This thesis investigates whole-garment weaving as an experimental design and construction method. The majority of the current development and research within the field focuses on production efficiency and the development of weaving techniques. Here, the intention is to connect form, material and making. The aim is to find ways to deconstruct the process of garment making in order to create new knowledge through craft. Within whole-garment weaving, many design processes are dealt with simultaneously, through direct experimentation on the loom. In order to maintain the integrity of the weaving, interferences such as cutting and sewing is limited. The basics of the practical method is that the cloth is woven as a double weave on the loom. For the practical work, the first objective was to find basic parameters for the project, freely experimenting with weave constructions and bindings. As the process developed, more aspects of garment construction were included in the design process. The combination of bindings, floats and elastic is used to create expressive textile as well as dress, so that the textile surfaces influences the silhouette or the drape. The result shows the expressive potential of whole-garment weaving through a series of nine examples, each showcasing different aspects of the method. The focus is on showcasing experimental approaches to simultaneous fashion/textile design interaction.

This thesis describes a practice-based research project that explores the relationship between textile and fashion systems through whole-garment weaving. In the current state of the textile and fashion industry, these are mostly based on two separate systems where the textile industry merely functions as an invisible backbone of the fashion industry. The structure of the weave, the jacquard patterns, the yarns and colours have the ability to link the textile to the garment, materialising the interdependency of the two. Hybrid forms of dressing is based on a series of experiments related to the components of jacquard weaving, local yarns and weaving constructions in a layering system, to gain an understanding of their relationship in the process of garment creation. This project aims to contribute to creating an equal balance between textile and fashion systems, working in a simultaneous design approach and opening up for discussion on this matter.

Complete garment knitting technology is a method of producing knitted products, generally fashion garments, ready-made directly in the knitting machine without additional operations such as cutting and sewing. This makes it possible to manufacture a knitted fashion garment with fewer processes then with conventional production methods. In the fashion business customer demand is always changing due to fashion trends, so to be able to manufacture and deliver products rapidly is important. Mass customisation is a customer co-design process of products and services that tries to meets the needs of an individual customer’s demand for certain product features. In the fashion business this means that the customer can order a garment with a customised style, colour, size, and other personal preferences. The principal objective of this dissertation was to examine if and how complete garment technology can be applied to the customisation of knitted fashion products. It was pursued through several independent studies in knitting technology, mass customisation, and fashion logistics against a theoretical frame of reference in these areas. The papers in this thesis present various examples of how knitted fashion garments can be customised and integrated into fashion retailing concepts. The starting point of the research was the Knit-on-Demand research project conducted at the Swedish School of Textiles in collaboration with a knitting manufacturing and retailing company. The aim was to develop a shop concept built on the complete garment technology where a garment could be customised, produced, and delivered as quickly as possible. This initial idea failed due to the expense of investing in complete garment knitting technology, and so other avenues of research had to be found. The Knit-on-Demand project continued, using a business model similar to the complete garment concept but with the retail store and the production unit situated in different locations. The overall research question addressed in this thesis is: How can complete garment knitting technology be applied in a retail concept for customised garments? This question is then divided in two problems: What are the fashion logistics effects of combining complete garment technology and mass customisation? How does the co-design process function in the customisation of knitted fashion garments?The following is a qualitative study based on five research articles applying different research methodologies: case studies, simulations, and interviews. The empirical context is the area of mass customisation of fashion products and knitting technology, more specifically called complete garment knitting production technology. No prior studies describing mass customisation of complete garment knitting technology in combination with fashion logistics were found in the literature. The main contribution of this study is the demonstration that complete garment knitting technology can be applied in the customisation of fashion products. It also illustrates the importance of the co-design process between the company and the customer through which a knitted garment can be customised, produced, and delivered to the customer in three to five hours. The process of co-design and manufacture of a customised complete fashion product is examined, and the advantages and disadvantages associated with customisation of knitted garments are identified and described.