The purpose and underlying motivation for this project was to examine the procedure of garment construction methods, by specifically choosing to abandon traditional rules and standards that are associated with mass production. I chose to explore domestic hand-craft made by women in New Zealand in their domestic situation, focusing on hand-stitched techniques from the past reflecting a nostalgic value which potentially contributed to the garment’s construction process. The project sought to utilize the re-using of materials by incorporating previously made hand-craft; and looked at the remaking of second-hand garments by means of deconstruction and reconstruction. Traditional hand-craft, in this context, refers to the use of craft forms not governed by principles of efficiency, mass production or technology, allowing the garments to contain unique ‘one of a kind’ hand-made qualities. My studio practice specifically focused on exploring the relationship between hand-craft and garment construction, by researching their application and integration into the garment’s structure, along with disrupting the orderly traditional production process. I was not focusing on the finished garment’s design. The project provided an opportunity to refocus my attention on the hand-made, as I perceived that the skills required to produce these were being extinguished by modern lifestyles. Exploration promoted new discoveries by exposing the construction process and revealing unpredicted combinations. The project explored these ideas, resulting in a range of women’s garments that revealed, as part of their construction, hand-work which offered a modern variation of nostalgia. This project comprised of 80% practical work and will be accompanied by an exegesis with a value of 20%.

The Indonesian manufacturing sector faces significant challenges in its attempt to upgrade and remain competitive in both domestic and global markets. Indonesian manufacturing firms are increasingly integrated into global markets via global value chain ties. Yet, little is known about how such involvement impacts upon the ability of Indonesian firms to upgrade. This study aims to understand the nature of upgrading processes within the Indonesian manufacturing sector through a comparison of the Indonesian garment and consumer electronics manufacturing firms. To gain a better understanding of upgrading processes, this study integrates the conceptual frameworks of technological capability (TC) and global value chains (GVC) in its analysis. While the GVC literature provides useful insights into the role played by global value chain leaders in assisting, or constraining, through the ways in which they govern value chain ties, the upgrading processes of local producers, the TC framework gives a valuable understanding of the role of capabilities of local manufacturing firms and their ability to undertake upgrading processes. By combining these two frameworks, this study asks the following question: what roles do governance and technological capability play in upgrading processes within the Indonesian garment and consumer electronics value chains?To address the research question, this study gathered both quantitative and qualitative data through surveys and in-depth interviews of Indonesian garment and consumer electronics firms. Firm level case studies are analysed to obtain detailed insights into the process and dynamics of upgrading, value chain governance and capability acquisition undertaken by Indonesian garment and consumer electronics manufacturing firms. Based on the evidence drawn from the survey and eleven case studies within the Indonesian garment and consumer electronics sectors, this study suggests that forms of value chain governance and types of technological capability both play important roles in upgrading processes. Furthermore, upgrading processes and dynamics take place not only in global value chains but also in domestic value chains. Insertion into domestic value chains may, in fact, promote the ability of some Indonesian garment and consumer electronics manufacturing firms to undertake functional upgrading. By demonstrating that the technological capability of the Indonesian garment and consumer electronics manufacturing firms can play an important role in upgrading especially when firms are engaged in domestic value chains but is less pronounced when firms are engaged through hierarchical ties into global value chains, the study provides a more dynamic perspective then standard studies on upgrading and value chain linkages. In terms of policy, this paves the way for a more active role of local manufacturing firms from developing countries to be recognised as contributing to upgrading processes.

In the discipline of fashion, wardrobe staples and evening wear are two clothing categories with different purpose and used for different occasions. Wardrobe staples consist of classic garments used in our everyday life in contrast to evening wear which stands for elegant and decorative expression. This study was aimed at developing garment hybrids in between the clothing categories wardrobe staples and evening wear. Wardrobe staples and evening wear are separated because of their different characteristics, this study aims to developing garment hybrids in between the clothing categories wardrobe staples and evening wear. The motive is to look beyond the categorizations and combined their differences to a new whole, for example, a wrinkled shirt in contrast to lace gloves. These two categories consist of design that for a long time, has been settle and the same, with a clear expression and usage there are room and opportunity for renovation and change. In these established categories there are distinct right and wrong regarding shape, materials and details and minor changes can transform the whole expression. The sample was selected from a visual investigation of what characterize wardrobe staples and evening wear. These characteristics were explored physically through deconstruct the expression of wardrobe staples by adding features from evening wear to create hybrids. The contrast and differences of wardrobe staples and evening wear are altered both in shape, materials and details and therefore, in this study, various ways of changing the appearance of wardrob staples will be demonstrated. The experiments were evaluated how and how much the added feature from evening wear affects the final outcome, depending on the chosen wardrobe staple how obvious the feature has to be. The collection is showcasing garments and outfits that more or less implanted of evening wear features as well as in different ways are implanted by the features, for example as a garment or material. This study suggesting new expressions of what we already use but for long has been unchanged.

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 is a proposal for a new way of garment construction in the field of transformable outdoor gear. Inspired by the need of adapting towards changing weather conditions, the project aims to develop alternative transforming mechanisms for multifunctional hiking garments based on biomechanical studies as well as body mappings in order to replace the commonly used layering-system of clothes and therefore increase the value of single outdoor garments. The project supports the idea that user interaction and multifunctionality lead towards appreciation and an extended lifespan of single garments. The result is a series of 5 garments that each suggest new transforming features in relation to various functions.

This work is an exploration in which clothes are expanded in space, being the mediator between the body and the surrounding space. Aiming to explore clothes in spatial compositions through deconstruction, generating garment installations that challenge the perception and relationship of body, fashion, and architecture. It consists of a series of experiments that explore the space by opening up, deconstructing, and expanding garments, creating tension between the body, and the arranged or existing space. Exploring the material of design through experiments in order to find a better understanding of it, the research of this applied work is based on the ideas of experimental design research. Resulting in six examples of garment installations that challenge the viewpoint of the importance of clothes as it also proposes a new way of thinking in the communication between fashion and architecture.

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.

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Garment pressure and its relation to the body is important in the fit and function of clothing. The purpose of this study was to develop and test a transducer to measure the perpendicular pressure between a garment (brassiere) and the underlying skin of the shoulders, breast and back. A transducer was developed through experimentation based on the principles of the Natick lab pneumatic bladders. The transducer was connected to a system which assisted in data collection. This study revealed that it is possible to develop an inexpensive transducer that is reliable for data collection. The ability to evaluate garments in an objective manner could be combined with the subjective analysis of a model wearing a test garment. The analysis could provide information for redesigning a garment that is both functional and comfortable. / Master of Science