Emotional Fit: Developing a new fashion methodology with older women

This article reports on a user-centred methodological approach towards fashion design for older women (55+). Referred to as the ‘baby boomers’, the women in this study are the product of the cultural revolution of the 1960s, who consequently have a strong sense of their own agency, as conveyed through their clothing and style, but now find themselves stepping into the unknown territory of a limited clothing market. The majority of fashion brands and stores aim at younger consumers, and with some notable exceptions, it is mainly high and niche designer labels who are offering stylish garments that complement the changing bodies of an older generation women with strong aesthetic values. In response to this negative scenario, three researchers have developed an original practice-based research methodology that synthesizes fashion and textile design practices with interpretative phenomenological analysis. The emerging holistic, co-design and user-centred approach uniquely responds to both the physical and emotional needs of an ageing female demographic highlighting the need for more holistic clothing design models.