Plastic Soup

The purpose of this design activism artwear was to create a visual representation of the environmental impact that plastic has on the ocean and aims to create a conversation about the seriousness of the issue. The cradle to cradle tenet of waste equals food (McDonough & Braungart, 2002) was used as a framework for the design and sourcing of materials. An exploration of free-form embroidery fabric collage was used to create the texture which is the design emphasis of the piece

Women’s motivations to sew clothing for themselves

The purpose of this study was to understand why women are choosing to sew clothing for themselves as a leisure activity in the age of fast fashion. Resurgence in home sewing participation, specifically an increased interest in personal garment sewing, has prompted the need to explore these women’s perceived benefits and their consumer behavior as they operate outside of typical consumer culture. Due to the lack of current home sewing research, a grounded theory approach was used to reveal the reasons for this phenomenon through the experiences of the female sewers. An ethnically diverse sample of 15 female middle-class home sewers, ages 20–40 years from the United States and Canada, were recruited for interviews through Facebook sewing groups. In interviews, the participants were asked questions regarding their reasons for sewing clothing for themselves and the benefits that sewing provided them. Questions were also asked about feelings attached to sewing, the reactions of others, time spent sewing, and sewing-related consumption. The content analysis of the interview data revealed three emergent themes: investment, control, and empowerment. All three emergent themes were interconnected within an overarching central theme of personal fulfilment. The research data revealed that these women’s decisions to sew clothing for themselves offered them personal fulfillment that was not experienced in other aspects of their lives, providing them with a sense of accomplishment, a creative outlet, and stress release. The theme of investment reflected how these women invested in their leisure decision to sew clothing through cognitive, monetary, and time aspects. Control was revealed by the increased power over their appearance that sewing their own clothing allowed them as a consumer and the higher level of self-expression they were able to attain. Empowerment was reflected as the positive impact that sewing participation had on their confidence as well as their increased desire to sew that was impacted by the support and positive feedback of others. To illustrate the interconnectedness and recurring process of the emergent themes around the central theme of personal fulfillment, a model for women’s motivations to sew clothing for themselves was developed. An additional sew or purchase decision model was developed to demonstrate the decision-making process the women used when choosing to sew or to purchase a desired garment. This model depicts the factors in the decision-making process as well as the increased consumption stages an individual goes through in the decision to sew and not purchase. Theoretical perspectives from prosumerism, craft consumer and do-it-yourself consumption, as well as uses and gratification theory were applied to better understand the motivations of these women. In addition, these women’s motivations to sew explored in comparison with third-wave feminist handcraft reclamation

Star Flower Remade

The purpose of this ensemble was to fuse the concepts of engineered digital textile printing, quilting, and zero waste design. Drawing inspiration from my grandmother’s creative and efficient use of the fabric she had available to create beautiful quilts this design worked to reduce waste in pattern cutting and construction. This work also found solutions to problems previously cited with the zero waste tessellation method

Achromatizing Effect

The purpose of this design was to create an environmental activist art wear ensemble using apparel and home décor industry bi-products to bring attention to the affects of global warming on the ocean. The design framework draws from the cradle to cradle tenet of waste equals food (McDonough & Braungart, 2002) in both the sourcing of materials and the compostable nature of the garments natural fiber composition. Both fabric manipulation and macramé techniques were used to create a portable visual representation of the growing problem of coral bleaching and its impact on ocean life

Women\u27s Motivations to Sew Clothing for Themselves

Participation in home sewing sewing is undergoing a resurgence in participation with a growing number of women choosing to sew their garments instead of buying readily available fast fashion. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to understand the current motivations of an ethnically diverse sample of women who sew garments for themselves. The in-depth interview data from 15 interviews revealed personal fulfillment to be the overarching reason for their sewing participation. Personal fulfillment was achieved through investment, control, and empowerment that provided the women with accomplishment, a creative outlet, and stress relief. Theoretical perspectives of prosumerism, craft consumer and do-it-yourself consumption uses and gratification theory were applied to better understand the motivations of these women to sew garments for themselves

Incorporation of an Online Fashion News Publication into a Fashion Merchandising Course: Perceived Benefits and Educational Impact

The fast paced and global nature of the fashion industry presents a challenge in the classroom when it comes to continually keeping students up to date on the current events in the field. The implementation of required weekly fashion news readings into fashion merchandising curriculums presents a possible solution to this dilemma. A teaching strategy was developed to implement the reading of a prominent online fashion news publication as required class readings in a fashion merchandising class curriculum at a large Southeastern university. A survey concerning the required readings was administered at the end of the semester. Students responded positively to the implementation of teaching strategy reporting perceived benefits of the readings to be: up to date information, real world examples, and more relevant content than their traditional course materials. Students additionally indicated that the readings improved their fashion industry vocabulary and better prepared them for their future careers

Students\u27 Perceptions of Adopting Minimal Transformative Wardrobes

This exploratory research incorporates the publicly pressed ideas regarding minimal wardrobe adoption with academic research on transformative clothing to evaluate the understanding of sustainability in college students\u27 current and future life. After their unknown exposure to the adoption of a minimal transformative wardrobe by their instructor, the students were surveyed regarding the perceptions of their instructor\u27s appearance, transformative clothing, the role of gender in adoption, and reasons for consumer adoption. Qualitative analysis revealed the perceived benefits of the instructor\u27s wardrobe adoption, including the themes of simplification, professional appearance, and saving time and money. Students expressed interest in owning transformative clothing and felt they could reduce clothing consumption. Gender differences were also identified when adopting a minimal wardrobe with more emphasizing males on environmental sustainability and females on increased work productivity. This study provides valuable insights on emerging professionals\u27 perceptions on minimal transformative wardrobe adoption and directions for future research

Self-sewn Identity: How Female Home Sewers Use Garment Sewing to Control Self Presentation

Personal garment sewing is currently experiencing a renewed interest by women. The results of this qualitative research found personal garment sewing allowed the participants to present themselves in clothing that more accurately represented their taste and personality. The women interviewed used their sewing skills to control the style, fit, and quality of their clothing. The research findings bring forth an awareness of how garment sewing can allow women to gain increased control over their appearance. The women in the study were found to have increased authority over their appearance than their non-sewing peers. Women\u27s time spent sewing was also validated, as it provided significant benefits regarding satisfaction with appearance and self presentation to others. Theories of self presentation and identity are used to explain the findings

Why Do They Sew? Women’s Motivations to Sew Clothing for Themselves

Garment sewing is undergoing a resurgence in participation, with a growing number of women choosing to sew their clothing instead of buying readily available fast fashion. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the current motivations of an ethnically diverse sample of women who sew garments for themselves. The in-depth interview data from 15 interviews revealed personal fulfillment to be the overarching reason for participation. Personal fulfillment was achieved through main emergent themes of investment, control, and empowerment with 10 subthemes. Theoretical perspectives of prosumerism, craft and do-it-yourself consumption, and uses and gratification theory were applied to the emergent themes to interpret the motivations of these women to sew garments for themselves. A model of sewing motivations for female garment sewing was developed to illustrate the connection between the emergent themes’ contribution to the women’s personal fulfillment and recurring cycle that takes place each time the women create a new garment for themselves

Understanding and building student interest in alternative fashion design careers through a project based learning patternmaking project

The job market for fashion design students can be unpredictable. To provide them with more opportunities addition many need to be made to fashion design curriculum to include training for alternative fashion design career. This study explores the interest that fashion design students have in pursuing and learning about the alternative that are available to them in similar industries such as craft and home sewing. Using a project-based learning approach (Blumenfeld, Soloway, Marx, Krajcik, Guzdial, & Palincsar, 1991) this study was developed to gauge interest in alternative careers before and after participating in a project on home sewing pattern development. Students reveal more interest in alternative careers after completing the project and also expressed a more diversity in their understanding of potential career options available