Naaike Claude – Heriot Watt University

Naaike Claude

Fashion Branding and Promotion

AFRIFIT

Redefining Fit for African Women Everywhere

Design Statement: Design should do more than visually communicate; it should solve, guide, and create meaningful experiences that people can genuinely connect with. Rooted in intentionality and inclusivity, I approach every project as a system rather than an isolated outcome, considering how aesthetics, functionality, emotion, and interaction work together to shape the user experience. Particularly driven by the desire to reduce disconnect within creative fashion experiences, especially where people feel overlooked, misunderstood, or excluded by traditional systems. Constantly aiming to design with precision and purpose because I believe every detail carries meaning. I see design as a tool for transformation, one that has the power to improve experiences, challenge outdated structures, and shape more thoughtful futures within fashion and creative industries.

Project Statement: African women continue to face poor fit, limited representation, and exclusion in mainstream sizing systems, resulting in dissatisfaction and weakened trust in ready-to-wear and digital retail. Current sizing technologies still rely on Western-centric data, overlooking the diverse proportions, and silhouettes of African women. AFRIFIT responds through a proportion-driven sizing framework supported by digital implementations such as the AFRIFIT Mirror and mobile app, alongside physical fit identification systems integrated into garments and retail spaces. Together, these solutions analyze body proportions, assign personalized AFRIFIT sizes, connect users to compatible products, and improve fit accuracy across online retail and physical shopping experiences, creating a more inclusive, confident, and data-informed fashion ecosystem for African women.