Analysing design to understand culture: A methodology into practice

Abstract

this research aims to assess the material culture method of investigation devised by Jules David Prown for the study of any object as cultural evidence when applied to contemporary fashion design, specifically with a view to improvement. The secondary research reviews literature on issues of fashion design, material culture, and the Brazilian trajectory in fashion. The material culture approach was made using the Prown method as a research tool for primary quantitative data collection using 14 garments and interviews with seven designers for the generation of primary qualitative data as a resource for the assessment of the method. While the Prown method was found to be an effective way of interpreting cultural issues imbued in contemporary fashion design, the chapter explains how the method can be made for effective to build a deeper understanding of contemporary fashion design