Re-Making fashion experience: A model for ‘participatory research through clothing design’ | Intellect Skip to content
1981
  1. Home
  2. A-Z Publications
  3. Journal of Arts & Communities
  4. Volume 11, Issue 1
  5. Article
‘Stitching Together’ Part Two
  • ISSN: 1757-1936
  • E-ISSN: 1757-1944

Abstract

The article presents a participatory research model based on two case studies, involving the making of the research and the making of the clothing. In recent years, there has been growing interest in participatory design research, especially in relation to textiles and clothing. Various practice-based initiatives focused around the role, value and use of clothing have demonstrated success in developing and applying research methodologies aimed at activating or recording creative outcomes while staying attuned to participants’ experiential knowledge and feedback. Researchers working across social and design innovation contexts point to the urgent need for new cultures of sustainable practice that challenge the growth model through the sharing of expert and amateur knowledge and skills. Consequently, an important opportunity now exists to more formally explicate a transferable model of principles for participatory engagement through making together.

Based on a critical analysis of two consecutive collaborative research inquiries, this article posits a working model of ‘participatory research through clothing design’. The authors suggest that the model, consisting of five stages of participation: (1) communicating and listening, (2) involving, (3) activating and responding, (4) consulting and (5) sharing, offers a useful pathway when considering craft-based research aspirations and goals. The authors seek to highlight some of the practical opportunities and ethical responsibilities faced by researchers when making with others, while delineating some of the challenges and potential pitfalls raised by both case studies.

© 2020 Intellect Ltd
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/jaac_00012_1
2020-12-01
2024-04-25
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Aldrich, W.. ( 2004), Metric Pattern Cutting for Womenswear, , 4th ed.., Oxford:: Blackwell;.
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Arnstein, S. R.. ( 1969;), ‘ A ladder of citizen participation. ’, Journal of the American Planning Association, 35:4, pp. 216–24.
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Bovone, L.. ( 2012;), ‘ Fashion, identity and social actors. ’, in A. González, and L. Bovone. (eds), Identities Through Fashion: A Multidisciplinary Approach, London:: Bloomsbury;, pp. 67–93.
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Burcikova, M.. ( 2019;), ‘ Mundane fashion: Women, clothes and emotional durability. ’, unpublished Ph.D. thesis, Huddersfield:: University of Huddersfield;.
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Entwistle, J., and Townsend, K.. ( 2020;), ‘ On fashioning anatomy. ’, in K. Townsend,, R. Solomon, and A. Briggs-Goode. (eds), Crafting Anatomies: Archives, Dialogues, Fabrications, London:: Bloomsbury;, pp. 289–304.
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Finlay, L.. ( 2011), Phenomenology for Therapists: Researching the Lived World, Oxford:: Wiley-Blackwell;.
     [Google Scholar]
  7. Fletcher, K.. ( 2008), Sustainable Fashion and Textiles: Design Journeys, London:: Earthscan;.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Fletcher, K., and Grimstad Klepp, I.. (eds) ( 2017), Opening up the Wardrobe: A Methods Book, Plymouth, MN:: Novus Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  9. Fletcher, K., and Tham, M.. ( 2019), Earth Logic: Fashion Action Research Plan, London:: The JJ Charitable Trust;.
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Gill, A.. ( 1998;), ‘ Deconstruction fashion: The making of unfinished, decomposing and re-assembled clothes. ’, Fashion Theory, 2:1, pp. 25–49.
     [Google Scholar]
  11. Goode, J.. ( 2016;), ‘ Fashioning the sixties: Fashion narratives of older women. ’, Ageing and Society, 38:3, pp. 455–75.
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Hart, R.. ( 1992), Children’s Participation: From Tokenism to Citizenship, UNICEF Innocenti Essays, No. 4, Florence:: International Child Development Centre of UNICEF;, https://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/childrens_participation.pdf. Accessed 7 August 2019.
     [Google Scholar]
  13. Hart, R. A.. ( 2008;), ‘ Stepping back from “the ladder”: Reflections on a model of participatory work with children. ’, in A. Reid,, B. B. Jensen,, J. Nikel, and V. Simovska. (eds), Participation and Learning, Dordrecht:: Springer;, pp. 19–31.
     [Google Scholar]
  14. Kemmis, S.. ( 2006;), ‘ Participatory action research and the public sphere. ’, Educational Action Research, 14:4, pp. 459–76.
     [Google Scholar]
  15. Koskinen, I.,, Zimmerman, J.,, Redstrom, J., and Wensveen, S.. ( 2011), Design Research Through Practice: From the Lab, Field and Showroom, Burlington, MA:: Elsevier and Morgan Kaufmann;.
     [Google Scholar]
  16. Malafouris, L.. ( 2013), How Things Shape the Mind: A Theory of Material Engagement, Cambridge, MA and London:: MIT Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  17. Manzini, E.. ( 2015), Design, When Everybody Designs – An Introduction to Design for Social Innovation, Cambridge, MA:: The MIT Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Martin, B., and Hanington, B.. ( 2012), Universal Methods of Design, Beverly, MA:: Rockport;.
     [Google Scholar]
  19. Minkler, M.. ( 2000;), ‘ Using participatory action research to build healthy communities. ’, Public Health Reports, 115:2&3, pp. 191–97.
     [Google Scholar]
  20. Niinimaki, K., and Koskinen, I.. ( 2011;), ‘ I love this dress, it makes me feel beautiful: Emotional knowledge in sustainable design. ’, The Design Journal, 14:2, pp. 165–86.
     [Google Scholar]
  21. Sadkowska, A.. ( 2016;), ‘ Arts-informed interpretative phenomenological analysis: Understanding older men’s experiences of ageing through the lens of fashion and clothing. ’, unpublished Ph.D. thesis, Nottingham:: Nottingham Trent University;.
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Sadkowska, A.. ( 2018;), ‘ Arts-informed interpretative phenomenological analysis: “Making”, as a means of embodied fashion enquiry into older men’s lived experiences. ’, Fashion Practice, 10:3, pp. 405–32.
     [Google Scholar]
  23. Sadkowska, A.. ( 2020;), ‘ Dis-comforting, pioneering and re-materializing: Crafting understanding of older men’s experiences of ageing through their personal archives. ’, in K. Townsend,, R. Solomon, and A. Briggs-Goode. (eds), Crafting Anatomies: Archives, Dialogues, Fabrications, London:: Bloomsbury;, pp. 67–88.
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Sennett, R.. ( 2013), Together: The Rituals, Pleasures and Politics of Cooperation, London:: Penguin;.
     [Google Scholar]
  25. Sissons, J.. ( 2010), Basic Fashion Design 06: Knitwear, London:: AVA;.
     [Google Scholar]
  26. Smith, J. A.,, Flowers, P., and Larkin, M.. ( 2009), Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: Theory, Method and Research, London:: Sage;.
     [Google Scholar]
  27. Thornquist, C., and Bigolin, R.. (eds) ( 2017), Proceedings of the 2017 Conference Everything and Everybody as Material: Beyond Fashion Design Methods, School of Fashion & Textiles, Borås, Sweden, 7–9 June, RMIT University & Swedish School of Textiles and University of Borås, http://media.everythingeverybodyasmaterial.com/2018/05/EEM-PROCEEDINGS_1.pdf. Accessed 15 December 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  28. Townsend, K.,, Kent, A., and Sadkowska, A.. ( 2019;), ‘ Fashioning clothing with and for mature women: A small-scale sustainable design business model. ’, Management Decision; Emerald Insight, 57:1, pp. 3–20.
     [Google Scholar]
  29. Townsend, K., and Mills, F.. ( 2013;), ‘ Mastering zero: How the pursuit of less waste leads to more creative pattern cutting. ’, International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, 6:2, pp. 104–11.
     [Google Scholar]
  30. Townsend, K.,, Prince, E.,, Escott, A., and Barker, G.. ( 2019;), ‘ From rag picking to riches: Fashion education meets textile waste. ’, Proceedings of Textile Intersections 2019, 12–14 September, London:: Loughborough University;, https://doi.org/10.17028/rd.lboro.9724655.v1. Accessed 7 October 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  31. Townsend, K., and Sadkowska, A.. ( 2018;), ‘ Textiles as material Gestalt: Cloth as a catalyst in the co-designing process. ’, Journal of Textile Design Research and Practice, 5:2, pp. 208–31.
     [Google Scholar]
  32. Townsend, K.,, Sadkowska, A., and Boxall, J.. ( 2017a), Emotional Fit Documentary (10 minutes), Vimeo;, https://vimeo.com/214462308. Accessed 7 October 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  33. Townsend, K.,, Sadkowska, A.,, Goode, J.,, Sissons, J., and Harrigan, K.. ( 2017b;), ‘ Design as a socio-material practice: Reflections on the emotional fit collective fashion enquiry. ’, in T. Thornquist, and R. Bigolin. (eds), Proceedings of Everything and Everybody as Material: Beyond Fashion Design Methods, Swedish School of Textiles, Borås, Sweden, 7–9 June, Melbourne and Victoria:: The School of Fashion and Textiles, RMIT University;, pp. 190–99.
     [Google Scholar]
  34. Townsend, K.,, Sadkowska, A., and Sissons, J.. ( 2017c;), ‘ Emotional fit: Developing a new fashion methodology with older women. ’, Clothing Cultures, 4:3, pp. 235–53.
     [Google Scholar]
  35. Twigg, J.. ( 2013), Fashion and Age: Dress, the Body and Later Life, London:: Bloomsbury;.
     [Google Scholar]
  36. Twigger-Holroyd, A.. ( 2017;), ‘ Making it mine: Personalising clothes at home. ’, in I. Kuksa, and T. Fisher. (eds), Design for Personalisation, Farnham:: Gower;, pp. 34–50.
     [Google Scholar]
  37. UK Office for National Statistics ( 2012;), ‘ Statistical bulletin: Births and deaths in England and Wales (WWW). ’, http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/birth-summary-tables--england-and-wales/2011--final-/sb-births-and-deaths-in-england-and-wales--2011--final-.html#tab-Key-trends-in-births-and-deaths--numbers-and-rates-. Accessed 7 December 2012.
  38. Valle-Noronha, J.. ( 2019;), ‘ Becoming with clothes: Activating wearer-worn engagements through design. ’, Ph.D. thesis, Helsinki:: Aalto University;.
     [Google Scholar]
  39. Willig, C.. ( 2001), Introducing Qualitative Research in Psychology: Adventures in Theory and Method, Maidenhead:: Open University;.
     [Google Scholar]
  40. Townsend, Katherine, and Sadkowska, Ania. ( 2020;), ‘ Re-Making fashion experience: A model for “participatory research through clothing design”. ’, Journal of Arts & Communities, 11:1&2, pp. 13–33, doi: https://doi.org/10.1386/jaac_00012_1
     [Google Scholar]
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.1386/jaac_00012_1
Loading
Re-Making fashion experience: A model for ‘participatory research through clothing design’
Journal of Arts & Communities 11, 13 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1386/jaac_00012_1
/content/journals/10.1386/jaac_00012_1
/content/journals/10.1386/jaac_00012_1
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): embodied knowledge textiles; fashion and ageing; fashion and clothing; material engagement; participatory research; participatory research model

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error