The problem of this study concerned the relationships that exist between the actual practices of designers in the apparel industry and the present academic training of future designers. Purposes of this inquiry were to determine the expectations of designers by questioning commercial apparel manufacturers to ascertain the types of functions the fashion designer is expected to perform, to determine the importance the manufacturer places on that activity, and to make an appraisal of the industry's willingness to take an active part in the education of these designers.

This collection is an investigation of how decorative techniques and non-decorative text can create a dialogue in garments, with the body as a billboard. The work is based on two different aspects. The first one deals with the question of how people look at embellishments, and the second is the message aspect. The investigation wants to find out how we can communicate with the human body as a billboard and the topic of the communication is an idea about perfection. The writer’s dyslexia experiences are used as a recurs and gives the topic a new dimension. The work explores new ways to deal with embellishments, techniques and messages. It shows that the statement T-shirt is not the only perfect garment to decorate and that garments can communicate a message in more ways than with a flat print.

This research was commissioned and funded by The Welding Institute (TWI). The Welding Institute are a global research and development facility specialising in the joining of materials for industrial applications. The purpose of this research was to develop capability in textiles joining, particularly ultrasonic and laser welding technologies, which is relatively new to TWI. The appointed researcher adopted a ‘multi-strategy’ (Cresswell 2009) approach to the research; encompassing methods that were both familiar and unfamiliar to those usually adopted by TWI employees and researchers, whom mostly come from engineering and scientific backgrounds. The research was primarily undertaken with the adoption of a ‘craft-design’ approach that uses material investigation to explore and uncover interesting leads for investigation, which was the familiar approach of the researcher coming from a background in textile design. Material studies were carried out inquisitively without the formation of a particular hypothesis and insights were discussed with industry to identify potential commercial and functional application opportunities. Following the identification of an interest in welding stretchy fabrics Speedo agreed to become the main industry partner for the research, providing materials, access to testing equipment and validation of commercial opportunities for material samples relative to their application. The main hypothesis for the research Laser melted patterns can be used to control the elastic behaviour of stretchy textiles to have a targeted and variable compressive effect on the body developed through discussion with Speedo in response to material samples produced using transmission laser welding equipment. A predominant scientific approach was adopted during the second phase of the research to quantify and control this effect: to demonstrate repeatability and test it both on fabric and the body. Methods that were unfamiliar to the researcher prior to this research such as mechanical testing and microscopic analysis were employed. Selection of either a ‘craft design’ or ‘scientific’ approach was made pragmatically in response to the research as it developed. Through a retrospective analysis of applied methods throughout the research trajectory it has been possible to define this particular ‘multi-strategy’ project as a ‘sequential exploratory’ design (Cresswell 2009), whereby periods of subjective investigation are followed by empirical testing. The main process that has been developed by this research is a decorative method of controlling the elastic behaviour of stretchy fabrics using transmission laser welding equipment for a controlled and variable compressive effect on the body. Compression fabrics are used widely within the medical, lingerie and sportswear fields to apply pressure to the body either for an aesthetic or functional advantage. In swimwear, compression fabrics are applied to streamline the silhouette and minimise drag resistance. The technique developed by this research makes a contribution to knowledge within the field of laser processing of textiles, specifically within the field of transmission laser welding, and within the field of compression apparel. In the field of transmission laser welding a new functional capability for all-over surface patterns has been demonstrated. In the field of compression apparel a new decorative method for achieving an increasingly variable compressive effect for a smoother transition between different zones of stretch has been achieved. N.B. All redacted information throughout this thesis is confidential to Speedo.

Intellectual property law theory is premised on a utilitarian justification granting limited time monopolies for encouraging creation, innovation and its dissemination to society. However, in the last several decades, scholars have been mounting empirical evidence to show that in some industries, creativity and innovation exist outside the contours of intellectual property law and thrive despite their lack of reliance on the laws. Instead, what they uncovered is that creators in these industries follow norms that mitigate issues surrounding some kinds of copying. Intellectual property protection for fashion design in Canada is fragmented across a complex legal landscape that entails several different laws, unique in scope, eligibility requirements and rights. This complex framework is not unique to the fashion design industry but is similar for design industries generally. Navigating through these laws can be daunting and thus inaccessible for the some segments of the design industry that are small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) that have limited resources to expend on legal advice and registration. Using grounded theory methodology and qualitative and quantitative methods, this research explored the use of intellectual property law and social norms by the independent fashion design segment in Montreal and in Toronto and the contours of copying and the public domain. What the empirical research reveals is that independent fashion designers do not use the law to protect their designs and instead, use mechanisms that centre on the negative copying norm. Negative copying is copying that is negatively perceived. It is not necessarily legally infringing or economically harmful, although it can be both. Further, it can apply to subject matter that is not the subject matter of intellectual property law. This norm against negative copying is supported by extra-legal prevention and enforcement mechanisms that have been developed by individuals within the segment in order to mitigate the issue of copying. The empirical research also reveals that in addition to the economic incentives to create, there are also a number of non-economic incentives such as identity and reputational interests that drive creativity and help reinforce the norm against negative copying. Using grounded theory enabled me to draw on literature from a number of disciplines in order to help contextualize these findings and approach the analysis from the perspective of intellectual property theory, policy and law, social norms (sociology and psychology) as well as economic geography, and design.

An average Swede buys 13 kilograms textile material every year, but an average Swede also throws away 8 kilograms every year. Adding a layer of exponential growth, I wonder what will happen with these numbers over the years and more importantly – how will it affect the emotional life of the consumer? Over the years I have developed an interest in the systemic entanglement of fashion – mainly as the urgency to create systemic shifts only has increased.  Fashruption is a happy marriage of the words fashion and disruption, and forms the title for this travelogue, exploring what a fashruption could be. Fashion – that adorns the bodies to showcase the self in the social. A phenomenon in constant dynamic flow of becoming, that thrives on an expiration date. And disruption – that perhaps can release space for a renegotiation on the ways we create identities and consume fashion. But what kind of disruption has the power to challenge current behaviours? This project is divided into two parts; first a problem setting design process focusing on exploring emotional logics (or illogics) that fashion is intertwined with, extracting reflections on relationships between production–consumption–creation of identities–waste. Secondly, a fashruption is suggested to be a large-scale campaign directed towards people with future-orientated momentum. It will present a strategy proposing ideas of designed material that gives space for self-reflection at the same time building knowledge, aiming to construct publics – who has the possibility to renegotiate the terms upon which they live.

In terms of dress, there are various misconceptions that exist in our ever-so conscious society, which can make Easterners in the Occident neglect aesthetics that are linked to their roots. Orientalist notions of the Middle East and its complex history of conflict have both played their part in developing a cultural disconnection between the East and the Western world. This area of investigation explores the recontextualization of a selection of original and cultural elements from the Levant and Arabian Peninsula by the means of construction within men’s suits, thobes and accompanying traditional attire. The work implies to challenge the Western world’s dominant influence on fashion, where it becomes crucial to assert cultural aspects linked to facts and aesthetic value. What could be deemed as lacking in fashion is an intricate appropriation of Levantine and Arabian elements in relation to shape, proportion and material. In this exploration, it is executed through placing the selected components alongside Westerly ‘reserved’ categories such as the exaggerated shoulder pad, where each action is influenced by the outcome of the previous. The result can be described as a convergence between expressions that are culturally polarizing, which can reinvent the narrative of Westerly misperceived dress and symbols that are both ubiquitous and preserved in the transcultural region.

Due to the massive amount of postconsumer clothing waste, there is a great opportunity to utilize the discarded garments through playful methods push the imagination towards new innovative solutions. This work aims to redefine and give the discarded garments new values through exploring garment definition through characteristic lines of dress as a filter to view a garment. It deals with questions such as, what defines a specific garment and how many lines needs to be added to understand what it is. It was resulted in creation of an archive consisting of 32 pieces which shows the potential in changing the perception of unwanted/discarded garments, by literally reframing them. This work propose a new method for reusing garments without taking the garments apart but instead look at all the potential that is given within it.

This work focuses on exploring the early stage of garment production: where prototypes are regarded as ”incomplete” in relation to the desired result. Early prototypes carry unforeseen elements that are regarded as defects rather than desirable qualities, and are subsequently edited, adjusted and iterated into new prototypes until the desired result has been reached. This work wishes to emphasize the unforeseen elements present in the early prototypes, instead of merely disregarding them as undesirable qualities. By emphasizing common elements that are usually regarded as defects, this result of this project became a commercial yet experimental collection. I.e., the garments arguably kept their core commercial characteristics, making it easy for the observer to recognize and categorize the garments. However, upon a closer inspection, the defects arguably infused each respective garment with an appealing and interesting aesthetic. What this project has shown is that defects can be emphasized into desirable qualities, and that defects pose vast foundations for further exploration, ultimately challenging the industry’s current perception of defects.

La presente investigación tiene como objetivo general examinar cómo influye el tatuaje en el diseño de moda de dos marcas limeñas: “PerroLoco” y “No Brand”. La problemática de la investigación surgió al observar que, a nivel internacional, los casos en que dos artes visuales como son el diseño de moda y el tatuaje han trabajado en conjunto, son escasos en comparación a los casos en que otras artes visuales han interactuado con la moda. Al investigar la bibliografía se descubrió que con la llegada de una corriente de pensamiento como es el posmodernismo, las ideas de lo que era considerado arte han cambiado, eso ha dado oportunidad a que artes relegadas como la moda y tatuaje puedan relacionarse entre sí. Sin embargo, tanto la moda y el tatuaje son actividades que han enfrentado y siguen enfrentando muchos prejuicios como el de no ser consideradas artes. Este prejuicio afecta la interacción entre ellas debido a que no se considera que el trabajo conjunto entre ambas actividades añada valor. Esta investigación bibliográfica será complementada mediante una investigación de campo cualitativa con enfoque del estudio de casos de dos marcas que utilizan el tatuaje como recurso en sus diseños. De esta manera, se espera comprender la realidad de este contexto, la motivación de estas marcas a usar el tatuaje como recurso de diseño, el proceso de la interacción de tatuaje y moda y los prejuicios existentes contra estas actividades. / The present research has the general objective of examining how tattoo influences the design of two Lima fashion brands: “PerroLoco and No Brand”. The research problem emerged while observing that around the world the cases in which two visual arts such as fashion design and tattoo have worked together, are few compared to the cases in which other visual arts have interacted with Fashion. When investigating the bibliography, it was discovered that with the arrival of a current of thought such as postmodernism, ideas about what is considered art have changed. This situation has allowed relegated arts such as fashion and tattoo to be able to relate to each other. However, both fashion and tattoo are activities that have faced and continue to face many prejudices such as not being considered arts. This prejudice affects the interaction between them because the joint work between both activities is not considered to add value. This bibliographic research will be complemented by qualitative field research focused on the case study of two brands that use tattoos as a resource in their designs. In this way, it is hoped to understand the reality of this context, the motivation of these brands to use tattooing as a resource, the process of tattoo and fashion interaction, and the existing prejudices against these activities.

In this project a collection of clothing, based on the handicraft of knitting and crocheting, has been developed. Today most garments are produced on industrial machines, cheaply, fast and with a low quality. An alternative to this is slow fashion which aims for long-lasting, locally manufactured clothing, primarily made from sustainably sourced fair-trade fabrics. The aim of this project is to raise awareness of slow fashion by working with the handicraft of knitting and crochet. The work has a slow process of making, and the items are carefully made by hand which raises the value of the garments and is a more sustainable way of using the materials.  Traditional flat pattern construction is based on symmetrical squares and vertical and horizontal lines. This work's construction is based on diagonal lines around the women's body, as a suggestion that it fits the knitted fabric property and the women's body better. Design decisions were made by looking at renaissance fashion and paintings. To highlight an older way of making fashion and to push the expression in knitwear and show the potential in the craft.