Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International

Journal
The sensory panel applied to textile goods – a new marketing tool
Flora Philippe Laurence Schacher Dominique C. Adolphe Catherine Dacremont
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Flora Philippe Laurence Schacher Dominique C. Adolphe Catherine Dacremont, (2003),"The sensory
panel applied to textile goods – a new marketing tool", Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An
International Journal, Vol. 7 Iss 3 pp. 235 - 248
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ACADEMIC PAPER The sensory

panel applied to
The sensory panel applied to textile goods

textile goods ± a new

235
marketing tool
Flora Philippe, Laurence Schacher and Dominique C. Adolphe
Laboratoire de Physique et MeÂcanique Textiles, Ecole Nationale
SupeÂrieure des Industries Textiles de Mulhouse,
Mulhouse Cedex, France, and
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Catherine Dacremont
Equipe IngeÂnierie MoleÂculaire et Sensorielle de l'Aliment, Ecole Nationale
SupeÂrieure de Biologie AppliqueÂe aÁ la Nutrition et aÁ l'Alimentation,
Dijon, France
Keywords Sensory perception, Perception, Textiles, Textile testing
Abstract Increasingly consumers are looking for good feeling and comfort when they buy textile
goods. To respond to these demands, sensory tools are requested by industrialists to evaluate such
notions. Many studies have been performed and many device developments have taken place in
the textile area such as mechanical, thermal and surface testing, so as to evaluate the related
physical properties, but the links between measurement and the consumer feeling of comfort are
still difficult to establish. Based on studies already performed in the food industry, the
development of the sensory panel applied to textile goods has been implemented. In this paper, the
sensory panel will be developed and some examples will illustrate the different procedures.

Introduction
More and more consumer purchases are driven by good feeling and sensory
attraction. This tendency may be more prominent for the garment industry
than for any other industry.
Desirable comfort and feeling aspects have become useful aids in successful
textile marketing strategies. This phenomenon has been largely increased by
the new textile industry developments in terms of micro fibres and silk-like and
peach-like touches.
A study drawn out by the Institut FrancËais de la Mode (IFM) in Paris has
shown that sensory feelings and comfort are predominant in the choice of
textile goods and garments by female consumers (Clutier, 2001) (Figure 1).
The softness and the ``quality'' of the touch have appeared as the new
technical constraints in the product development processes in order to respond
to the consumer's demands.
Journal of Fashion Marketing and
In this way, textile industrialists are still frustrated at the lack of sensory Management
evaluation tools and are not able to grade the sensory quality of their products. Vol. 7 No. 3, 2003
pp. 235-248
The problem consists of developing the right quality level to the right # MCB UP Limited
1361-2026
consumer's demand. DOI 10.1108/13612020310484799
 JFMM
7,3

236
Figure 1.
IFM study for consumer
choices (2,233 women)

After an overview of the state-of-the-art of sensory grading in different areas

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such as the food and cosmetics industries, it seems that such tools are already
available in these areas. It is the sensory panel combined with specific
statistical analysis, which enables a sensory profile of things like morning
cream or ice-cream (ISO 6658, 1985) to be objectively established.
Based on the different procedures and methodologies existing in these areas,
the development of a sensory panel applied to textile goods has been agreed
upon.

Sensory analysis
Introduction
The sensory analysis product-testing process may be divided into two main
methodologies or directions: sensory and instrumental. The instrumental tests
are widely used in the textile field and many standards have been established
in accordance with equipment development and the required characteristics.
These tools are usually fast, repeatable and well understood; however, they
may not represent the textile goods in use in a precise way.
The sensory methods using the human being as a subjective measurement
tool fall into two main groups: the hedonic analysis and the sensory analytical
types (AFNOR XP V 09-50, 1999). The latter is defined as the examination of
sensory attributes by the sense organs, whatever the end-use domain may be. It
is based on the work of a trained panel. A sensory profile is drawn out from this
methodology. A hedonic analysis is issued of consumers' enquiries and takes
the end-use applications into account and the ``like'' or ``don't like'' comments of
the consumers.
These two approaches can then be correlated in order to link the obtained
sensory profile and the consumer perception. A preference mapping, which
displays the consumer's expectations and the product description, can be
obtained (Depledt, 1998).
One disadvantage of the sensory methodology is the time consumed due
to the panel training and the validations required of each step of the
methods.
 Historical point of view The sensory
The first studies dealing with the measurement of perceptions began in 1860 panel applied to
(Fechner, 1860). In the area of sensory science, a complete methodology was textile goods
proposed in 1974 (Stone, 1974) in the USA, international standards were
developed in 1983 and finally a specific journal started in 1986 (Gacula, 1986).
All these activities were oriented towards the needs of the food industry.
In the textile area, the sensory approach has mainly been performed through 237
the hand evaluation of textile fabrics with instrumental developments such as
the Kawabata Evaluation System for Fabrics (KES-F) (Kawabata, 1980) and
Fabric Assurance by Simple Testing (Kothari, 1999) measurement systems.
Therefore, numerous attempts have been carried out to correlate the
quantitative data with human assessments and expert evaluations. Expert
evaluation is expressed though the ``hand'' of the fabric. This is the reaction of
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the sense of touch, when fabrics are held in the hand. There are many factors
which give ``character'' to a material observed though handling and ``hand'' can
be considered as a meta-concept that takes into account not only the sensory
aspect but also aspects such as formability, aesthetics, drapability and
tailorability. Consequently ``hand'' grading is complex and the tactile feeling of
the textile products cannot be extracted from it.

Theoretical aspect of the sensory panel building

How can the existing methods of the previously-mentioned sensory analysis be
applied to textile products?
The challenge is to customise methods established for taste (Depledt, 1998).
Sensory analysis consists of three steps. First, the concrete organization
rules of the sensory measure are applied. Then the descriptive and
discriminative analysis of sensory properties is carried out to determine the
differences perceived by the panel. Finally, fabrics are ranked.
Figure 2 shows the main steps for the choice of the sensory test. First, a
preliminary survey allows differences existing in a category of fabrics to be
determined quickly. Then triangular, duo-trio and ``A''-``not A'' tests are the
main tests used in discriminative analysis. These tests are defined as follows:
. Triangular test. This is a method of difference testing involving the
simultaneous presentation of three coded samples, two of which are
identical. The assessor is asked to select the sample perceived as
different.
. Duo-trio test. This is a method of difference testing in which the control
is presented first, followed by two samples, one of which is the same as
the control sample. The assessor is asked to identify the sample which is
different from the control.
. ``A''-``not A'' test. This is a test in which a series of samples which may
be ``A'' or ``not A'' is presented to the assessor after he has been taught
how to recognize sample ``A''. The assessor is asked to indicate whether
each sample is ``A'' or ``not A''.
 JFMM
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238
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Figure 2.
Principal steps to choose
sensory test

Descriptive analysis qualitatively and quantitatively characterizes products.

A sensory profiling is the representation of all data resulting from these
tests.
The flowchart (Figure 2) shows that the most critical point of this kind of
analysis is the development and validation of the trained group members who
constitute the sensory panel. The panel must be composed of about 12 free
volunteers called ``assessors'', who describe, quantify and grade the tactile
perception of textiles (ISO 8586, 1993), thanks to attributes and scales. The
chosen attributes are defined by ``consensus'' by the members of the panel
thanks to a methodology described next.

Application of the method to textile goods

Selection of the panel
The 11 persons (five men and six women) who constitute the panel belong to
the administrative, technical staff, researchers and students of our Institute.
They are volunteers and they are motivated and available.

Choice of the attributes

The choice of the attributes is the most important step in descriptive
analysis.
As previously described, the attributes have to be defined by the consensus
of the assessors. For that purpose, brainstorming sessions are organised of
using a huge range of fabrics in terms of raw material, structure and ``touch'',
 i.e. 13 different fabrics (woven, non-woven and knitted fabrics). The assessors The sensory
have to freely test those fabrics and freely express their feelings. panel applied to
Emerging from these sessions, 136 attributes have emerged and are textile goods
displayed in Table I. They are presented in French with an English translation
in inverted commas.
In order to reduce this list, assessors, driven by the following rules ± ``the
attributes have to be pertinent, discriminant, one-dimensional, non-hedonic and 239
do not directly describe the product (ISO 6658, 1985)'' have removed:
. non-pertinent terms such as ``abrasive'', ``malleable'' . . . ;
. redundant terms such as ``ridged'', ``grooved'', ``waved'' . . . ;
. noisy and visual terms such as ``noisy'', ``satin-like'' . . . ;
hedonic terms such as ``pleasant'', ``unpleasant'' . . . ; and
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. non-understood terms in the same way, such as ``catching'', ``stiff'' . . .

A total of 26 terms have been left out. However, a list of 26 attributes is too long
in accordance with sensory analysis recommendations. The final number of
attributes will not exceed 15 (ISO 11035, 1995). If the number of attributes is too
high, the measures will not be precise and it will take the subjects over one hour
to evaluate the set of samples ± which is too long for them.
To reduce the list of selected attributes, further statistical analysis, such as
citation frequency versus intensity (geometrical means value), principal
component analysis and analysis of variance, has been performed. They allow
the less pertinent and non-used attributes to be deleted and also group the
closely-related terms. To achieve these steps, assessors have tested nine fabrics
by using graded intensity scales associated with each attribute.
A total of 15 attributes with ``approximate English translation'' remained
and have been grouped into three categories by the whole panel (Table II).
This classification between the chosen attributes is issued the panel's
representing choice and is in accordance with the proposed categories which
have emerged from the French standard working group V09B on ``Material
sensory analysis characterisation.''

Training of the panel

In order to obtain accurate results, test procedures have to be precisely
defined and training has to be regularly performed. The training periods
have to be limited in time during the week in order to reduce some
``addiction'' effect by the assessors, that is to say that assessors are losing
their ability to perceive tactile feeling due to the saturation of hand tactile
sensors.
These procedures, rough at the beginning, become more and more formal
and stricter as the training period progresses.
Moreover, assessors are trained to quantify each attribute thanks to an
intensity quotation, in a reliable way, based on limited references ± high and
low ± to anchor the scale.
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7,3

240
JFMM

Table I.

attributes
The 136 generated
Abrasif Confortable Feutre Glace Lisse peau de peÃche ReÂsistant Spongieux
``abrasive'' ``comfortable'' ``felt'' ``icy'' ``smooth'' ``peachskin'' ``resistant'' ``spongy''
Absorbant Corrosif Feutre Glissant Lourd Pelucheux Rigide StrieÂ
``absorbent'' ``corrosive'' ``felt-covered'' ``slippery'' ``heavy'' ``fluffy'' ``rigid'' ``ridged''
Accrochant Coton Feutrine Gomme MalleÂable Pileux Roule sur lui meÃme SyntheÂtique
``catching'' ``cotton'' ``lightweight felt'' ``gum'' ``malleable'' ``pilous'' ``coil'' ``synthetic''
AeÂre Craquant Fibre Gonflant Microfibre Plastique Rude Tapis
``aired'' ``crack'' ``fibre'' ``puffed'' ``microfibre'' ``plastic'' ``hard'' ``carpet''
AgreÂable CreÃpe Fibreux Granuleux Moelleux Plat Rugueux Tendre
``pleasant'' ``crimped'' ``fibrous'' ``granulous'' ``soft'' ``flat'' ``rough'' ``soft''
Amidonne Creux Filet Gras Motifeux Plein Sablonneux TieÁde
``starched'' ``hollow'' ``net'' ``greasy'' ``with patterns'' ``full'' ``sandy'' ``tepid''
Ample DeÂformable Fin Gratte Mou Plie Satine Toile de jute
``full'' ``deformable'' ``thin'' ``brushed'' ``flabby'' ``pleated'' ``satin-like'' ``hessian''
AspeÂrite DeÂsagreÂable Flexible Huileux Mousse Plisse Savonneux Tombant
``roughness'' ``unpleasant'' ``flexible'' ``oily'' ``foam'' ``crinkled'' ``soapy'' ``falling''
Attachant Doux Floconneux Humide Mousseux Plombant Sec TraiteÂ
``attractive'' ``soft'' ``fleecy'' ``humid'' ``foaming'' ``heavy'' ``dry'' ``treated''
Bruyant Dur Fluide Infroissable Nerveux Poilu Serre TrameÂ
``noisy'' ``hard'' ``flowing'' ``non-crumple-like'' ``nervous'' ``hairy'' ``close'' ``waved''
Caoutchouc Duveteux Foulard InhomogeÁne Nervure Poreux Silicone Tricot
``rubber'' ``downy'' ``foulard'' ``inhomogeneous'' ``ribbed'' ``porous'' ``silicone'' ``knitting''
Cartonneux Elastique Frais Jean Ondule Raide Sillonneux Vaguelettes
``like-cardboard'' ``elastic'' ``fresh'' ``jeans'' ``wavy'' ``stiff'' ``furrowed'' ``wavelet''
Cassant EÂmerise Froid LaÃche Papier Rainure Soie Velours
``breakable'' ``emerised'' ``cold'' ``loose'' ``paper'' ``grooved'' ``silk'' ``velvet''
Chaud Epais Froissable Laine Papier canson RaÃpeux Solide Velouteux
``warm'' ``thick'' ``crumple-like'' ``wool'' ``paper canson'' ``raspy'' ``solid'' ``velvety''
Cireux Epineux Froissant Laineux Papier de verre RayeÂe Sonnant Viscose
``wax-like'' ``prickly'' ``hurtful'' ``wool-like'' ``glass-paper'' ``striped'' ``sounded'' ``viscose''
Collant Eponge Froisse LeÂger Peau de beÂbe ReÃche Souple Voile
``sticky'' ``sponge'' ``crumpled'' ``light'' ``babyskin'' ``harsh'' ``supple'' ``voile''
Compact Extensible Gaufre Lin Peau de daim RelieÂfe Soyeux Volumineux
``compact'' ``extensible'' ``embossed'' ``linen'' ``buckskin'' ``raised'' ``silk-like'' ``voluminous''
 During this time, facilities have been chosen, steps have been defined and The sensory
practical procedures have been established for attribute evaluation. panel applied to
In terms of facilities, tests are performed under standard textile conditions textile goods
(65 per cent relative humidity and 20oC). They are blind tests and the samples
are only used once. The assessors wash their hands with the same soap and dry
them with the identical disposable towels. Each session is limited to 30 minutes
and one session per day is performed. Plate 1 shows an assessor under test 241
conditions.
In terms of the evaluation process, the panel defines the order whereby
attributes have to be evaluated, from the less tactical stress handling to the
most tactical one, and has chosen the extreme references for each attribute. For
example, for the ``nervous'' attribute, the panel has chosen a sheet of paper as
negative reference and automotive upholstery as positive reference. The
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intensity scale chosen for grading is a non-structured one. In terms of practical

procedures, the panel has defined the protocol to be used for each attribute to
present the tested fabric and to handle it in a prescribed sequence of ways. The
chosen protocol by the panel is:
Crumple the fabric in one hand for five seconds, let it relax and manually observe if it quickly
returns to its original shape.

Bipolar attributes Surface attributes Handle attributes

Froid-chaud ``cold-warm'' Pileux ``hairy'' Tombant ``falling''

Fin-eÂpais ``thin-thick''
LeÂger-lourd ``light-heavy''
Souple-rigide ``supple-rigid''
Doux ``soft''
Granuleux ``granulous''
Collant ``sticky''
RelieÂfe ``raised''
Gras ``greasy''
Glissant ``slippery''
Nerveux ``nervous''
Froissable ``crumple-like''
Elastique ``elastic''
Table II.
The 15 remaining
attributes

Plate 1.
Assessor under test
conditions
 JFMM The training period of the panel is over when:
7,3 . all the attributes are fully understood by the assessors;
. the quotation intensity is quantitative and repeatable, the discrimination
power is verified and the repeatability of the assessors has been
statistically proved (Lesschaeve and Issanchou, 1993); and
242 . the full intensity scale is used when grading a huge variety of fabrics.
Because of this intensive training process, the attributes are dedicated to the
constitutive panel and cannot be used by any other group without preliminary
training steps and work.
Usually, the whole process requires about 20-40 sessions. Only then is the
panel validated and can sensory tactile evaluation be started.
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All these assessment steps are performed thanks to statistical tools such as
analysis of variance (ANOVA) and principal component analysis (PCA). These
analyses will not be fully described in this paper but can be found elsewhere
(Depledt, 1998).
The ANOVA computation is required to verify the homogeneity of the
group, that is to say if the attributes have been understood in the same way: it
also allows assessor repeatability to be validated.
The PCA method is a technique used to simplify complex data. By
considering the correlation between a large number of variables (attributes), a
PCA will seek out factors or components in which the variables have a great
deal of common features and allows the differences and similarities of the
products in the map products to be visualised as maps.

Sensory analysis applied to touch modification of textile fabrics

Today, there are many new treatments for fabrics that give them a variety of
looks and effects. These ``finishing treatments'' include brushing, sanding,
sueding . . . some of which add lustre, others give muted dull effects or may
make a fabric crease-resistant, crease-retentive, waterproof, etc. A finish often
contributes much to the ``feel'' and ``hand'' of a fabric. It may be said that ``cloth
is made in the finishing''. The treatments are performed on fabrics with the help
of chemical treatments such as resin coating, silicone softener, etc., and are the
last step in the textile production before the clothing operations.
In tactile finishing treatment, three classes of products can be used:
(1) softeners;
(2) garniture/thermoplastic products; and
(3) synthetic hardenable resins.
Each of them brings out tactile properties in fabrics but can induce undesirable
effects. For example, typical resin treatments promote strong easy-care effects
in the fabric but may induce a stiff handle. Therefore commercial finishing
providers attempt to reduce the undesirable effects by using combined
 formulation, which allows ``one shot'' treatments to give optimal results with The sensory
respect to the main desired properties with minimal side-effects. panel applied to
textile goods
Materials and treatments
In our study, the trained sensory panel has evaluated four chosen commercial
products to scan the full range of tactile finishing products on a 100 per cent
cotton woven fabric. The characteristics of the fabric are: 243
(1) plain weave (Plate 2);
(2) 28 tex weft and warp yarns (``tex'' is the standard unit for yarn linear
density which indicates the weight of one metre of yarn, expressed in
terms of grams);
(3) density: 160g/m2; and
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(4) previous treatments: scoured and bleached.

Table III gives commercial name, nature and expected properties of each
formulation.

Plate 2.
Structure of the
tested fabric

Product name Nature Properties expected

Sapamine1 FPS ``sp'' Softener Soft handle Table III

Megasoft1 FMG ``m'' Softener silicone Surface smooth and specific soft handle Name, nature and
Sandoperm1 ``sd'' Polyurethane resin Soft handle and easy-care properties expected of
Knittex1 FEL ``k'' Resin with high reactivity Easy-care and anti-shrink products
 JFMM It can be seen that the silicone treatments, which have recently appeared on the
7,3 market, are dedicated to softener action, whereas the resins are mainly oriented
towards easy-care. The ``k'' products are used to obtain a full, firm and stiff
handle. These treatments are expected to be ``wash permanently'' during
consumer use. ``sd'' is a special product that consists of a commercial recipe for
both easy-care and soft handle effect.
244
Industrial process
The products were processed using the semi-industrial range (Figure 3)
according to commercial recommendations. The concentrations used for each
treatment are displayed in Table IV.
To perform tactile characterisation, the procedures previously described
have been applied. The evaluation of the attributes is performed in the
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following order:
(1) bipolar attributes;
(2) surface attributes; and
(3) full handle attributes from less tactical stress handle to most.
When the evaluation is over and the 15 attributes marked, the tested fabric
sample has to be discarded. The tests are replicated twice and the order of
presentation of the samples is randomised for each assessor.

Figure 3.
Industrial process

Treatment Concentration g/l

Softener ``sp'' 40
Table IV. Softener silicone ``m'' 40
Treatments and their Polyurethane ``sd'' 40
concentration Resin ``k'' 80
 Results and discussion The sensory
The reliability of the panel is monitored after each session and the importance panel applied to
of the attributes issuing from ANOVA, factorial and ranking test analysis. In textile goods
this case, only five attributes are detected as being significant by the statistical
analysis and by the panel.
The results obtained can be displayed under specific visualisations. The
so-called ``profile'' is the simplest and the most commonly used. It represents, 245
for a specific product or a group of products, the relevant attributes versus their
intensity. Figure 4 shows the results obtained for the non-treated cotton fabric
used in our study.
Sensory profile representation allows products to be compared. In Figure 5,
the fabrics treated with each selected product are displayed. A significant
difference can be observed between resin-treated fabric ``k'', and the others. All
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differences displayed in Figure 5, even if small, are significant with regard to

statistical analysis.
In order to highlight similarities and to be able to group the treated fabrics in
terms of family, it is important to analyse in greater depth the results obtained
with the help of other statistical tools such as principal component analysis (PCA).
PCA allows the number of dimensions from five to two to be reduced. With this
new representation, 83 per cent of the whole information is kept, which satisfies
the statistical requirements (Escoffier and PageÁs, 1997). Figure 6 represents the
products map with two axes. One axis is composed of two opposite ``rigid'' and
``falling'' attributes, and the other is composed of a set of three attributes: ``soft'',
``slippery'', and ``crumple-like'', which varies independently from the ``rigid''-
``falling'' axis. On the map, the products, which are approximate to ``rigid'', are very
``rigid'' and not ``falling'' at all. Conversely, products approximating to ``falling'' are

Figure 4.
Sensory profile for
non-treated fabric
 JFMM
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246
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Figure 5.
Sensory profile for
non-treated and treated
fabrics

Figure 6.
Products map

very ``falling'' and not ``rigid'' at all. For instance, the ``k''-treated fabric appears as
non-``slippery'', non-``soft'', non-``crumple-like'', very ``rigid'' and not ``falling'' at all.
It is important to consider whether the expected properties can be extracted
from the map of products.
The softeners ``m'' and ``sp'' are grouped and approximate to the non-treated
fabric. As expected, the assessors evaluate them as ``soft'' and ``slippery''. However,
they have an additional characteristic, which is ``crumple-like'' property.
The resin treatment gives an unsurprising property: non ``crumple-like'', but
obviously the treatment generates a stiff handle and rigid behaviour.
The ``sd'' commercial product appears as a compromise between the main
easy-care effect (described by ``rigid'' and non ``crumple-like'' attributes) and the
soft handle.
 It is clear, thanks to PCA, that the expected properties can be highlighted The sensory
and that they are in accordance with commercial specifications. Moreover, panel applied to
additional information on side-effects can be extracted. As we have performed textile goods
a descriptive quantitative analysis based on subjectively derived data, all these
pieces of information can be used in different ways. For example, recipe
optimisation such as the modification or duration of the process to improve the
treatments on single finishing product can be used. 247
Finishers can choose tailored blends to answer the consumers' expectations.
For example, they can apply a specific combination of easy care properties and
soft handle.

How can this tool help marketing?

The objectives of marketing and sensory testing during product development
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are meant to determine the relationship between a product concept, a control

product (when available) and the experimental product for the purpose of
aiding product development efforts to converge on these points.
It is almost impossible to ask a consumer to effect sensory profiling as it
requires the skill of a trained panel to perform it. However, consumers can give
an overall preference score to the product.
Thanks to a newly developed set of statistical procedures (preference
mapping (Schlich, 1995)), correlation between sensory profile, issuing from the
trained panel, and preferences data, issuing from of consumers' enquiries, can
be performed. This correlation gives the preference map of product effectively,
describing the main underlining preference dimensions or identifying groups of
consumers having similar preferences.
It is also possible to locate ideal product on the sensory map of products with
these techniques. This product is being tailored for different groups of
consumer and can become the target of new developments.

Conclusion
Sensory analysis methodologies issuing from food industries have been
successfully transposed in the textile area for tactile evaluation of fabric,
thanks to the sensory trained panel and specific statistical tools. Tactical
sensory analysis applied to textile goods is relevant in order to grade existing
finishing treatments or to develop new blends to come up to the consumers'
expectations. With this tool, the industrialists can include in the product
specifications the tactile sensory aspect. At a further stage, it will be interesting
to link descriptive data with hedonic data from consumers in order to have
preference reasons or develop new tactile feelings.

References
AFNOR XP V 09-50 (1999), ``Sensory analysis ± general guidance for sensory evaluation
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 JFMM Depledt, F. (1998), SocieÂte Scientifique d'HygieÁne Alimentaire (SSHA): Evaluation Sensorielle-
Manuel MeÂthodologique, Lavoisier, Paris.
7,3 Escoffier, B. and PageÁs, J. (1997), Initiation aux Traitements Statistiques, MeÂthodes,
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