With signs of the redevelopment of the domestic sewing industry, national support agencies were established. This study aims to assess the present conditions of the domestic sewing industry and investigate the effectiveness of national sewing industry support policies. According to the results of a survey of 30 sewing companies managers, the biggest factor causing product defects was work being rushed because of tight delivery dates, and the reduction in sales was caused by a lack of orders. Moreover, sewing technicians are aging, and the biggest reason for their decrease in number is that people do not pursue the job because of the common understanding that it is difficult. Managers perceived that the government’s sewing technician training program was not a practical help. They were well aware of the support program to improve the work environment and the sewing equipment support program and showed high satisfaction with these programs, but they complained that the period for equipment rental was fixed. A majority of them thought that the Korean sewing industry environment had still not improved, and were skeptical about its future outlook. They identified its most urgent needs as the expansion of orders and the securing of manpower. The support programs that they wanted urgently included support for employees’ four major public insurances and the enactment of the increase of toll processing fees.

This study intends to analyze the fit of directly-imported American casual pants for Korean female college students in terms of appearance and comfortableness. The authors carried out a wearing test with sample pants from 3 brands (DKNY: A, Gap: B, Pol C) that had the most market share and that were mostly preferred by Korean female college students. Results showed that pants A had insufficient ease in the crotch, as the depth of the crotch was short. The hip girth received a low assessment in terms of appearance. Moreover, the hem widths were wide while the pants length was long. Pants B were expected to be most appropriate for Korean women’s bodies, as they had the longest crotch depth among the three brands. However, the pants appeared to pull downward due to the narrow thigh and the knee girth and hem width. Moreover, the crotch girth and hip girth received a poor appearance assessment. Pants C were rated as satisfactory for their thigh girth, knee girth, and hem width. However, the crotch was uncomfortable, as it had a short crotch depth. The hip girth received a low appearance assessment. This study suggests that a pattern adjustment is required for directly-imported American pants to provide a better fit for the bodies of Korean women. The crotch depths should be approximately 17.5 cm. The hem widths should be approximately 20 cm. We also suggest a leg length of 75 cm, a waist girth of 86 cm, and a hip girth of 97 cm.