The U.S. Navy collaborated with 80 female service members to collect feedback as it develops future uniforms apt for the size and fit of the modern sailor.
Textile experts and scientists with Navy Exchange Service Command worked on designs from Aug. 17 to Aug. 21 onboard Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story and at NEX Norfolk, Virginia, according to a Thursday release.
“We are committed to providing certified, high-quality Navy uniforms so that sailors are comfortable and professional looking so that they can focus on their mission,” Brianna Plummer, Group Leader of Design & Testing Laboratories at Navy Clothing and Textile Research Facility, said in the announcement.
Service members tried on prototype slacks, shirts and jumper tops, gaining an understanding of which sizes work best for them while experts with the fit clinic took measurements and learned how the new uniforms work alongside a newer numeric sizing system.
Experts will now utilize the intel collected to make decisions on future sizing recommendations, the Navy said.
The service has made a point to modernize its female uniforms, having already rolled out new service khaki slacks with back pockets and summer and dress female white overblouses over the past year.
The Navy Exchange Service Command’s Navy Clothing and Textile Research Facility has been at the helm of those efforts, announcing its first uniform updates in September 2024, as part of the Size Modernization Program.
The program was designed to address issues female sailors have had in the past with fit and comfort.
Riley Ceder is a Navy reporter at Military Times, where he covers issues directly affecting service members and their families, as well as breaking news.