Thesis (MTech. degree in Fashion) -- Tshwane University of Technology, 2008. / This dissertation sets out to describe the processes and dynamics at play in the development of a couture design range that attempts to engage with, and enhance notions of Namibian identity. While the end product of the practical work is a range of garments that speaks to and reflects a possible Namibian identity, the dissertation engages with the notions of identity and the dynamics of identity building, and the closer interrelationships with the creative process. The study intend to investigates design and design-related issues and how they impact on fashion design and couture design as well as how they relate to the identity formation processes in the development and justification of a possible Namibian couture collection. Therefore, the creative development process, the choices, negotiations and adaptations that the designer involves herself with, are described and then drawn through to the nature of new identity formations. The design process is measured against the basic design theories as outlined in the relevant chapters in the dissertation. The study reveals that Namibian individual identities are shaped by juxtaposing indigenous cultural identities in combination with what is “imagined” [as Anderson (2006:6-7) explained] to be a “Namibian” national identity. It considers how the designer, embedded in the design process, but also part of a particular identity, interacts with these tensions. The dissertation attempts to isolate material elements in the Namibian landscape that can be used in the identity-building process. It argues that the same Namibian material hallmarks of identity, the specific design elements that have been identified as “authentic” Namibian, have been used in this specific couture collection. Finally the study investigates how these design elements (both generic and specific) relate to the specific Namibian design element aspects in an attempt to see whether this specific couture collection contributes to “defining Namibian couture design”.