This article explores the attitudes of seven women to four dress-related activities: shopping for new garments; sorting clothes within the wardrobe; making Ð specifically knitting Ð clothes for themselves; and mending damaged items. This topic is of particular interest within the field of fashion and sustainability, because clothing consumption could be reduced if activity were to be diverted from shopping to alternative fashion practices. Positioning these practices as intrinsically rewarding leisure activities may encourage such a shift.The research demonstrates that all four of the dress-related activities occupy a grey area between leisure and chore. However, because perceptions are personal, context-dependent and flexible, there is scope for attitudes to be changed. An experimental project indicates that it is possible to reframe mending as a desirable leisure activity by integrating attributes such as social interaction and creativity. This reframing is aided by individualsÕ concerns about wasting resources, but can also be limited by concerns about wasting time.

This paper explores the contribution of design to the 'domestication' of

No abstract

This paper describes a doctoral research project that investigated the theme of openness in fashion, generating insights related to reworking, open design, and the lived experience of homemade clothes. A distinctive, practice-based approach to design research emerged from the project, which uses generative and participatory processes of designing and making to investigate research questions at multiple levels: from micro-scale practical challenges to much broader social issues. This multi-level structure emphasizes the theoretical contribution of the research and the methods used, and could be used to support future design-led research projects.

Arising from a recently formed research network, Stitching Together, this article introduces a collection of case studies that critically examine participatory textile making as an emerging methodological approach to research. The twenty-first-century resurgence of interest in textile processes such as knitting, sewing and weaving, whether as individual practice or community-based initiative, builds on a long and culturally diverse history of collaborative textile-making activity. This resurgence, combined with the familiarity, accessibility and flexibility of textile practices, has influenced a recent growth in the use of such activities as a means of inquiry within diverse research contexts. The article considers the ways in which collective textile-making projects privilege social encounter as a format for learning skills, creating friendships and consolidating shared interests. It goes on to discuss how researchers are drawing on these characteristics when devising new projects, highlighting the quality of experience afforded by textile making, the diverse forms of data generated and the variety of ways in which these participatory activities can be set up. Recognizing that this research approach is far from straightforward, three key methodological themes are then considered: the multifaceted nature of the researcher’s role and the complexities of relationships with participants and other stakeholders; the difficulties that can arise when using such familiar textile processes; and the opportunities, and complexities, of co-producing knowledge with participants through collaborative textile activity.

No abstract

The Futures Cone, a prominent model in design futuring, is useful for promoting discussions about possible, plausible, probable, and preferable futures. Yet this model has limitations, such as representing diverse human experiences as a singular point of "the present" and implicitly embedding notions of linear progress. Responding to this, we argue that a plurality of perspectives is needed to engage imaginations that depict a diverse unfolding of potential futures. Through refecting on our own cultural and professional backgrounds, we ofer fve perspectives for design futuring as a contribution to this plurality: Parallel Presents, "I Am Time", Epithelial Metaphors, the Uncertainties Cone, and Meet (with) "Speculation". These perspectives open alternative approaches to design futuring, move outside prevalent notions of technological progress, and foreground interdependent, relational agencies. CCS CONCEPTS• Human-centered computing → Human computer interaction (HCI); HCI theory, concepts and models.

Across the world, "culturally significant" designs, products, and practices-such as traditional crafts-have been pushed to the margins by the forces of modernization and globalization. Appreciation of the positive attributes of these traditions drive widespread revitalization initiatives, often involving designers. Awareness of the cultural ramifications of design-led revitalization may deter enthusiasm for radical initiatives and instead promote preservation efforts. Yet a deconstruction of the popular understandings of tradition and origin indicates a need for change and cross-cultural contact. This article proposes that social value-central to a traditional craft's cultural significance-should be used to guide revitalization.