Combinations of structures

Cover showing the eight possible morphological combinations of the human body

A pattern maker or designer does not give opinions: they measure, observe, and adapt.
They do not side with the most conservative nor with the most progressive; they simply translate the body into proportions and structures so that a garment fits well. This neutrality is, at the same time, respect and craftsmanship.

The possible variations of a body

Comparison of internal and external human body structure with eight morphological variations

If we analyze the human body from the external point of view, we find different possible configurations depending on the relationship between internal structure (skeletal) and external structure (chest and genitals).

Among them, two are considered original morphologies:

Original human body morphologies: male and female

The masculine (m), when internal and external structures both align as masculine.
The feminine (f), when internal and external structures both align as feminine.

The others are variations that result from crossing these two dimensions.

Mathematical formulation

We define two sets based on the original morphologies:

Internal structure: {m, f}

Representation of the internal structure of the male and female human body

External structure: {mm, mf, fm, ff}

Representation of the external structure of the human body with male and female symbols

where the first letter corresponds to the torso (“upper”) and the second to the genitals (“lower”).

The Cartesian product of these two sets gives 2 × 4 = 8 possible combinations.

Table of combinations

Chart of the eight possible morphological combinations based on internal and external structure

Symbolic representation

To display it visually, we had to resort to traditional symbols: the fig leaf to cover the masculine and the flower to cover the feminine.
It is not an aesthetic choice, but a way to circumvent what we could call the prudish digital morality, a censorship that forces us to disguise the obvious even when talking about anatomy

Conclusion

Pattern making reminds us that equality is built by recognizing inequality.
Every body is unique, and the role of the pattern maker is not to judge or normalize it, but to adapt it.
In that technical gesture lies the greatest act of respect for the diversity of the human body.