Modular Fashion Design for Sustainable and Personalized Apparel: A Practice-Based Design Framework Utilizing CLO 3D Simulation

Abstract

Modular fashion design is an innovative apparel concept that creates garments with interchangeable, detachable, or reconfigurable components, emphasizing adaptability, multi-functionality, and personalized customization. Modular fashion challenges the traditional notion of garments as fixed products by reimagining clothing as adaptable assemblies that can be reorganized, upgraded, or rehabilitated over extended periods of use. Rather than relying on resource-intensive trends and linear consumption, this design philosophy encourages the continuous transformation of apparel to counter the mounting environmental pressure caused by textile waste and rapid turnover in fast-fashion markets. This study interprets modularity through three distinct lenses: geometric compositions where patterns form the basis of interchangeability, structural systems prioritizing construction flexibility, and composite models blending multiple modular logics. Guided by a practice-centered methodology, the research integrates experimental prototyping, digital visualization, and technical fabrication to create models that accommodate evolving consumer needs. CLO 3D serves as a virtual evaluation tool, identifying stress points, assessing lifecycle extension, and validating closure technologies ranging from mechanical fasteners to hybrid attachment solutions that reinforce reusability and personalization. Outcomes show that modular garments support circular behavior by enabling partial renewal instead of full disposal, while also fostering creative user participation. The conceptual framework proposed in this study aims to enrich fashion design education, stimulate further innovation, and position modular fashion as a credible route toward environmentally responsible apparel development.

Keywords

• Modular design
• sustainable fashion
• customization
• detachable garments
• circular design
• 3D simulation
• interlocking system

How to cite

Md. Ahshan Habib, Bashir Ahmed (2026). Modular Fashion Design for Sustainable and Personalized Apparel: A Practice-Based Design Framework Utilizing CLO 3D Simulation. Sonargaon University Journal, 6(I), 81–94.

@article{habib20268,
  title   = {Modular Fashion Design for Sustainable and Personalized Apparel: A Practice-Based Design Framework Utilizing CLO 3D Simulation},
  author  = {Md. Ahshan Habib and Bashir Ahmed},
  journal = {Sonargaon University Journal},
  volume  = {6},
  number  = {I},
  pages   = {81--94},
  year    = {2026},
  issn    = {2518-3125},
  url     = {https://su.edu.bd/journal/volume-6-issue-1/modular-fashion-design-for-sustainable-and-personalized-apparel-a-practice-based}
}