Abstract
Nowadays the numbers of the aging population are rapidly increasing in Korea, which became the 'aged country' from the year 2000. These aged people are getting more important consumer group and the products and services related to the silver industry are getting bigger. Universal fashion design is based on the concept of universal design that pursues the 'design for all'. This study aims to understand the physical, physiological, and psychological characteristics of the elderly women and apply the principles of universal design to universal fashion design for the elderly. Korean traditional vest, 'Baeja' was used as the design inference for the target of age 55 and older. This group is also called as 2Y2R(too young to retire), Tonk(too only no kids), Y-O(young-old) generation, or OPAL(old people with active life). Principles of universal design such as accessibility, flexibility in use, fair in use, aesthetics, safely-oriented were applied in developing the vest. This universal fashion products enable the elderly to have physical independence and make them have the self respect and better life.