ip
11,4
q q
k xj k x0j xj x2j1 x2j2


x2jp

208 The Euclidean distance is the major classification criterion for clustering
sample points.

2.2 Cluster algorithms

The target of the present work is to classify a considerably large volume of
fabrics into a fixed number of fabric clusters according to fabric physical
properties, such that each fabric sample belongs to one and only one cluster.
For this purpose, a disjoint clustering technique called nearest centroid
sorting (Anderberg, 1973) is used. A set of observations is first selected to
constitute cluster seeds that are considered as an initial assumption of
cluster means. After determination of these initial seeds, each sample point
is assigned into the nearest seed to form temporary clusters by calculating
the Euclidean distance. These seeds are replaced by the means of the
temporary clusters that represent centroids of these temporary clusters. The
distance between the centroids of any two temporary clusters CM and CN is
defined as (SAS Institute Inc., 1988):
 N k2 k x
M x
DMN k x  M k2 k x
 N k2 2
x0M x
N 5

where x M and x N are mean vectors for clusters CM and CN. The temporary
clusters are updated each time an observation is classified into a cluster.
The calculating procedure is repeated until no further changes occur in the
clusters. Thus, final clusters are formed. Observations that are very close to
each other are grouped in the same cluster, while observations that are far
from each other are sorted in different clusters.
Selection of initial cluster seeds is based on MacQueen's k-mean method
(MacQueen, 1967) in which a specified minimum radius (coarsening
parameter) is selected. This radius determines the least Euclidean distance
and can be used as a threshold for selecting initial cluster seeds. If the
number of clusters is fixed at k, the first k observations in the data set will
be assessed as initial cluster seeds. The first observation is selected as the
first seed. The second observation is taken as the second seed if it is
separated by a distance no less than the specified radius. This procedure
continues till the kth observation. If there exist some observations that are
unqualified as initial seeds, they will be replaced by other sample points
from n-k observations.

3. Experimental
Ninety commercial fabrics were collected for classification. These fabric
samples included a variety of fiber components and weave structures. Fabric
end-uses, suits, jackets, coats, blouses, and shirts, were determined according to Application of
experience from garment makers and the school's apparel design laboratory. cluster analysis
Fabric physical properties were measured on the KES-FB instruments. As
shown in the summary of the obtained data set in Table I, there is a large range
of values for each of the properties measured. All computations were executed
on the UNIX system using SAS software.
209
4. Results and discussion
4.1 Fabric objective classification
Each fabric sample has 27 instrumentally measured variables. A clustering
calculation was carried out under this multivariate framework. Considering the
fact that most fabrics in the present data set were used for suits, outer (jackets
and coats), shirts, and blouses, the number of fabric clusters was proposed to be
four. Table II lists the results of the clustering computation. Examining the

Fabric
property KES-FB parametera Name N Mean Std dev Min Max

Tensile LT1 x1 90 0.672 0.136 0.064 1.008

WT1(gf-cm/cm2) x2 90 7.97 4.32 3.45 26.30
RT1(%) x3 90 62.09 6.13 44.22 74.58
LT2 x4 90 0.669 0.087 0.433 0.868
WT2(gf-cm/cm2) x5 90 13.13 5.09 5.15 25.85
RT2(%) x6 90 59.17 9.05 40.25 79.05
Shear G1(gf.cm-degree) x7 90 0.800 0.550 0.123 2.500
2HG-1(gf/cm) x8 90 1.061 0.929 0.000 4.500
2HG5-1(gf/cm) x9 90 2.559 2.052 0.075 9.500
G2(gf/cm-degree) x10 90 0.766 0.512 0.188 2.375
2HG-2(gf/cm) x11 90 1.007 0.932 0.000 4.375
2HG5-2(gf/cm) x12 90 2.504 2.027 0.000 9.000
Bending B1(gf.cm2/cm) x13 90 0.0992 0.0767 0.0100 0.3700
2HB1(gf.cm/cm) x14 90 0.0775 0.0695 0.0025 0.3200
B2(gf.cm2/cm) x15 90 0.0640 0.0505 0.0038 0.2550
2HB2(gf.cm/cm) x16 90 0.0440 0.0389 0.0025 0.2475
Compression LC x17 90 0.378 0.109 0.232 0.759
WC(gf.cm/cm2) x18 90 0.196 0.211 0.023 1.366
RC(%) x19 90 43.30 7.99 4.62 58.10
Thickness T0(mm) x20 90 0.623 0.501 0.127 3.200
Weight W(mg/cm2) x21 90 14.9 6.5 5.4 35.9
Surface MIU1 x22 90 0.2046 0.0396 0.1415 0.3270
MMD1 x23 90 0.0422 0.0308 0.0108 0.1415
SMD1 (micron) x24 90 6.301 3.524 0.580 15.860
MIU2 x25 90 0.2360 0.1438 0.1370 1.5200
MMD2 x26 90 0.0339 0.0209 0.0097 0.1056
SMD2 (micron) x27 90 5.064 2.775 1.060 13.070 Table I.
Descriptive statistics of
Note: a1 = warp direction, 2 = filling direction the KES-FB data set
IJCST fabric samples and end-uses included in each cluster can provide useful
11,4 information on fabric properties related to specific clothing uses (Table III).
There are two fabric end-uses represented among the fabrics in Cluster 1:
blouses and shirts. Since shirting fabrics account for 78.6 percent of the total
number of samples in this cluster, Cluster 1 is designated as a ``shirts'' model.
Although Cluster 2 includes blouses, shirts, and jackets, the majority are blouse
210 fabrics, and thus this cluster well exhibits fabric features for blouse use. Cluster
3 is a mixed group composed of fabrics for suits, jackets, and coats, and one
blouse fabric. This fabric cluster could be characterized as a group of fabrics
used for outer garments. Most suit and jacket fabrics are assigned to Cluster 4,
so that this cluster becomes a typical suiting group.

4.2 Interpretation of clustering solution

After computation on the present Kawabata data set, the four proposed fabric
clusters were partitioned. Each cluster should occupy a room in
multidimensional space. To describe the ``neighborhood'' among these four
clusters, the Mahalanobis distance (Lindeman et al., 1980) can be used to
measure how far these clusters are from each other. The Mahalanobis distance
between any two cluster centroids is defined as:
D2 ijj   j 0 V1 
xi x j
xi x 6

where x  j indicate mean values of x related to fabric cluster i, j; V-1 is the

i; x
inverse matrix of covariance matrix V. The obtained distance matrix is given
in Table IV.
A graphical way to explain how well the four fabric clusters differ from each
other is to use the canonical discriminant function, which is expressed as
(Lindeman et al., 1980):

Number of Maximum DAM within Nearest DAM between cluster

Cluster samples cluster cluster centroids

1 28 20.4220 4 17.8237
2 21 18.8128 4 12.9160
Table II. 3 11 19.2728 1 18.6224
Cluster summary 4 30 20.8228 2 12.9160

Fabric end-use Cluster 1 Cluster 2 Cluster 3 Cluster 4 Total

Blouses 6 / 21.4 17 / 81.0 1 / 9.1 6 / 20.0 30 / 33.3

Table III. Shirts 22 / 78.6 2 / 9.5 6 / 20.0 30 / 33.3
Number/percent of Suits 3 / 27.3 8 / 26.7 11 / 12.2
fabrics for different Jackets 2 / 9.5 4 / 36.4 10 / 33.3 16 / 17.8
end-uses in each Coats 3 / 27.3 3 / 3.3
cluster Total 28 / 31.1 21 / 23.3 11 / 12.2 30 / 33.3 90 / 100
 Z u1 x1 u2 x2


u27 x27 7 Application of
cluster analysis
where Z is the discriminant score; u's are canonical coefficients (discriminant
weights), and x's are the KES-FB variables. For the four fabric clusters, three
canonical discriminant functions were obtained. Table V lists the three sets of
u's in terms of eigenvalues li. These coefficient u's are used to calculate
canonical discriminant scores Z1, Z2, and Z3, allowing the four classified fabric 211
clusters to be plotted in three-dimensional space, as shown in Figure 1.

4.3 Critical factors for portraying end-use

To reveal the importance of the individual mechanical parameters in clustering
fabrics and characterizing fabric end-use, principal-component analysis was
used to examine relationships among the all KES-FB parameters and to
determine factors. The number of KES-FB parameters was reduced to 16 by
taking an average of warp and filling values. The component analysis model
(Lindeman et al., 1980) can be expressed as:
Z CF 8

From To cluster
cluster 1 2 3 4

1 0 24.0817 69.4309 20.8008

2 24.0817 0 97.8283 18.5483 Table IV.
3 69.4309 97.8283 0 57.2179 Mahalanobis distances
4 20.8008 18.5483 57.2179 0 between clusters

Z1 Z2 Z3 Z1 Z2 Z3

u1 1.0024 0.7711 4.6150 u15 10.5421 10.5538 16.7173

u2 0.0203 0.1110 0.0137 u16 26.2080 12.6603 1.5028
u3 0.0088 0.05478 0.0414 u17 4.7728 1.0276 4.2184
u4 0.0836 9.1490 1.6000 u18 7.7623 2.6277 9.7155
u5 0.2957 0.0901 0.0800 u19 0.0596 0.0152 0.0895
u6 0.0561 0.1967 0.0222 u20 7.4841 1.3969 5.7260
u7 0.8476 2.4294 3.0581 u21 0.0814 0.0485 0.1948
u8 0.7649 0.4153 0.7614 u22 16.0827 10.0988 8.0289
u9 1.2472 0.5770 0.7857 u23 6.3569 4.6972 22.1235
u10 1.2091 0.6886 2.1950 u24 0.0301 0.0678 0.1193
u11 0.3501 0.1323 1.5455 u25 0.1273 1.2492 2.1224
u12 0.4382 0.9669 0.8581 u26 30.2708 4.8843 16.5117
u13 1.0881 4.8654 7.6834 u27 0.1641 0.0577 0.1571
u14 5.3386 9.8994 0.0763 li* 8.3628 3.6943 1.6617
Table V.
Note: * li = eigenvalue (see Chen and Collier (1997) for details) Canonical coefficients u
IJCST
11,4
1

212 2 3
Z3

Z1

Figure 1.
Classified four fabric
clusters Z2

where
2 3 2 3 2 3
z1l z12


z1N c1l c12


c1m f1l f12


f1N
6 z2l z22


z2N 7 6 c2l c22


c2m 7 6 f2l f22


f2N 7
6 7 6 7 6 7
Z 6 .. .. .. 7C 6 .. .. .. 7F 6 .. .. .. 7
4 . . . 5 4 . . . 5 4 . . . 5
znl zn2


znN cnl cn2


cnm fml fm2


fmN

C is a pattern matrix in which elements are loadings of each of the n KES-FB

parameters (n = 16) on each of the m factors (m = n); F is the factor score
matrix, and N is number of measured samples (N = 90). Z is a standardized raw
data matrix, in which zji is the standardized value of xji, the observation of the
ith individual on the jth variable, that is,
xji xj
zji 9
Sj

where
1X
S2j  j 2
xji x i 1; 2;


; N j 1; 2;


; n
N i
According to the above definition, we have Application of
1X 2 cluster analysis
zj z 1
i ji
10
N
This equation means that for each variable the variance of the standardized
value zj equals one. Obtained factors can be considered as indications of the
characteristics of fabric clusters, which are objectively described by the KES-
213
FB variables having correlated values (as shown in matrix C) to these factors.
Factors with eigenvalues greater than one (Kaiser, 1960) were retained. An
orthogonal rotation method (Varimax (SAS Institute Inc., 1988)) followed by an
oblique rotation (SAS, Institute Inc., 1988) was used to enhance the separation
between factors. Factor coefficients having absolute values larger than 0.5 were
retained to determine factor patterns (Lindeman et al., 1980).
As summarized in Table VI, the factor analysis reveals that Clusters 1
(shirts) and 2 (blouses) have a similar five-factor pattern and Clusters 3
(outerwear) and 4 (suiting) have a similar four-factor pattern. The factors are
ordered in F1, F2, ..., F5 according to eigenvalues, in which factor F1 has the
largest eigenvalue and factor F5 has the smallest eigenvalue. Therefore, the
KES-FB parameters included in F1 are most operative and those included in F5
are least operative in characterizing the clustered fabric groups.
Tensile linearity, shear rigidity and shear hysteresis figure prominently in
the first factor for Clusters 1, 2, and 4, indicating the critical importance of these
parameters for shirt, blouse, and suiting uses. Bending properties, fabric
thickness, and weight are most important for the outerwear cluster and second
most important for the suiting cluster. Fabric surface and compressive
properties have the least influence upon measurement of characteristics of the
suiting cluster (LC and RC were not even included in the four factors of the
suiting cluster). These factor patterns are useful for determining the most
important fabric properties that dominate specific end-uses. The properties
indicated should be controlled in the process of fabric and garment
manufacturing. A caveat is that factor patterns may vary with different data

Cluster
Factor 1 (shirts) 2 (Blouses) 3 (Outerwear) 4 (Suiting)

F1 LT, G, 2 HG, LT, G, 2HG, B, 2HB, WC, T, LT, RT, G 2HG,

2HG5, B 2HG5 W, MIU 2HG5, RC
F2 WC, RC, T, LC, WC, T, SMD WT, G, 2HG, B, 2HB, T, W
SMD 2HG5, RC
F3 2HB, LC, MMD B, 2HB, W LC, MMD, SMD WT, WC Table VI.
F4 WT, RT, W WT, RT, MMD LT, RT MIU, MMD, SMD Most important factors
F5 MIU RC, MIU for end-use clusters
IJCST sets because individual manufacturers may use their own commercial
11,4 experience and expertise, and fabric end-use may be changed to keep pace with
fashion.

5. Conclusions
Twenty-seven instrumental variables were obtained using the KES-FB
214 instruments to measure fabric physical properties. A cluster analysis was
undertaken on a framework of multidimensional vectors composed of these
variables. Using the nearest centroid sorting technique of clustering, 90
commercial fabrics having a variety of fiber contents and fabric structures
were classified into four clusters based on apparel end-use. This result
illustrated application of the disjoint clustering method in classifying apparel
fabrics objectively, and could offer guidance to fabric and garment
manufacturers in fabric selection, fabric proper use, and new fabric
categorization.
A feature of the cluster analysis for fabric classification is that no prior
knowledge of classes is required. Clustering results are direct and simple and
can also be used to classify any new fabrics. For industrial implementation,
establishment of a database of the Kawabata instrument data is needed. Such a
database would incorporate companies' previous commercial experience and
expertise in fabric and garment manufacturing. Classified fabric clusters could
be used as references in categorizing new fabrics or predicting fabric end-use.
Using the method of principal-component analysis, primary factors for
characterizing fabric end-use were obtained. These factor patterns can help
fabric and garment manufacturers in understanding and identifying the most
important and desirable fabric properties in terms of specific end-use, so that
particular care and quality manipulation can be made during processing.
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