Hannah
Whitewood
a new approach to modern womenswear with a focus on ethical practices, sustainably sourced materials to provide high quality conscious clothing to our consumers.
the cost of fashion shouldn’t come at a cost to the world
My MA included a research module called Question of Research. Here is the process of which I answered my chosen question!
Question of Research
How can materiality enhance the user/audience experience?
Briefing 27/9/22
practice led research - ‘research in which the professional and/or creative practices play an instrumental part in an inquiry’ (AHRC, 2007)
it should seek to provide new insights through VIGOROUS INQUIRY
this is a process
Blog Talk 4/10/22
WHAT TO INCLUDE - an intro, my question, any discoveries, my reflections and a summary
so thats what this will be... a personal archive to show my journey in starting to understand the question above and how to answer it.
Looking at definitions - 6/10/22
MATERIALITY - ‘materiality is one of the most contested concepts in contemporary art and is often sidelined in critical academic writing’ (Lange-Berndt in the intro to MATERIALITY Documents of Contemporary Art)
a measure of how important a piece of information is when making a decision - Cambridge Business English Dictionary
the quality of being relevant or significant. - Oxford Dictionary
the quality or state of being material 2. something that is material - Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary
ENHANCE - to improve the quality, amount, or strength of something - Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/enhance
to improve the quality, amount, or value of something - Cambridge Business English Dictionary
intensify, increase, or further improve the quality, value, or extent of - Oxford Languages
EXPERIENCE - from the Cambridge Dictionary website https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/experience
the process of getting) knowledge or skill from doing, seeing, or feeling things:
something that happens to you that affects how you feel:
the way that something happens and how it makes you feel:
If you experience something, it happens to you, or you feel it:
Looking for books for Materiality - 9/10/22
Crafts of Use - Kate Fletcher
A Cultural History of Fashion in the 20th and 21st Centuries - Bonnie English
Materiality / Documents of Contemporary Art - Edited by Petra Lange-Berndt (709.04 LAN)
Sustainable Fashion / Whats Next? - Janet Hethorn and Connie Ulasewicz (746.92 HET)
Surface: Matters of Aesthetics, Materiality and Media - Guiliana Bruno (111.85 BRU)
Fashion Futures - Bradley Quinn (746.9209.. QUI)
Fashion and Materialism - Ulrich Lehmann (677.009 LEH)
Fashion and Materiality / Cultural Practices in Global Contexts - Heike Jenss (391 JEN)
Time, Consumption and Everyday Life / Practice, Materiality and Culture - Elizabeth Shove, Frank Trentmann, Richard Wilk (ebook)
Ive been thinking about materiality in a couple of different ways that I want to explore.
Firstly in terms of materialism, buying goods to get happiness - ‘the belief that having money and possessions is the most important thing in life’ - https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/materialism
Secondly, looking at the material itself. Kate Fletcher in Crafts of Use talks on the downward pressure of price, which in-turn creates deteriorating standards of materials. pg 60
These almost go hand in hand when considering sign economy - ‘in a sign economy, where people crave images and social meaning, a good’s materiality become less important, pieces are not valued for their intrinsic qualities, but they are no less in demand.’ - Kate Fletcher pg 140 Crafts of Use. People consume too keep up with the trends, with little thought of what they are actually consuming…. materials but also labour.
Looking at Scientific, Humanities and Practice Research following reading ‘The Nature of Research’ Bruce Archer 1995. - 11/10/2022
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
science comes after enlightenment observation leading to changing values
FRANCIS BACON
EMPIRICISM - evidenced through observation and measurement
RATIONALISM - logical thinking over feeling : objectivity
INDUCTIVE - inferring general laws based on observations of specific instances
outcome, intention, methods, hypothesis & testing, prove or disprove, validation & verification, evidence, analysis, observation (reliability, repeatability), quantitive, generalised inductive findings, bigger categories, tries to avoid outliers.
HUMANITIES RESEARCH
based on ideology, understanding the intention of the author, positionally and context.
analyse behaviour, relationships, creative works, feelings/emotions, humanity
looks at the individual experience and the richness of experience - qualitative research
evaluation - if its subjective
primary/secondary research
categorisation
PRACTICE RESEARCH
science is about seeing, humanities considers the unseen, what can creative practices contribute?
communicable - providing the public with knowledge. engaging the public with research.
there is a need for interdisciplinary collaboration.
GOOD PRACTICE IN ACADEMIC RESEARCH
ENQUIRY - calculated to expose new explanations/observations OR seeks to falsify previous explanations/observations
THEORETICAL POSITION OUTLINED - must be clear
UNAMBIGUOUS QUESTION
SOURCES CITED - primary sources cited, origin of ideas indicated
NEW DATA RECORDED - transparent procedures and arguments
CONCLUSIONS FORMULATED - initial and intermediate. so they can be refuted
RECORD OF INVESTIGATION PUBLISHED - so it can be exposed to critical appraisal
My thoughts after this lecture..
There were three modes of research highlighted after reading the key text by Bruce Archer.
Within the practice of Fashion the creative practice mode is most used. This is a more intuitive and exploratory process. It is normally more chaotic with ideas and inspirations coming throughout the process itself, although these are still documented and recorded enabling it to be appraised by others. The final outcome of the process is often published or exhibited which also allows for this appraisal.
The scientific mode can relate to fashion in a different way.
Humanities research looks like it will most relevant, looking at behaviour and feelings around an individual experience. As my question focuses on the user/audience it is more suited to that type of research. This does mean I need to analytical as some of my findings may be subjective.
Library Induction Zoom with Greta Friggins - 18/10/22
The induction ran through the library website and the best ways to research.
I found this helpful as a new student, being shown how the library resources work.
I highlighted during the talk that the Press Reader Archive looked interesting with global newspapers and magazines.
I also appreciated the tool for citing resources from the tool bar, and citation help as I haven’t used APA 7th edition.
Thinking and Processes - 25/10/22
A + B = ? leads to the three modes of thinking
deductive mode A + B = A + B
backing up generalised statements with specific scenarios - top down
evidence based - problem solving
inductive mode A + B = AB
generalised conclusions based off specific scenarios - bottom up approach
abductive mode A + B = C
predictions based off incomplete observations
a more imaginative approach, creative and own ideas.
Knowledge types
Declarative Knowledge - whats there, you can see
Procedural Knowledge - open the door and see whats behind it
Adbuctive Knowledge - imagine whats behind the door
The process of MA research is different from that of undergrad level.
start looking into every possibilities until its unfruitful, then you can back pedal to find other possibilities.
The iterative process loop goes around until you have enough information to exit the loop and move to a new point of research
Donald Schön (1993)
reflection in action
works on getting to the bottom of what is happening in the experiencers processes, decision - the making and feeling at the time of the event or interaction
reflection on action
works on sifting over a previous event to take into account new info or theoretical perspectives available in conjunction with the experiences, processes, feeling and actions
Personal Reflections on the previous lecture
When prompted with the “A + B = ?” question, I chose C as my answer suggesting my mode of thinking was more abductive. This seems to be common in creatives but for more formal research I feel I need to take on a more inductive or deductive mode, to be more led by the information I am reading, rather than making up my own conclusions.
Reflection on action happens more during the designing process, after each step of the iterative process. It is a good way of seeing how well the process has been done, and what to do better in the future.
I think reflection in action does have a big part to play as well. Especially when considering the question - How can materiality enhance the user/audience experience? The user makes a decision on what jumper to buy, perhaps based on what material it is made from, or what design is on the jumper. By understanding the process of that decision making (the feelings evoked by the jumpers), we are perhaps more able to understand how the materiality affected the decision.
Looking back at the research process, we were pushed towards a more iterative process that we may have done before.
This is something that is done within my creative process when researching for my graduate collection. The initial research is very broad, highlighting specific details that interested me and worked with the concept. The analysis comes when putting those ideas and details together, whether the designs with work in a line up. Then comes the synthesis, which in fashion is the toile, a work in progress garment. Once this has been made it can be tested on the body, so any sizing or practical issues can be highlighted and changed. Once this process is done for all the garments they can be presented to either the tutors in a university environment or a feedback group, to receive honest comment and/or criticism. This either is the end of the process and the final garment can be made, or more alterations or even a new design are made restarting the iterative process.
This way means that at every step only the best products or ideas are going forward. Each stage also allows for personal reflection analysing both the product but the process in which it has been achieved. This improved my work by thinking about it more professionally and in more detail than ‘I do or don’t like it.’
How can materiality enhance the user experience?
the material itself
uses
quality
sustainability
visible mending
improve
aid/help
how it feels
how they feel
conscious consumer
warmth?
softness?
waterproof?
sentiment
materialism
material misuse
storytelling
connection
pride
deteriorating material standards
longevity of a garment
relevance/significance
Looking at Previous Examples - 15/11/22
ADAPTING THE QUESTION- to suit your design practice and own ideas.
initial thoughts
explanation of terms - breakdown
historical or cultural context (previous authors, background info, future?)
theory / processes
real life examples / case study (SWOT)
consider within own practice
Adapting the question is of interest to me. It means the question is more interesting to me so I will be more inclined to have specific further research.
Makes it less intense, allows you to adapt to your strengths and interests.
Presentations
about 10 mins
need to be clear and engaging - be passionate
keep it concise, not to beefy
Explore the question, don’t just define.
Question Adaptation -
How materiality enhances the user experience?
sustainability for the conscious consumer?
waterproof —> being dry?
Notes from 1-to-1 tutorial - 15/11/22
for the conscious consumer, material choice is important
visible mending can lead to ones pride in being able to fix it. more likely to fix it again and make repairs/alterations - a lost skill base
storytelling
being prepared to pay the right price… materialism with consumerist culture. instant gratification from buying a product rather than gratification when it is worn - single use?!
fishermans ganseys - 160hrs of hand knitting, the love and care that goes into it
second hand - second life. hand me downs
material - not washing garments at much - leads to wasting water, heat, releasing smells and memories, releasing microplastics. materials (linen, jupe, wool) do better without being washed. make offwhite / faded black garments?
looking at the properties of fabric, examine the misuse of fabrics. are they bad? or just badly used. Be conscious of how we use plastics.
Taking the time to hear and connect with each woman's story forms the basis of the design process for Young, who will then paint the woman's story on silk following their meeting using her own ancestors' ancient markings as symbolism.
"I feel that by connecting on a personal and spiritual level she will feel more confident and more connected to the dress," Young told The Huffington Post Australia.
By enhancing the garments with the stories of aboriginal ancestors, the wearer (user) has a better relationship with their clothing. Lyn Al Young talks of the wearer feeling more confident, which enhances their own experience of wearing the dress. This connection and confidence will in turn make for a more valued item of clothing that is more likely to be cherished and looked after, rather than a piece of fast fashion which is soon discarded after it is worn.
Shonae Hobson (the curator of Piinpi, discussing the present and future of Indigenous fashion design.) : There’s definitely a lot that non-Indigenous people and designers can learn from Indigenous people, especially in terms of sustainability.
One of the really important things about Indigenous fashion – and I look at designers like Lyn-Al, and Julie Shaw with Maara collective, who’s done a beautiful collaboration with the women at Bula’Bula Arts – is sharing culture and passing on knowledge and storytelling through clothing in a really beautiful and elegant way.
I think the storytelling is incredibly important for these women as its a story that has been hidden and altered through history. These designers are reclaiming their heritage and sharing that with younger indigenous people so they can learn about their own culture. This therefore holds far more meaning than the average garment of clothing, as these loudly tell the story of ancestors that were silenced. The sentimental value of these stories I am sure cant even be measured. These stories (and garments) will be well cared for and protected.
Thinking about sentiment and storytelling - 18/11/22
Examining the misuse of materials - 18/11/22
PLASTICS
plastic is a wonder material but have we gone too far?
plastic based fabrics have overtaken their natural counterparts -
‘In the global fibre market, cotton commands a 28.4% share ... but wool is a minority fibre, accounting for 1.3% of global trade.’ ‘The scant representation of synthetic fibres … raises an uncomfortable question about what is happening to polyester – the world’s most ubiquitously traded fibre (52.2% of global total)’ - Kate Fletcher (2018) Crafts of Use pg. 142;;
‘Over the last 50 years, conventional fossil-fuel based plastics have become an integral part of our everyday lives … due to a number of their unique properties, including durability, strength, lightness, electrical and thermal insulation, resistance to chemicals and corrosion.’ - Filho, W. L. et al. (2021) ‘An assessment of attitudes towards plastics and bioplastics in Europe’, The Science of the total environment. (Pt 1), p. 1
Plastic enabled desirable products to be made much more affordably, enabling a growing population to thrive. It replaced more expensive materials such as glass, paper and metal, and in the fashion world, cotton.
Material Deterioration -
‘we buy items more often because the downward pressure on price leads to actual or perceived deteriorating standards of material and construction - the ‘quality fade’*- and pieces fall apart increasingly quickly and need to be replaced, necessitating another visit to the store. It seems that in contemporary consumer culture we organise our ideas about fashion around commerce and consumerism and end up being dependent on them’ - Kate Fletcher (2018) Crafts of Use pg. 60
*Elizabeth Cline (2012) Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion pg. 90
This consumer culture goes hand in hand with materialism. The want for more. This drives up demand so companies want to cut costs to make maximum profit. This affects the money spent on raw materials and labour. It is no surprise that these clothes fall apart.
Technological Advances - 24/11/22
Udale, J. (2014). Basics Fashion Design: Textiles and Fashion. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. pgs .26, 58, 72
Smart Materials
Using technology we have have the opportunity for interactive clothing. ‘Smart materials that respond to changes in then environment or to the human body’ - This enables the materiality of the clothing to vastly enhance the user experience if they could open doors, or switch on lights as some examples used by Udale.
Smart materials have the ability to measure heart rate, which could be lifesaving in the right circumstances.
Biotechnology
Fabrics can release chemicals that they contain onto the skin. This is one of the reasons that the wide use of synthetic fibres is concerning. However with this knowledge, fabrics can be made to contain nutrients that can be transferred to the wearer. One example of this is SeaCell. The nutrients contained in the seaweed (such as Iron, Calcium, Magnesium, and Vitamin E) are retained within the fibre produced. Through the bodies natural moisture, when the skin comes in contact with the fabric, the minerals exchange into the body. https://www.the-sustainable-fashion-collective.com/2017/05/11/new-sustainable-seaweed-fabric-seacell/
CAD
Computer-aided design in a huge advancement in the fashion industry eliminating part the time staking process used in pattern cutting with programmes such as CLO3D or Gerber. This software can also endeavour to eliminate fabric waste with efficient lay plans, and even alternative pattern cutting. Further CAD can be seen with embroidery machines or computerised looms, able to make meters of fabric in minutes.
One could argue that this takes the hand process away from the clothing, and is a fast track to even more fast fashion.
Microfibres
Extremely small fibres with advanced properties. The can be woven into the fabric during construction, or used as a coating. Their properties can include…lightweight, water-resistant, windproof, breathable. These properties are integral to the fibre so they don’t wear out.
Microfibres with microcapsules can also be produced. These can contain… medication, vitamins, UV block, perfume, etc. The chemicals from the capsules can be released through abrasion or heat given from the body. These chemicals, however, get used up or washed from the fabric.
Metals such as silver can be woven into fabric to make them more malleable. They are sometime mixed with synthetics for anti-static purposes. Silver is being developed for its antibacterials properties, combating odours and X-Static by Noble Biomaterials used it to eliminate athletes foot.
Finishing Processes
‘Chemical treatments can control the growth of bacteria on a fabric, thereby reducing odour. Teflon-coated fabrics also provide an invisible protective barrier against stains and dirt’ - Udale
‘Laminates applied to a textile give the cloth a new property and function. They can be visible or non-visible, while holographic laminates reflect and refract light.
Performance finishes can be added to a fabric to alter its function .. flameproof, stain repellent, anti-static, non-iron, moth or mould proof.
Breathable fabric eg. GORE-TEX. ‘Produced by applying a membrane to the surface that contains pores big enough to enable perspiration to escape from the body, but small enough to stop moisture droplets penetrating.’
These technological advances to the material that garments are made off have a huge impact of the user experience. If one buys a raincoat expecting it to be waterproof and the user gets wet, they are likely to have a bed experience while wearing the coat.
They are therefore likely to have a better experience with suitable properties… it does beg the question about price as that could be a factor in the user experience?
AFRICA FASHION exhibition at the V&A Museum - 30/11/22
I went to the AFRICA FASHION exhibition at the V&A Museum to get a perspective of storytelling from different cultures.
Checinska, C. (2022, July – 2023, April) Africa Fashion [Exhibition]. Victoria and Albert Museum, London. https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/africa-fashion
Designer Nao Serati Mofammmere – ‘Imagine a South Africa where you could wear a short skirt, sheer tops and dress African men in pink! – Mofammmere declares. His designs reflect this sense of joy and hopefulness for a brighter future. The iridescent fabric is fundamental to the design of this ensemble. The two colours, pink and blue, feminine and masculine, blend together in a celebration of gender fluidity and self-love.
‘Stripweave cloths, like aso-òkè and kente, are ancient textiles, created by stitching together narrow strips of woven fabric to create a finished cloth. Different weaves, patterns and colours often have special meaning.’
‘The topic of cloth is a rich one. It encompasses a breadth of techniques, a myriad of cultural meanings and the embodiment of countless stories. The continent is home to long and varied histories of cloth, from bògòlanfini dating back at least 800 years in Mali to kuba, which originated over 300 years ago in the Kuba kingdom, now the Democratic Republic of Congo. As sculptor El Anatsui once said, echoing fellow artist Sonya Clark: ‘Cloth is to the African what monuments are to Westeners’.’
Materialism - 7/12/22
‘Unproductive consumption of goods is honourable, primarily as a mark of prowess and a perquisite of human dignity; secondarily it becomes substantially honourable to itself, especially the consumption of the more desirable things.’
Theory of the Leisure Class - Thorstein Veblen pg 38
The more desirable the product, the better you would have looked. For fast fashion, brands use social media to convince customers that by buying clothes, they’ll become ‘that girl’, With new trends to keep up with, customers continually buy from the brand to keep up with that image.
Inside the SHEIN Machine - Channel 4 exposé
Workers in factories across the Guangzhou region of China are paid 2p per garment (if they reach the 500 garment per day minimum quota) with a base salary of £16.50 per day. This means they will work until 2am to reach the living wage. Inhumane working hours averaging on 17-18 hrs a day working on over 600 garments. Mistakes will cost workers a £12 fine per garment, which is 3/4 of the daily wage. Wages deducted if workers ask for a day off, rarely getting a day off in a month, breaking Chinas laws of a 6 working day.
‘when you buy a piece that costs a bit more, you know it has been lovingly handmade by someone, and you can see their face attached to their brand. I think the consumer, they always care about it more and they want it to last longer’ - Fern Davey, who runs an ethical slow fashion brand; Veronica Velveteen.
Fair fashion campaigner Venetia La Manna tells us ‘fast fashion brands like SHEIN have sold us this myth that we are entitled to as many new pieces as we want as frequently as we want, because these items are “affordable”.
cycle of overbuying. https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMFqE1APh/
SHEINs defence is that their business model is built on the premise of reduced production waste and on-demand production. The average unsold inventory of the industry is between 25%-40%, whereas SHEIN had reduced it to a single digit.
BIBLIOGRAPHY - Author, Initials. (Year of publication). Title (Edition number if it is not the first edition). Publisher.
Archer, B. (1995, January). The Nature of Research. Co-design, interdisciplinary journal of design.
Amrani, M. (2022, October 17). Inside the SHEIN machine: UNTOLD [Documentary Film]. Channel 4. https://www.channel4.com/programmes/inside-the-shein-machine-untold
Ayesu, S M. Anokye, D. Fobiri, G K. Acquaye, R. Godomey, B. (2021). Aesthetic and Philosophical Meanings of Indigenous Asante Kente. Textile & Leather Review, 4(4), 267–281.
Business of Fashion [@bof]. (2022, April 6) SHEIN: An incomparable Churn [Series of graphs comparing SHEIN to other fast fashion retailers]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CcAuMFysgOy/
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Cambridge University Press. (2022). Experience. Cambridge Dictionary. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/experience
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Checinska, C. (2022, July – 2023, April) Africa Fashion [Exhibition]. Victoria and Albert Museum, London. https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/africa-fashion
Cline, E (2012) Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion. PUBLISHER pg. 90
Filho, W. L. et al. (2021) ‘An assessment of attitudes towards plastics and bioplastics in Europe’, The Science of the total environment. (Pt 1), p. 1
Fischer, H. (2020, November 20). “Indigenous fashion is the future. It”s time for First Nations people to reclaim it’. The Guardian. http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/ng-interactive/2020/nov/19/indigenous-fashion-is-the-future-its-time-for-first-nations-people-to-reclaim-it
Fletcher, K. (2016). Craft of Use: Post-Growth Fashion. Routledge. pg142
Focus on Fibres: Sustainable Seaweed Fabric... SeaCellTM. (n.d.). The Sustainable Fashion Collective. Retrieved October 3, 2022, from https://www.the-sustainable-fashion-collective.com/2017/05/11/new-sustainable-seaweed-fabric-seacell/
Hogan, M., Telegraph Reporters, Larman, A., Harvey, C., & Singh, A. (2022, November 8). Channel 4’s Shein exposé was a slap on wrist for those addicted to fast fashion. The Daily Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2022/11/08/inside-shein-machine-untold-review-slap-wrist-addicted-fast/
La Manna, V. (2022, May 18). Fast Fashion, Affordability and Exploitation [Video]. TikTok. https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMFqE1APh/
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Sharkawy, A. Fernandes, I. P. Barreiro, M. F. Rodrigues, A. E. & Shoeib, T. (2017). Aroma-Loaded Microcapsules with Antibacterial Activity for Eco-Friendly Textile Application: Synthesis, Characterization, Release, and Green Grafting. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 56(19), 5516–5526
Schon, D. A. (1968). The reflective practitioner. New York. https://studenthublive.open.ac.uk/sites/studenthublive.open.ac.uk/files/reflective%20practitioner%20-%20schon.pdf
Solomon Marfo Ayesu, David Anokye, George Kwame Fobiri, Richard Acquaye , Bernard Godomey. (2021). Aesthetic and Philosophical Meanings of Indigenous Asante Kente. Textile & Leather Review, 4(4), 267–281.
Udale, J. (2014). Basics Fashion Design: Textiles and Fashion. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. pgs .26, 58, 72
Veblen, T. (1899). The Theory of the Leisure Class. Oxford University Press. pg38
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