Innovative Integration of Modern Woollen Weaving Technology and Ruyuan Yao Patterns in Children's Clothing Design

This study integrates traditional Ruyuan Yao motifs with modern woollen knitting to develop a child-wearable design framework. Thirty representative patterns were documented through fieldwork in Ruyuan Yao Autonomous County and reconstructed into a modular digital library; five garment sets were then fabricated using 12-gauge jacquard mapping and evaluated for cultural/semantic retention by Yao intangible-heritage inheritors, for technical performance through standardised textile tests, and for user acceptance in wear trials. Pixel-level comparisons showed high fidelity between knitted motifs and their digital references, with pattern restoration reaching 92.5%; expert appraisal indicated strong semantic retention (≈92.3%); and prototypes satisfied children's safety requirements under GB 31701-2015 (Class B). In wear testing (n = 20), children reported high comfort (mean 8.6/10) and parents expressed high purchase intention (84%). Limitations include the modest size of the child cohort and the focus on a single knitting gauge and material system, which may constrain generalisability. Overall, the work offers a replicable route for translating ethnic visual culture into contemporary children's clothing while maintaining engineering feasibility and cultural integrity.