Abstract
In Korea, to deal with the housing needs of the elderly, the government operates free nursing homes and residential homes. And to deal with the needs for daily necessities, imported products or products for the disabled have been supplied for the elderly. The government has recognized the importance of silver industry in this rapidly aging society and has established strategies to vitalize industries related to seniors to deal with the seniors' need for food, clothing, and shelter. This study examined the necessity of nursing home gowns, and the development of nursing home gowns that are environmentally friendly, beautiful and functional for the new silver generation. For this study, literature review and Internet search were conducted regarding the status of silver fashion, necessity of nursing home gowns, emergence of new silver generation and change in lifestyle, and value and utilization of natural dye and traditional patterns. To produce nursing home gowns, fabric was dyed using fermented indigo dying, and 3 styles of nursing home gowns for each gender were designed in consideration of seasons. Lastly, these gowns were evaluated by fashion experts, medical personnel, hospital gown and silver wear experts, and natural dye experts. The results showed that the traditional Korean designs developed in this study were excellent and the fermented indigo dye was appropriate for the nursing home gowns. The development of nursing home gowns in this study will be utilized as basic material for the development of silver wear and nursing home gowns to improve the quality of life for the seniors.