Redesign Process
At the end of the Round 1 focus groups, participants left their items behind, along with their inspi-ration collages, questionnaires, and secondary fabrics or trims they selected to incorporate into rede-signs. These materials along with my thorough and detailed explanations collectively became the specifications for the tailor students to perform the garment re-constructions. The very same tailor students and I were responsible for cutting, sewing and reconstruction of items. However, I served as the liaison between all participants and other members of the team to maintain confidentiality and anonymity of participants.
In most cases the tailor students created fashion illustrations of design ideas to gain participants’ approval prior to beginning production. For a small number of participants sketches were not sent if participants indicated they did not care or wanted to be surprised by the final result, they trusted their redesigner. The drawings were sent to me and then forwarded to participants via email giving them the chance to adjust details or mix and match components from various sketches into a final design.
After collecting and summarizing participants’ feedback, I forwarded the direction tailor students.
ACTUAL REDESIGN PROCESS
Once the pieces were completed by various members of the tailor team, garments were returned to me. I inspected the workmanship of all garments redesigned by the tailor students. The advantages of working with a talented tailor team were that the quality of construction was relatively consistent
and controlled.
All garments were photographed on a mannequin against an uncluttered background to visually cap-ture details of the garments before and after the redesign.
Round 2
The final stage consisted of Round 2 focus groups, scheduled via email in order of garment comple-tion, to return redesigned clothing to the owners. Scheduling difficulties arose for Round 2 focus group because December was near and therefore some of the participants had a very packed pro-gram. However, the solution was further flexibility in scheduling.
The Round 2 focus groups were held at the same location and under same conditions as Round 1.
At the beginning of the Round 2 focus groups, participants were asked to fill out a
paper form of a questionnaire. The questionnaire included questions regarding ecological
clothing behavior, satisfaction with final redesign, willingness to pay for a similar service, willing-ness to recommend to others, and space to give feedback about the process in general. (See Appen-dix E). Few questions were repeated from Round 1. In Round 1, the goal was to understand how to best work with participants as co-designers, and Round 2 was focused on recapping the process and documenting consumer satisfaction with redesign.
The open-ended focus group questions in this stage explored participants’ interest in redesigning clothing, their desired level of involvement in the redesign process, suggestions to optimize the ex-perience, and how much they would be willing to pay. (See Appendix F for full interview schedule).
5. Results and Discussio
Round 1 Questionnaires
The Round 1 questionnaires began with demographics (see Table 3) and questions regarding sustainable consumer behavior. This section will be referred to as ecological clothing behavior (ECB), a modification of the broader term ecological consumer behavior.
Participants were asked to rate 10 statements on a five-point scale. Some examples of ECB ques-tions included, “I purchase clothing items only when I need them,” “I select clothing that is envi-ronmentally friendly,” and “I have purchased clothing from second-hand stores.” (See Appendix C for full Round 1 questionnaire).
Participants were neutral in terms of ECB, with an overall mean of 3.31. This result underscores what many confirmed verbally in the focus group discussions, that ecological qualities rarely impact clothing purchase decisions. Participants have shopped at used clothing stores (“I have purchased clothing from second-hand stores,” mean of 4.26). Participants frequently buy new clothes when they do not need them (“I purchase clothing items only when I need them” and “I seldom purchase new clothing”) and do not purchase eco-friendly clothing (“I select clothing that is environmentally friendly”) because the means for these items fell between 2 and 3. Thus, they were either neutral or
disagreed with the statements.
In order to understand what clothing attributes might be influential to redesign satisfaction and what garment changes might be requested, participants were asked to rank the importance of eight clothing attributes, with 1 representing most important and 8 least important. The rankings were as follows from most to least important: fit (mean 1.67), style (mean 2.93), comfort (mean 3.67), color (mean 4.81), silhouette (mean 4.81), functional needs (mean 5.33), fabric (mean 5.85), and decora-tive details (mean 7.00). Interestingly, the majority of redesign changes participants mentioned in focus groups could be classified under fit (44%) or styling (19%). This will be further discussed in the Round 1 focus group results.
The rest of the questionnaire focused on building garment profiles, accounts of the history and de-scription of each garment prior to its redesign. Garments’ original prices ranged from $5 to $275, with a mean of $52.30. Participants had owned their garments between five months to more than 20 years, with a mean of 4.65 years. Prior to the redesign, garments were worn zero to approximately 12 times, with a mean of two times. In terms of the circumstances in which garments were pur-chased, 30% were reused, 22% bought on sale, and 19% were bought at regular price. Eleven per-cent were
gifts, 11% were bought while on vacation, and 7% were bridesmaid dresses. Approximately 52% of participants indicated they had no emotional attachment to their clothing item. Some (44%) dis-cussed some type of connection to their garment, such as liking the print, getting it as a gift from their parents, and feeling nostalgic for the time of life in which they had purchased their garment.
TAL SKAL RETTES TIL
Round 1 Focus Groups
Round 1 focus groups consisted of open-ended questions regarding participants’ knowledge of eco-logical impacts of the fashion industry, their interest in redesigned apparel, their desired level of involvement in the redesign process, and how much they would be willing to pay for a similar ser-vice. (See Appendix D for full interview schedule). Themes that emerged were linked to one anoth-er and could be conceptualized in a linear process. For example, awareness of sustainable apparel products and services could lead ultimately to sustainable clothing purchases and ecological clothing behavior. Likewise, acceptance of used and recycled clothing could lead to an interest in redesign-ing used clothing.
Participants’ comments may inform the creation of a clothing redesign process model. The model could dictate the level and type of involvement consumers wish to have, which will influence how much time they are willing to invest in the redesign process. It could also specify the quality and type of redesign expertise necessary for master designer to properly serve his or her customers. The physi-cal facilities, supplies, and other aspects of the redesign experience were also recommended.
Awareness of Sustainable Apparel Products and Services
There was a wide range of variation in awareness of ecological impacts of the apparel industry among participants. Some (22%) were optimistic and thought that awareness was increasing, with higher numbers of individuals becoming educated on environmental issues. An only slightly smaller number of participants (19%) said there is little thought about ecological sustainability. “A lot of people have been talking about going green, going green….more people are talking about it right now, than in the past, but it’s not completely out there yet”.
Approximately 15% were not knowledgeable as to which retailers sold sustainable products and did not consider clothing or fashion to have an impact on the environment. These participants’ responses were similar to previous research on clothing disposal, in terms of consumers’ lack of education about the effects of their behavior (Birtwistle & Moore, 2007) and their likelihood to donate clothes primarily to clean out their closets (Ha-Brookshire & Hodges, 2009).
• I never throw old clothes away. I always donate it to Goodwill…I’m concerned about the environment, but I didn’t think clothing had an impact.-P2
• It never occurred to me that clothing and recycling belonged in the same sentence. But I hate throwing things away, and I keep all my clothes forever.-P21
• I’ve honestly never thought a whole lot about the clothing aspect of recycling.-P31
Only a few participants made comments demonstrating that they knew the fashion industry was responsible for some environmental degradation, but awareness may have been related to their pro-fessional or educational experience.
The most commonly mentioned type of sustainable apparel was used clothing. A few participants listed tailoring or seamstresses as a sustainable clothing service. Participants generated several ideas about what types of sustainable clothing and services retailers should offer, such as employing an in-house redesigner, producing high quality clothes that last longer, and merchandising separate sec-tions of sustainable clothing in department stores.
Ecological Clothing Behavior
Some participants (19%) stated concern about how the environment depends on a person’s social group and how much additional effort is required.
Further, concern about the environment did not necessarily translate into
consumer behavior modification. Approximately 78% stated people in general are not
likely to modify their purchase decisions to be more ecologically friendly, as highlighted
by the comments of P9, P1 and P28.
• I think people are aware, but they just choose what works with their lifestyle.-P9
• I don’t foresee myself going out and buying all organic clothing. Like, it’s hard enough to go out and buy all organic food because it’s more expensive…The actual end result is not very functional, I guess.-P1
• I think with, like, cleaning supplies and stuff people are going more toward eco-friendly products. It’s kind of hard with clothing though, for example organic fabrics…because that can make it cost more.-P28
Several mentioned (19%) behavior modification depended on the situation, in terms of convenience, affordability, and availability. The below conversation summarizes this idea.
• I know some people who are, like, crazy all the sudden, and I know some people
who don’t really care about it.-P23
• I think it’s how much work people have to put into it.-P22
• Yeah, and how much, how many resources they have to put into it…as well.-P24
Acceptance of Used or Recycled Clothing’
Inddrag online survey
One participant believed people are hesitant to wear used clothing but that it might be improving. Consistent with Reiley (2008), several participants already shop at thrift stores to find unique items and are comfortable wearing used clothing.
Interest in Redesigning Clothing
Participants were interested in participating in the study to redesign their own used clothing for mul-tiple reasons. First, some of the women (26%) had previous experience with recycled apparel and were comfortable with wearing used clothing. Second, several participants said they wanted to get more use out of their clothing (19%).
• I think that it’s really important just to turn something you didn’t use into something else. Not the fact that you want new clothes, but the fact that you can reuse your old clothes in-stead of wasting it.-P19
• I know quite a few people who would be interested in a place where you could take 10 items and have them redesigned…or…for 200 dollars, they’ll take these five items from me.-P1
A similar number of participants (19%) signed up for the study because they thought it would be an exciting new experience, and several others (19%) liked the idea or concept of redesigning clothing. A few (15%) already have thought about redesigning their own clothing but hesitated due to not having the right technical skills or not having enough time (11%).
Participants said their interest in redesigning clothing stemmed from emotional attachment to their clothing items (26%). However, on the Round 1 questionnaire, 52% indicated they were not at-tached to the particular garment they had brought to be redesigned. This discrepancy may under-score that many were unsure of the process and were therefore unwilling to risk an undesired result for a cherished item in this study.
• I think clothing has a lot of meaning to a lot of people, like developing a new attachment to your garment. It’s been like this for so long and you loved it, but now it could be this.-P8
• I loved that jacket because I loved the person that I was at that point…It was justsuch a happy day when I bought that jacket.-P21
Others (15%) wanted their clothes redesigned for uniqueness and exclusivity because no one else will have the exact same item.
Another major reason participants wanted their clothing redesigned was to update the styling (19%). Some participants had held onto their items for an extended period of time, so it was no longer ap-propriate with today’s fashion trends. Some participants were interested in changing the end use of their garment to something more functional and practical.
Developing the Collaborative Redesign Process and Experience
Several main themes emerged, which provide direction for designers who would like to enter the redesign business. First, we review the level and type of involvement consumers wish to have. Next, we discuss the skills and expertise required of the redesigner. Third, we explore the necessary physi-cal facilities and supplies. Fourth, we highlight types of redesign experiences, ranging from one-on-one appointments to social events. Finally, pricing strategies are divulged.
Consumer Involvement
Participants varied in the amount of involvement they wanted to have in the process. Approximately 30% didn’t want to be involved because they didn’t care, lacked confidence in their own skills, or trusted the redesigner to do quality work. These comments are consistent with previous research on consumer uncertainty with co-design (Piller et al., 2005).
• I don’t need to be involved at all. I probably wouldn’t have any constructive input.-P24
• I don’t know much about design…I will trust you to come up with ideas.-P13
Approximately 26% of participants wanted some involvement in the process, but few were willing to invest too much of their time. They mostly wanted to briefly tell their ideas, provide opinions, answer questions about their personal style, and verify or approve design sketches.
• I think I just give my opinion on what I want done…and just see the final product.- P16
• I probably want to see sketches of what you’re going to do.-P23
A few participants wanted to be more involved (15%) because they wanted to learn more about the design process or because they wanted to ensure they would indeed wear the final garment. Still others (15%) thought that desired involvement in the process could vary on the original garment, the cost of redesign, and the customer’s preferences. Some consumers naturally would desire more con-trol over their investment, especially if it were expensive. Others would be more protective of gar-ments for which they had special emotional attachment.
Three main parts of the redesign process were mentioned by participants when they discussed where they would like to be involved: ideation, garment construction, and fittings. Relating the themes to LaBat and Sokolowski’s (1999) design process, the ideation theme is equivalent to the creative ex-ploration step, and the fittings and garment construction are related to the implementation step. Most notably, 48% of participants wanted to be involved in ideation, as they experienced in the design workshop held after Round 1 focus groups. At this stage, participants described their per-sonal style to me, gathered inspiration images onto collages, wrote down ideas, and brainstormed. It was crucial for consumers to communicate any fit problems and prioritize which styling changes were most important to them.
• It’s important…to know what our perception of style is. I would want someone to know that about me if they were re-doing something that I wanted to wear.-P3
• Talking a little bit about what shapes fit well or I like to wear, what I feel OK in. -P22
• I think most people would want to see…the sketches, too, and, like, know exactly, like, the inspiration that you’re going off of to know where it’s going to go…-P28
• Just narrowing down to what you like the most.-P29
All participants were emailed photographs of their finished garments on the mannequin prior to the Round 2 focus groups. This somehow made them less nervous or uncertain of receiving their rede-signs in person and a few even requested minor changes to their garments prior to the meeting.
For several participants (15%), a final fitting was important to ensure their redesigned garment would be functional. Several others stated good fit was essential (44%), indicating this step should be included in the redesign process.
Although not originally planned as part of the process due to logistical and time constraints, in some cases, participants were notified when their garments were almost finished and were invited to come for a final fitting. Scheduling problems were encountered because the tailor students were not al-ways quick in responding to communication, which also had to be channeled through me to main-tain anonymity.
Required Redesign Expertise
A redesigner must possess all of the same skills as a traditional clothing designer, such as sewing proficiency, knowledge of fit/sizing, familiarity with fabric types, creative thinking, patternmaking, and drawing. The required skill set of a professional redesigner goes above and beyond, however, because it involves a highly technical approach in the deconstruction and reconstruction of clothing. In many cases, redesign requires creating an original pattern. Patternwork could range from design-ing one new pattern piece to fabricating a styling detail that fits within the existing garment’s struc-ture, or it could entail developing an entirely new pattern where the original garment is treated as fabric yardage. The original garment’s structure and fabric greatly influences the final result in most cases. In addition, the one-on-one interaction with consumers causes the redesigner to have to think on his or her feet while answering questions and providing advice.
One of the most important skills needed for a redesigner is sewing proficiency. Other skills several participants mentioned were creative ideas, knowledge of fit/sizing, and all skills, as summarized by the below participant comments.