This study examines the impact of Nitinol-based shape memory alloy module placement on silhouette recovery in knit skirts following external deformation and thermal activation. It presents shape recovery as a key design stage for future shape-changing garments, rather than asserting complete autonomy in shape transformation. Two skirt types (straight and flare) were created by retaining the waist-hip section and replacing the lower section with a brioche-knit panel for module attachment. Three placement conditions (2, 4, and 6 modules) were prepared for each silhouette, yielding six specimens. After mechanical deformation of the lower panel, thermal stimulation was applied, and pre-/post-recovery images were recorded under identical conditions. Silhouette recovery was quantified by Intersection over Union (IoU) between aligned pre- and post-recovery binary masks. Ten apparel-design experts evaluated silhouette similarity, overlap, protrusion, wrinkling, and design acceptability. IoU values were high across all specimens (0.920–0.933), indicating stable recovery of the outer outline regardless of placement density. However, expert evaluation differentiated design outcomes by skirt type. In the straight skirt, more distributed placement improved appearance stability and acceptability, whereas in the flare skirt, minimal placement showed the highest overall acceptability. The findings show that high geometric overlap alone does not guarantee design completeness and that module placement must consider pattern curvature and silhouette ease. The study provides foundational placement guidelines for Nitinol-assisted skirt design and suggests future work to verify wearability, durability, and safety with repeated use.

Abstract
I. Introduction
Ⅱ. Review of Literature
    1. Implementation modes of shape-changinggarments
    2. Nitinol-based garment actuation and designchallenges
    3. Module placement design for skirt application
Ⅲ. Research Method
    1. Sample configuration and module placementconditions
    2. Deformation․thermal stimulation, and imageacquisition procedure
    3. Quantitative analysis of silhouette similarity:Intersection over Union (IoU)
    4. Expert visual evaluation
Ⅳ. Result and Discussion
    1. Results of IoU-based silhouette similarity analysis
    2. Results of expert visual evaluation
Ⅴ. Conclusion
Reference

• Jongsun Kim(Assistant Professor, Dept. of Fashion Design, Kangwon National University, Korea) | 김종선 (강원대학교 패션디자인학과 조교수)
• Jeehong Park(Ph. D. Candidate, Dept. of Fashion and Textiles, Seoul National University, Korea) | 박지홍 (서울대학교 의류학과 박사수료)
• Jisoo Ha(Professor, Dept. of Fashion and Textiles, Seoul National University, Korea, Adjunct Researcher, Research Institute of Human Ecology, Seoul National University, Korea) | 하지수 (서울대학교 의류학과 교수, 서울대학교 생활과학연구소 겸무연구원) Corresponding author