The Role of Craft in a Co-Design System for Sustainable Fashion.

The relationship between craft and design has been the subject of much discourse. Press and Cushworth (1997) have suggested that craft knowledge is fundamental to developing a vision of design in a “post-industrial future”, and McCullough (1998, cited in Kettley, 2005) supported this, noting “there remains a realm where scientific production cannot go, where mechanized industry finds too little demand to go, and where artistic discourses dare not go…there we find craft”. Contradictory to existing industrial-scale design processes, craft values social engagement and knowledge-sharing, is reflective and produces authentic products imbued with cultural meaning. It is these characteristics which suggest that craft has a significant role to play in developing sustainable practices. This paper explores the role of craft in supporting sustainable fashion design, production and consumption.