Syfte & forskningsfråga: Syftet med denna uppsats är att skapa en djupare förståelse för utvecklingen av dagens modemarknad och fenomenet “fast fashion” genom att analysera och undersöka trenders uppkomst, hur trender anammas av konsumenter samt konsumenters inverkan på modebranschen. Uppsatsens forskningsfråga formulerades med uppsatsens syfte i åtanke och frågan blev följande: Vad är karaktäristiskt för dagens modemarknad och vilken betydelse har konceptet “fast fashion” för marknadens utveckling? Metod: Vår uppsats är baserad på en kvalitativ forskningsmetod då vi önskade att få en djupare förståelse kring det valda forskningsämnet. Vidare kom uppsatsen att få en abduktiv karaktär då vi haft ett växelspel mellan vald teori och empiri. För att vidare få en bredare syn på forskningsområdet valde vi att variera oss i vårt urval av respondenter och intervjuade därför 7 respondenter med olika positioner inom modebranschen. Slutsatser: I uppsatsens analys har vi kunnat se ett mönster där vår valda teori i stor utsträckning stämmer överens med vår empiriska insamling. I vår studie framkom det även att trender är både komplexa och svåra att specificera samt att de både kan pågå under en kortare samt längre tid. Vidare visade det sig att konsumenter idag har en stor påverkan på modebranschen, där de mångt och mycket kan ses som trendsättare. Fast fashion är ett koncept som har bidragit till snabba trendväxlingar på marknaden och via vår studie framkom det att konsumenters syn på fast fashion har förändrats, och att de numera önskar ett lugnare tempo.

Who has never reflected about an artist or a creative person thinking why this person is not recognized and famous? Why so much talent for nobody?Who has never reflected, why this singer sings or this actor plays or this fashion designer draws? And secretly thinks that he or she should not.Finding a talented and a creative leader is a real challenge for the company. Finding the good one, we mean. Indeed, the creative leader is the key of improvement and success for creative organizations such as the theater, cinema, cuisine, music and fashion… Once the company found him or her, it has to keep him or her, to give to him or her all the freedom and power he or she needs because he is the one that is able to create great products, to draw out the creativity of the team and to build a clear vision for the company.However, the company also has to deal with constraints. There are financial, material, humans…This thesis try to understand how creative companies work and what are the characteristics of a creative leader. But we do not let the financial part be a taboo. Creative companies build a bridge between their talented leader and their financial restrictions. This paradox involves the question of whether to control or to let the creativity be completely free. The duality between leading creativity and leading rationality is the matter of this thesis.We illustrate the dichotomy with the business of fashion, in particular with Haute Couture Houses. The study case is a way to go inside a real creative organization and to understand how the leadership is implemented.

This thesis attempts to survey the function of clothing adornment practices as a form social communication. It is shown that clothing enables the formation and distinction of social groups. The ways in which clothing becomes symbolic for a group and the way in which this system is challenged and/or destroyed are also examined. A distinction between fashion and antifashion is made to enable a repositioning of the Western system of dress into a wider context of meaning. Assumptions on the nature of appearance as related to the concept of truth are examined. Chapter One looks at the various and contradictory myths of body ideals, challenging the opposition of nature and culture. Chapter Two examines the uniform and applies its characteristics to all forms of dress. Chapter Three provides a brief summary of the history of sumptuary laws and how they operate in the social world. Throughout this work, common sense assumptions and privileged reading of particular theoretical frameworks are challenged. Theory itself is subject to fashion, allowing for a comparison to be made between human adornment and the methodologies that attempt to define its practices.

This thesis investigates the complexity of cultural translation of visual language, considering writing systems both a profound shaping force and microcosmic reflection of the central elements of its culture. It focuses on the case of Chinese pictogram in Western everyday fashion; fashion is treated here as a site where the conceptual, aesthetic and cultural dynamics vividly interact with one another. This work probes what tensions are lost and added to the pictograms' cultural meaning in the process of translation, bearing in mind the two different aesthetic philosophies underlining Western and Chinese calligraphies. Seeing the complexity in the change of tensions, the thesis argues that nothing remains "authentic" in cultural translation, but the value of the encounter lies in the possibilities for each culture to reconsider itself in the corrective mirror of the Other.

Success in fashion design is important both in its own right and because it has positive influences on the culture of a country and because of the favourable ramifications it can have across many unrelated industries. This dissertation investigates the Australian fashion design industry and asks whether there is a place for a semi-autonomous industry regulator of the kind found in other countries. France is a natural choice as a model because on the one hand it has the most success and enjoys the highest prestige in international fashion design, and on the other it has a well-developed support and accreditation structure, the Federation Francaise de la Couture, du Fret-a-Porter des Couturiers et des Createurs de Mode. The Federation oversees the whole process, promoting and protecting innovation in the industry and laying down the criteria used in fashion accreditation. These observations led to the question, if a parallel fashion designers' organization were introduced in Australia, what are the chances it would be suitable and effective? To answer this question, interviews were conducted in Australia and in three European countries. The major systematic enquiry was based on a sample of 48 local industry people in key positions in media, commerce and education, who were encouraged to describe and evaluate the industry and to supply answers to a systematic survey document. Candour was promoted by the anonymity of the survey process. The major outcome in terms of evaluation of the industry was that for historical and structural reasons Australian fashion design is not characterized by a high volume of original work. Consequently it is not having much impact internationally and the upper echelons are not providing the basis for downward diffusion of ideas. If the standard (French) classification were applied to Australia, the bulk of the labels would be categorized at the lower end of the scale. The informants provided a strong consensus regarding the nature of the shortfalls including the undue emphasis given to derivative design, the lack of special support for young talent and the low priority given to the synergy between art and high quality craftsmanship. There was agreement that Australian fashion designers should not focus on product just for local consumers, because fashion in clothing is not central to the minds of the average Australian as it is for example in European countries. Fashion designers might be wise to exploit the position of Australia on the edge of the Asian subcontinent and the pool of potential design talent from other countries within the Australian population. By drawing from the new aesthetics emerging in Australia's pluralistic society, designers could easily be at the cutting edge internationally. They might showcase their work at overseas venues, although not necessarily, in the first instance, in countries like France. Although a full-scale federation-type organization might fail for want of a solid innovative industry upon which it might be based, a limited version of such a controlling body could well succeed. Its task would he to steer new directions in education which develops a pool of creative talent through master classes which focus on understanding original design, the importance of the manual aspect in design and the mechanisms of, and rewards stemming from diffusion. Sponsorship should be granted to endeavours by a collective of such talent to showcase designs abroad. Government funds should be redirected away from the promotion of a generic product to a fashion-designing paradigm emphasizing 'designer handwriting' as the value-added aspect. In addition to exploring these issues, this dissertation provides reflections on the nature of the design process and suggests ways in which fashion design and fashion design education might move to revitalize the industry.

This research project focussed on discarded clothing and textiles, as signifiers for the lowest exchange value in the fashion system, and sought methods to add value by up-cycling1 into one of a kind fashion garments. Opportunities to add value were investigated with three main ideas emerging which include up-cycling the visual appearance of the garment or textiles through restyling, user interaction, and creating a narrative for the garment. The practice focussed on developing methods to incorporate these concepts as a way of extending the life of low value textiles into items that could be re-introduced into the fashion cycle2. Walker (2008) suggests that by conveying the story of a product to the consumer, the perception of value increased, and opportunities to explore this concept were investigated during the project. Experimentation with a variety of materials and techniques resulted in developing a method to re-fabricate3 threadbare and stained garments into a new material. User participation4 was investigated as a way to ‘add value,’ as it was hoped that by enabling the user to interact with the design they would value the item more. Exploring this concept led to the development of a range of garments and garment kits that enabled the user to learn techniques and make garments using discarded textiles and clothing. The garments and kits were developed using methods and techniques that could be easily mastered and used materials that would be readily available to the user. The development of the garment kits reframed the user as a designer/maker, which is sometimes referred to as participatory design,5 and Followed Fletcher’s (2008) directive that for practical reasons, the methods need to be low tech and inexpensive. A group of research participants trialled the garment kits, made their own garment and provided feedback, which informed the final phase of the project and the development of revised kits and garments. The project suggests potential opportunities for the fashion designer may exist by focussing on the use of existing resources and heightened user connectivity in the design of garments.

This project explores design considerations and processes involved in the development of sports performance clothing specifically aimed at city cycling commuters. Research with a focus on smart clothing and electronic integration was used to form a technical framework in which the requirements of the end user were addressed. The result being the creation of a wearable electronic jacket containing a lighting system aimed at improving safety and comfort aspects affecting cycle commuters. The project methodology was essentially practice based with a strong experimental approach linked to the physical testing and refinement of electronic and clothing integration. Design aesthetics were equally important and are presented as a visual record linked to the use of computer related technologies which have influenced the design planning and processes of the project.

This body of work is the result of practice based research, culminating in a collection of five garments featuring pictorial prints, created through digital sublimation printing¹. The accompanying exegesis examines the place of my work within the contextual framework of related knowledge. The exegesis explores two main contextual notions. Firstly, the position of dolls' clothing play as a hegemonic tool in the process of learning to construct identity through self-presentation. This reflects on the practice of enculturing in girls the ability not just to do, but to observe oneself whilst doing. Secondly, the role of garments and fabric as liminal² markers at the transitional space between interior and exterior, domestic and public, self and not-self. My analysis is centered on the creation of original pieces of clothing. The garments are questioned by the issues explored in this exegesis. The research makes an original contribution to the body of knowledge by the nature of the creative work, and its analysis involving contemporary theoretical debate on the nature of fashion. ¹ Sublimation printing is a method of chemically bonding ink to a polyester or acrylic surface such as fabric, using extremely high heat and pressure. In this research project I am bonding images of photographs to polyester and acrylic fabrics. ² In this exegesis I use the word liminal to describe an occupying of an ambiguous space, on the threshold between one thing and another.

Poly'nAsia is a practice based research project that identifies and builds from the affinities between traditional Tongan and Indian textile techniques. It seeks to explore and synthesize the parallels between two textile traditions - tapa1of Tongatapu in Tonga and kalamkari2 of Masulipatnam and Kalahasti in Southern India.The project functions within the framework of the wider cultural and social contexts. It does not follow a strictly premeditated path or a rigid time line. An intuitive, organic approach is adopted instead, to complement cultural traditions, taking time to build understanding, trust and respect. A collection of contemporary fashion garments and textiles is produced, inspired by yet distinct from these traditional textiles. The collection is synthesized i.e., it combines elements of tapa and kalamkari to form a coherent whole. This collection has contemporary relevance, while retaining the traditional handcrafted component of tapa and kalamkari. The investigative and creative process that culminates in the Poly'nAsia collection is documented in this exegesis. The collection was presented at a fashion show on 3rd February, 2005.

This research project focussed on discarded clothing and textiles, as signifiers for the lowest exchange value in the fashion system, and sought methods to add value by up-cycling1 into one of a kind fashion garments. Opportunities to add value were investigated with three main ideas emerging which include up-cycling the visual appearance of the garment or textiles through restyling, user interaction, and creating a narrative for the garment. The practice focussed on developing methods to incorporate these concepts as a way of extending the life of low value textiles into items that could be re-introduced into the fashion cycle2. Walker (2008) suggests that by conveying the story of a product to the consumer, the perception of value increased, and opportunities to explore this concept were investigated during the project. Experimentation with a variety of materials and techniques resulted in developing a method to re-fabricate3 threadbare and stained garments into a new material. User participation4 was investigated as a way to ‘add value,’ as it was hoped that by enabling the user to interact with the design they would value the item more. Exploring this concept led to the development of a range of garments and garment kits that enabled the user to learn techniques and make garments using discarded textiles and clothing. The garments and kits were developed using methods and techniques that could be easily mastered and used materials that would be readily available to the user. The development of the garment kits reframed the user as a designer/maker, which is sometimes referred to as participatory design,5 and Followed Fletcher’s (2008) directive that for practical reasons, the methods need to be low tech and inexpensive. A group of research participants trialled the garment kits, made their own garment and provided feedback, which informed the final phase of the project and the development of revised kits and garments. The project suggests potential opportunities for the fashion designer may exist by focussing on the use of existing resources and heightened user connectivity in the design of garments.