This thesis is concerned with visual research in the context of fashion and textile design education. Utilising an ethnographic methodology, this study followed a group of self-selected fashion and textile design students throughout their first two years of study at a higher education institution in the south of England. Drawing on a series of personal interviews, participant observation and analysis of course documents, the research examines how visual research practices are structured through teaching, student engagement and participation, as well as through various forms of reification. Two key theoretical perspectives inform this thesis: Lave and Wenger and Wenger's concepts of legitimate peripheral participation and communities of practice, and Winnicott's notions of transitional phenomena and object-use. Their mutual relevance and complementarity is considered to explicate the dynamic between subjectivity, materiality and the social world in this study. This thesis argues that the tacitness of visual research practices presents a problem for many learners, as confusion and self-doubt arise due to the lack of articulation and a perceived instability of meaning behind these processes. Meanwhile, the students' reconciliation of their own practices with those endorsed through teaching was identified as key to successful participation on the course. Whilst some students were able to navigate these ambiguities and, in Winnicott's sense, put them into use, for other students this entailed alignment of practices without mutual negotiation. Results were identities of non-participation or compliance without negotiation of meaning. Although the tacitness of visual research poses an obstacle, I conclude that a universal definition of visual research is problematic or even impossible. These practices are mutable, contextual and situated. Therefore, in this study, learning visual research entails participating on the course, which can be conceived of as a community of practice, and which acts (potentially) as a facilitating environment where students can put the sources, tools, materials and practices of visual research into use.

This research aimed to establish the current state of knowledge regarding the manipulation of human perception of the female form and how this perception has been measured or quantified; to develop a method of measuring perceived differences in size of a monochromatic optical printed image/object and to investigate the influence of surface printed pattern on the human perception of the female form. The research followed a mixed methods approach using quantitative, qualitative and tacit methods which together helped to determine the best method for measuring differences in observers! perception. Initial testing followed a scientific route using observers in a controlled environment looking at 2D samples of different sized squares. The results of these tests proved that paired comparison was the best way of testing observers! perception. An innovative way of displaying designs on dresses using video projection and CAD was then developed. An iterative process of survey design was used, where different monochromatic optical patterned dresses were presented to a large number of observers, targeted via electronic means and social networking in order to reach a wide demographic. The observers were asked to gauge which of the two dresses presented was bigger. The results of one survey were used to inform the design of the next. The thesis is presented as a traditional argument supported by a digital sketchbook which outlines the design process. Outcomes relating to the way in which observers observe specific placement of optical monochromatic patterns on dresses and monochromatic combinations are discussed and potential "rules! for optical monochromatic pattern placement relating to size perception by observers were explored.

This study highlights the vital work of the costume designer in selected contemporary British films of the 1940s. Despite the important function that their designs played within the narratives, it has still not been fully recognised that the costume designer held a key position in the teams responsible for the creation ofthe visual aspects in the production of these historically important films. This study is, ! therefore, an attempt to redress the balance, and it investigates the work ofthe British costume designer through primary source material that reveals their codes of practice that they carried out in the course oftheir design work. Some of the costumes in the films were created by haute couture designers, and a comparison with the costume designer is carried out. Liaison between the costume designers and the female stars was crucial, so the performance style ofthe actors is integrated with the discussion ofthe design work. The twelve films selected for analysis comprise six from the oeuvre ofEaling Studios and six from Gainsborough Pictures. The films illustrate the different ways in which costume constructs the identity ofthe female characters in each film in a synthesis with the stars to support the narrative. For instance, in Frieda (Basil Dearden, 1947) and Cage ofGold (Basil Dearden, 1950) the two main female protagonists in each film undergo a transformation ofidentity. Class identity is clearly defined through the costumes in Went the Day Well? (Alberto Cavalcanti, 1942), Millions Like Us (Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat, 1943) Waterloo Road (Sidney Gilliat, 1944), Love Story (Leslie Arliss, 1944) and Miranda (Ken Annakin, 1948). In these films the costume designers selected mass produced garments for the working class female characters and haute couture designer wear to secure the status ofthe upper class characters. Overt sexuality is highlighted in The Next ofKin (Thorold Dickinson, 1942), Two Thousand Women (Frank Launder, 1944) and Against the Wind (Charles Crichton, 1948) through the style ofcostume and the excessive accessories worn by some ofthe female characters. In The Halfway House (Basil Dearden, 1944) and The Root of All Evil (Brock Williams, 1947) the costume designers do not adhere to the correct codes of costume practice and ambiguities exist in the identity of some ofthe female characters. In the analysis of the films, the study addresses many significant historical issues in relation to filmmaking and femininity at the time. With regard to fil1nmaking, the analysis covers the attempts to create a British national cinema with 'reference to the output of contemporary critics and later film studies historians. In relation to femininity, the study addresses contemporary writing and later critical discourses around women at work and their inclusion in a consensual national identity, class issues, and problems in relation to the projection offemininity both during the war and the post-war period when the New Look hit the streets. Many of the female characters in the narratives of the films embodied these concerns, and it is the creations ofthe costume designers that specifically worked to reinforce narrative ideas. Although the haute couture designers were feted and their names placed in press releases, the names ofthe costume designers were not. The prime intention ofthis study, therefore, is to bring the names of the costume designers to the greater attention ofthe academic world and argue for their significance at a vital moment in British film history.

This thesis questions the stereotype of the loose fitting silhouette of the Mancunian music scene from 1986 to 1996, exploring the links between the city’s music scene and local youth fashion. It establishes the important contribution of fashion to culture in the music scene and the distinct local “looks” that resulted. The thesis explores the literature of subculture and identity, enriched by the concepts of bricolage and local fashion. The contributory influence of the Manchester music scene is investigated in its public and private sites of creation and consumption. Combining cultural studies, dress history and fashion theory, the research is based on oral evidence in the form of active interviews, supported by analysis of contemporary images. Interviewees were pre-identified for their role in Mancunian fashion and music. These revealed previously unidentified aspects of Mancunian dress, which inform a discussion of the nature and context of local fashion in the period. Salient findings included the eloquence with which men can talk about clothes, and the sources and methods of the quest for authenticity through “looks”. The thesis repositions subculture, in the light of the shift toward more mutable groupings, and affiliations that can change with site. These formed a multi-faceted movement that was able to embrace both mainstream culture and its subversions. The contribution to knowledge centres on: (1) the importance of authenticity in subcultural movements; (2) identification of the several looks co-existing under the banner of Madchester; (3) establishing that these looks were understood differently from inside the movement because experiences shared by participants depended on tacit understandings rather than purely visual judgements; and, (4) the concept of fashion in motion to describe the interrelationship of garment and wearer in movement and its connection with identity. This led to (5) the addition of “attitude” to Brake’s practical aspects of subcultural style. Attitude is the outward expression of the inward state produced by dress upon the body, sometimes visually sensed (as swagger on the Madchester scene) but also encompassing less tangible projections.

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This practice-based thesis approaches the practitioner’s process of utilising non-clothing materials within the fashion system from two angles, one as the theoretical researcher and the other that of the research practitioner. The former perspective provides an a study of the contexts in which non-clothing materials have been utilised within the fashion system thus far, while the latter perspective seeks to investigate the practitioner’s design rationale and process. The theoretical aspect of the research shows a spectrum of practitioners and explores the different ways in which they have utilised non-clothing materials within the fashion system. Non-clothing materials have been utilised within many different categories of fashion. This theoretical aspect while providing a brief historical overview focuses mainly on the contemporary context for the utilisation of non-clothing materials within the fashion system, and also examines the works and design processes of current practitioners in this area of design. The findings of this research indicate that there is a lack of fashion design literature rooted in the practitioner’s perspective. As most of the authors of existing literature have no experience as practitioners, they tend to focus on the end products rather then the development of the creative process. Using self as the main case study, the practice aspect of this research investigates the design rationale and process involved in the creation of an inspirational catwalk collection by integrating nonclothing materials into fashion. It begins with the research, sourcing, experimenting, juxtaposing and combining of a variety of non-clothing materials, and continues with the development of various design and construction methods to create garment silhouettes and new materials simultaneously. This practical aspect provides first hand data of the design rationale and process as well as the market considerations of the fashion system. Finally, the research demonstrates increasing demand for individualistic and unique products. It also confirms that a target audience does exist within the fashion system for fashion items created from non-clothing materials. This thesis seeks to make a contribution towards existing knowledge about the creative design process of practitioners utilising non-clothing materials within the fashion system. It illustrates that the design process is a systematic evolution of ideas and experiments, which includes a critical relationship between material and design. The research findings also suggest a need for better representation of the fashion practitioner’s perspective and process within fashion literature to create a more informed understanding of the fashion system.

The progress of digital technology has brought about many changes. In the world of fashion, 3D apparel CAD is attracting attention as the most promising product which reduces time and cost in the design process through virtual simulation. This study highlights the potential of its technology and tries to extend the boundaries of its practical use through the simulation of historical dresses. The aim of this study is to identify the desirable factors for digital costume development, to produce accurate reproductions of digital clothing from historical sources and to investigate the implications of developing it for online exhibitory and educational materials. In order to achieve this, this study went through following process. First, the theoretical background of the digital clothing technology, 3D apparel CAD and museum and new media was established through the review of various materials. Second, the desirable concepts for effective digital costume were drawn from the analysis of earlier digital costume projects considering the constraints of costume collections and limitations of the data on museum websites: faithful reproduction, virtual fabrication and Interactive and stereographic display. Third, design development was carried out for the embodiment of the concepts based on two costumes in the Museum of London: (1) preparation which provided foundation data with physical counterparts, (2) digital reproduction which generated digital costumes with simulations and (3) application development where simulations were embodied into a platform. Fourth, evaluation of the outcomes was carried with different groups of participants. The evaluation results indicated that the outcomes functioned as an effective information delivery method and had suitability and applicability for exhibitory and educational use. However, further improvement particularly in the faithfulness of current digital costumes and more consideration for the concerns for virtual and intangible nature were pointed out to be required. Nevertheless digital costumes were reviewed to bring notable benefits in complete or partial replacement of the relics, presentation of invisible features, release of physical constraints on appreciation and provision of integrated and comprehensive information. This study expects that use of digital costumes may assist museums in terms of preservation, documentation and exhibition of costume collections giving new possibility especially to the endangered garments lying in the dark.

The process of determining the contribution of an almost forgotten couturier, Jo Mattli, to the British fashion and textile industry, has resulted in a deep study of the under-researched London couture scene of the mid-twentieth century. This thesis is distinctive in providing object-based evidence of Mattli’s response to the social and financial changes experienced in Britain post World War II, and unusual for using primary documentary evidence to trace the business history of a London couture house. Based on Prown’s model of object-based material culture research, supported by the inter-disciplinary methodologies of socio-cultural, socio-economic, structuralist and oral history, this thesis makes a unique contribution to the body of knowledge of dress history. Using primary evidence to explore the production and consumption of Mattli couture, ready-to-wear, boutique and wholesale clothing, tests and challenges the theoretical perspectives critically analysed in the thesis. A case study using primary Mattli artefacts tests Prown’s methodology. Simmel, Lipovetsky and Bourdieu’s differing theories of the fashion system, taste, and luxury, are analysed, tested and challenged. Barthes’ semiotic theory is tested against image and text, and Lacan’s psychoanalytical theory challenged for its relevance to the consumption of Mattli designs. The changing cultural status of the surviving Mattli garments is illuminated by employing Thompson’s theory of rubbish and Kopytoff’s biography of the object technique. Evidence from primary sources is supported by contemporaneous literature and oral history. The latter is used cautiously but effectively to support the primary evidence, and absence of evidence, in turn upholding and challenging traditional theoretical models. Scientific identification of a small sample of fibres from surviving Mattli garments challenges the assumed perception of luxury as applied to couture fabrics mid-twentieth century. The resulting study contributes to a greater understanding of the design, production and consumption of London couture, identifies both Mattli’s position within London couture and the reasons for him being forgotten. This thesis argues for the rehabilitation of Mattli in dress history and, as the objects provided the most significant evidence, for the importance of object-based research as a primary component of the methodology used in the discipline.

The aim of this project was to pilot, assess and develop the globally worn everyday garment – the ‘humble’ T-shirt – as a wearable probe, defined in this research as the T-probe, to advance engagement with, and understanding of, challenging concepts relating to novel materials and sensory experiences. In the course of addressing this primary aim the research expanded into a three-part enquiry reflecting the complexity of factors involved in introducing novel material concepts via a design probe, and attaining sensory experience and perception data via the two-pronged approach of observation and self-reported measures. The value of the T-probe was thus explored via three separate but methodologically interlinked projects, selected based on common challenges associated with public perception and engagement: Project (I) Fungi materials for clothing: Explores perception of mould as a novel material for garment design and fabrication. Project (II) Fashion for deafblind people: Studies how a fashion experience may be introduced to a sensitive user group, i.e. people with visual and auditory impairment. Project (III) Synthetic ingredients for fine fragrance: Engages consumer understanding of synthetic ingredients in perfumery ii Research Project (I) was a pilot study based on the researcher’s personal design interest in the development and market introduction of novel biobased materials. Projects (II) and (III) were set up in partnerships with non-academic organisations: the charity for deafblind people Sense and the global company International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) respectively, to further test the value of the T-probe in advancing understanding of materials and sensory experiences within contexts of social and / or market interest (s). The findings of the research enquiry demonstrate that the T-shirt is well accepted and engaged with, and functions well as a probe in eliciting and enhancing participant sensory experience and perception of novel and challenging material concepts. By following a systematic approach to the design and implementation of the T-probe from concept to actualisation, this doctoral research project contributes to an advanced understanding of issues related to the design and application of probes to fulfil specific research and design objectives within the various evolutionary stages of materials, products, technologies, and consumer experiences.

The financial burden on global healthcare systems has reached unprecedented levels and as a result, attention has been shifting from the traditional approach of disease management and treatment towards prevention (Swan, 2012). Wearable devices for Preventative Health have become a focus for innovation across academia and industry, thus this thesis explores the design of wearable biochemical and environmental sensors, which can provide users with an early warning, detection and monitoring system that could integrate easily into their existing lives. The research aims to generate new practical knowledge for the design and development of wearable sensors and, motivated by the identification of compelling design opportunities, merges three strands of enquiry. The research methodology supports this investigation into material, form and function through the use of key practice-based methods, which include Participatory Action Research (active immersion and participation in a particular community and user workshops) and the generation and evaluation of a diverse range of artefacts. Based on the user-centred investigation of the use case for biochemical and environmental sensing, the final collection of artefacts demonstrates a diverse range of concepts, which present biodegradable and recyclable nonwoven material substrates for the use in non-integrated sensors. These sensors can be skin-worn, body-worn or clothing-attached for in-situ detection and monitoring of both internal (from the wearer) and external (from the environment) stimuli. The research proposes that in order to engage a broad section of the population in a preventative lifestyle to significantly reduce the pressure on global healthcare systems, wearable sensors need to be designed so they can appeal to as many users as possible and integrate easily into their existing lifestyles, routines and outfits. The thesis argues that this objective could be achieved through the design and development of end-of-life considered and cost-effective substrate materials, non-integrated wearable form factors and meticulous consideration of a divergent range of user needs and preferences, during the early stages of design practice.