The Origin of Fashion Design Technology - Essay Example

? Research Methods on Fashion Design Technology Research Methods on Fashion Design Technology ment of the problem Since the beginning of civilization, fashion has been predominantly grounded on women; therefore, while pursuing this research, the content here should be grounded on the educated assumption of this fact, thereby not having to consistently mention women since fashion is predominantly based on women’s wear. To creatively harness the zeitgeist of fashion design technology, it is necessary to translate this inspiration in a unique way since this is the key. The high level of global competition has made fashion design technology highly competitive and we have seen how technology has heightened the efficiency in many components of fashion design in a very significant way (Ferre & Samuele, 1998). In the business of fashion design, it is the role of the designer to transform cultural influences with the use of technology into new products. Fashion design technology research is supposed to be developed in a way that it enhances fashion design understanding in the post-modern context, therefore posing this question: In which way has technology influenced the creativity in fashion design? While focusing on creativity in fashion design, this study should evolve while incorporating a grounded theory approach to qualitative inquiry. There should be an interview of luxury-level fashion designers and industry executives in countries with a rich history when it comes to fashion design, France being a good example. The interview should be in depth and regarding creativity and technological ingenuity especially pertaining to the internet when it comes to fashion design process. There should be a concise data analysis which should lead to the definition of a typology for creativity and technology in fashion design in the global competitive environment. There should be a relation of these typologies with the use of technology. The study should be able to contribute the new perspectives to the social-cultural and ideological shifts occurring. The research should define key concepts, provide historical context, and discuss theoretical domains under which there will be an establishment of areas of inquiry (Hollander, 1994). The fashion technology should encompass all aspects that are concerned with the design, production, and distribution of material and apparel goods. Under the discussion of fashion, there are broad components of women’s wear such as accessories, jewelry, and perfume. The production of basic apparel items does not rely on the same conceptual driving force found on novelty and change. For the purpose of a well grounded research fashion industry technology on women’s wear should involve companies or individuals that are involved in the manufacture, fabrication, marketing, and sale of items which:- (a) Have precise aesthetic and performing properties, (b) Elicit psychological response associated to desire and need and (c) Are embraced by a group of women for a limited amount of time. The fashion industry technology function within industrial societies context and is complex encompassing a wide array of disciplines which include aesthetics, design, product development, economics, global business, marketing, consumer behavior, operations, and management as well as anthropology, psychology, and sociology. Historical Context The Origin of fashion design technology In the research on fashion design, there should be a note on the focus on technological phenomenon which was developed in the mid-20th century as a result of the internet which is the crux of technology. It is the Internet which has facilitated users to explore the World Wide Web for information and entertainment thus facilitating the development of a new business model, e-commerce which is the process of business transaction through contact made on the World Wide Web. The founding of brands in fashion design is based on creative and innovative research and development aided by technology facilitating further commercial exploitation of those brands through licensing and establishing continued accessibility of prices pertinent to the growing near-affluent and affluent consumer populations (Hollander, 1999).This kind of research should explore creativity and technology which is predominantly focused on the luxury segment of the textile and apparel complex. Technological process and information technology Since it is technology which has enabled fashion design and manufacturers in meeting the present challenges in the business environment, it should be included in the research. Therefore, since technology is a wide concept, in order to elucidate this type if research, different kind of technology should be divided into two categories: The hardware and/or software facilitating the physical advancement of the product during the technological process. This is further sub-divisible into 3-D Body scanning/mass customization, computer assisted design, computer assisted patternmaking and computer assisted manufacturing. Designs assisted by computers cover programs facilitating creative sketching, presentation boards, technical design, and textile design. Adobe Photoshop and illustrator are some of the software programs used. One should also cover computer aided patternmaking which includes digitizing the presented patterns for the purpose of grading and preparation pre-production, making patterns from obtainable slopes, digitization of draped muslins for the computer finishing, and pattern customization for clients (Hollander, 2002). One should also take the process further and mention how technological development has steered to 3-D virtual compilation of the pattern then assess the pattern on a virtual model whole with animation for the viewing of the virtual model as it walks, thus facilitating the various aspects of fashion design like the changing of color, pattern, proportion and details before achieving its realization in actual fabric. When talking about computer aided manufacturing there should be an inclusion of the cutting of a large amount of garments in a paperless environment. This is by the use of automated spreading and cutting, which is for a few sections of the industry proceeding all the way to automated assembly. In computer-aided manufacturing, there should be an inclusion of supply-chain technology like software which is for product data management and product lifecycle management which will be both in local networks and on the Internet (Kawamura, 2005). When discussing Information Technology, one should refer to the numerous ideas, words, and images locally and over the World Wide Web. There should be an inclusion of Internet-based information dissemination methods like: e-zines, podcasts, myspace.com, youtube.com, secondlife.com, and blogs. In addition, content on Information Technology should include web-based trend forecasting agencies where we have subscription-based and those with free access .The researcher should utilize the Information Technology component of the technological paradigm since this area has been receiving little literary attention .The selected components which should be included are intended to ground the study in the historical foundation examining its evolution so as to better delve into the contemporary environment for effective projection of future changes (Martin, 1997). Technology While discussing matters of technology and fashion the content should be centered on the following themes: Apparel development and assembly Interactive in-store experience supply-chain efficiency Mass-customization E-commerce. Related studies in textile and apparel academic journals contain analysis of the influence of computer technology on the apparel industry and education in the fashion design industry. One should conduct an exploration of efficient learning environments for computer-based technology in the fashion design area. A researcher should be able to portray the learning process in the teaching of fashion design aided by computer technology. Although the creative apparel design development has been having inadequate attention in the academic literature, there should be an abstract model regarding the creative design process, which should be on the basis of personal documentation of line development. The creativity language on fashion design technology should be explored with the scope of contributing to efficient communication in the design development process. There should be an exploration of cultural meaning in consumer society, which should address the characteristics of the fashion industry illustrating hypothesis which are related to culture and consumption pertaining fashion design technology (McDermott, 2010). Women’s wear theoretical domain In fashion design technology when it comes to women’s wear, the dress is a sub-cultural system, which is unique in its specific manifestation in culture but universal in its expression. The cultural sub-system of dress comprises of three main distinctive but interrelated and interactive components, they are: Technology (material culture) Social structure (social behavior) Ideology (beliefs, attitudes, values). The above are like the macro-cultural system in which dress functions, whose constituents cut across the range of mechanisms through which people organize themselves socially to adapt and survive. The following are those mechanisms which are a source of technological design in fashion: Economic organization, political organization Family and kinship organization Socialization, ideological organization Arts and aesthetics, and communication. Qualitative Research and Design Strategy Researchers can use the various types of qualitative approaches in the exploration of diverse phenomena. Participant-observation, case studies, and group and individual interviews are the approaches normally used. In participant-observation, the researcher should immerse him or herself in the subject of the study becoming a member of the fashion industry. A researcher should observe and participate as much as possible, this way it will be easier to comprehend the context of the phenomenon of interest. This process is complex, the process of passing from an etic, in other words an outsider viewpoint is not easy and it this is what produces the abstract, while there is also the abstract language pertaining what the researcher knows about the subject, to an emic, or inside viewpoint, which is where the researcher tries to get at the subject's comprehension of themselves and their perception of what is real (Scheips, 2007). A researcher’s observation necessitates a large amount of time and the collected data can be extensive, according to the research study. A less broad and yet similarly valid approach to this qualitative research is the case study. However, this method should not be chosen since a “bounded system” is required for an efficient case study. In order for this research to serve its intended purpose, the content should have an established set of patterned behaviors which are consistent and sequential, which is the situation for this study. While interviewing, two approaches should be taken: i) There is the focus group, which is basically a group interview. The use of focus groups was developed by marketing researchers and is normally used when the researcher is not sure of the precise research question and intends to explore a theme to see where it may direct. When a scholar is interested in this topic since she or he believes will render richer data, a focus group presents this forum for exploration. The respondents may not even be conscious of the particular research goals. It is the role of the researcher to guide the discussion in a productive way in the situation where an individual comment/s affects the contributions of the others (Steele, 2000). ii) Then we have the individual interviewing which is the most personalized and intimate approach in the gathering of qualitative data. In this approach special emphasis should be put on rapport building and the researcher should be aware of the ways in which he or she may bias the interview data. Planning and rehearsing the interview process is important for the provision of continued data collection, as well as to enable the researcher to get the most amounts of data from each source (Steele, 2005). Summary Fashion Design technology Technology is a very important constituent of today’s business and is the bona fide revolution of 21st century. Whether or not one accept technology in personal activities, fashion designers are intrinsically influenced by technology since it is the designers who synthesize the world around them and technology is part and parcel of today’s environment. An assessment of the literature related to technology and the fashion industry will led to two types of definition in technology in respect to fashion design: i) Process Technology ii) .Information Technology. Research data analysis will demonstrate a few common outlooks toward technology among partaker responses and most responses are inclined to reflect extreme differences. Technology is the driving force for cultural change and this study should focus on technology as a vector in the examination fashion design. Since change is a vital component of the fashion industry by meaning, the study of this nature relative to fashion design technology is particularly relevant. The priori reason for initializing this project is to evaluate the modes and perspective a researcher can pursue while conducting a research on fashion design technology. So as to set up a feasible research parameter, the content should be narrowed to concentrate on western culture. The intention of this project is to basically explore the researcher’s perception of creativity in fashion design technology to identify ways in which the technology contributes in the fashion design process (Steele, 2005). References Ferre, G., & Samuele, M., 1998. Gianfranco Ferre. Corte Madera: Ginkgo. Hollander, A., 1994. Sex and suits: the evolution of modern dress. New York: Knopf. Hollander, A., 1999. Feeding the eye: essays. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. Hollander, A., 2002. Fabric of vision: dress and drapery in painting. London: National Gallery. Kawamura, Y., 2005. Fashion-ology: an introduction to Fashion Studies. Oxford: Berg. Martin, R., 1997. Gianni Versace. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. McDermott, K., 2010. Style for all: why fashion, invented by kings, now belongs to all of us. New York: Wiley. Scheips, C., 2007. American Fashion. New York: Assouline. Steele, V., 2000. Fifty years of fashion: new look to now. New Haven: Yale University Press. Steele, V., 2005. Encyclopedia of clothing and fashion. Detroit: Thomson Gale. Read More