Cyclic inclusive fashion design process based on an FEA model for inclusive fashion education

Abstract

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to develop an inclusive fashion design (IFD) process using digital tools for educational purposes. The study consisted of three stages: development of IFD process prototypes 1 and 2 with different phases for incorporating diverse users’ information (before and after the ideation phase), conducting an experiment on ten undergraduate students using two types of IFD process prototypes, and analysing the IFD process prototypes through protocol analysis, statistical analysis, and experts’ assessment. The study found that the timing of incorporating user information can have a significant impact on inclusive fashion design. The user-centered Type 1 prioritised social and symbolic expressions and functional aspects over other design elements. Type 2, which focused more on aesthetics, better reflected users’ expressive needs and allowed for more adaptable designs based on diverse users. The study proposed a cyclic IFD process that encourages students to consider the needs of diverse consumers.