Clothing & Textiles

Research Journal
Volume 26 Number 2
April 2008 103-118
© 2008 International Textile &
Fashion Design for a Apparel Association
10.1177/0887302X08314790

Projected Future http://ctrj.sagepub.com

hosted at
http://online.sagepub.com
Annette Ames
Marymount University

Using long-term forecasting techniques, an apparel design problem is developed to explore

possible outcomes for a style of fashionable women’s clothing in the relatively near future,
approximately 10 to 20 years from now. The form of fashion design that exists outside of com-
mercial constraints and is used to create drama on the runway is chosen to provide freedom in
aesthetic response to a projected scenario of the future. The runway showpiece is intended to
provide inspiration to its designer for designs of more practical, saleable clothing.

Keywords: apparel design; fashion forecasting; scenario building

W hat direction might fashion in women’s

clothing be taking 10 to 20 years from
now? Using long-term fashion forecasting
be referred to in this article, is a selling tool
in that it presents the designer’s theme and
is intended to attract publicity but is not
techniques, I developed a scenario for the designed for the primary purpose of selling
near future. The scenario was used as a cul- many garments identical to itself. In this
tural framework for the development of a way, it exists outside the practical con-
design problem, the purpose of which was straints of a true target market but within the
to explore the relationships among possible realm of fashion. This is the primary reason
aesthetic expressions of fashion design and for choosing the runway showpiece as the
the dominating cultural indicators of the medium for this exploratory study.
projected future. Within the projected future Designs for the runway are sometimes
scenario, there are many possible consumer described by fashion columnists as “outra-
types and markets. Working within the geous,” “costume-like,” or even “unwear-
apparel industry, a designer’s choices are able.” A better term may be “nonsaleable.”
limited by the needs of the company’s target These clothes may attract other adjectives,
customer and the activities for which the such as “radical,” “sublime,” or for instance
clothing is designed. These needs—physical, Caroline Evans’ (2003) description of
practical, financial, and psychological—set Galliano’s designs of the late 1990s as “nos-
many parameters for the designer, such as talgic and escapist fantasy” (p. 35). Many of
possible fabrics, styles, and sizes. There are runway designs’ purposes, although they may
instances in which a designer may explore have commercial value, fall ultimately into
more freely the possibilities of artistic expres- an as yet unnamed classification. They are
sion through fashion design. One of these referred to as “images” (Breward, 2003;
instances occurs when a designer chooses to Evans, 2003) and other nonspecific terms.
express a particular theme on the haute cou- These designs are often exhibited in venues
ture or ready-to-wear runway, by designing such as galleries or museums traditionally
a piece primarily for that purpose. The run- catering to consumers of art, and they are
way showpiece, as this type of design will critiqued and written about by art curators
103
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104 Clothing and Textiles Research Journal

and art historians as well as costume histori- vision is so prescient of the collective uncon-
ans. Their lack of saleability is accepted, taken scious, because I would argue that her work
for granted even, by many curators and critics. has had more influence on fashion than that
Sometimes this status is not even discussed, of any other designer in the past 23 years.
such as in Evans’ (2003) book Fashion at the This influence is what interests me about
Edge; it is apparently irrelevant to many writ- the design of these special garments. If
ers. Nathalie Khan (2000) states, “The cat- designers can find inspiration in the runway
walk show has one purpose and one purpose showpieces of others, may they not create
only, which is to be noticed” (p. 117). She their own as a step toward the designing of
discusses the “radical” catwalk as that which more saleable clothes to be worn in everyday
plays with socially sensitive issues and says life? During the 1950s, the belief that the
that the occasional offended response may inspired works of fashion designers were
cause interest in the label to grow. Khan also intended to lead the way for more attain-
states: “the fashion house can project an able fashions was accepted as part of the
image of being bold and self-assured. It is trickle-down theory of fashion dissemina-
this level of confidence that gives the design tion. Although fashion trends are now often
a so-called ‘edge,’ as well as an image of pro- given birth by street wear and style tribes,
fundity that appeals to a specific kind of the interpretation of those trends may benefit
buyer” (p. 118). In discussing Chalayan, she from the intervention of a designer. The idea
states: “Many of the garments he shows are that the couture is a laboratory for creativity
not even meant to be sold or worn, but simply is intriguing, if the purpose of the creativity
represent ideas and concepts [italics added] is to develop new ideas for clothes, not just
carried through the collection as a whole” provocations for the sake of advertising.
(p. 120). This admission, that many garments Therefore, the runway showpiece genre was
shown on the runway are not meant to be also chosen to explore the question: Can
sold or worn, has become commonplace designing an emblematic, not necessarily
in the industry. Christopher Breward (2003) saleable, piece inspire original designs for
describes the situation clearly: wearable clothes?

In the early twenty-first century the self-

constructed role of radical fashion design Framework and Process
seems to be to present a very specialized
commentary on the vicissitudes of contem- Two types of process were used in this
porary taste and aesthetics. . . . Indeed, the
exploration: a long-term fashion-forecasting
protagonists in the field regularly stress
their affinity to the working practices of
process and a creative process. The long-
architects, artists, and philosophers, delib- term fashion-forecasting process followed
erately eschewing any reference to com- the model described by Brannon (2005),
merce in discussions of their work. (p. 229) particularly emphasizing Nystrom’s (1928)
list of “factors that guide and influence the
He goes on to describe Rei Kawakubo as the character and direction of fashion move-
“progenitor of a radical fashion movement” ments” (p. 83), which Brannon (2005) terms
(p. 229) and says that her designs, in chal- a “framework for observing the formation
lenging the status quo, are “characterized by of the Zeitgeist” (pp. 16-18). To describe my
an almost monastic solipsism” (p. 229). If creative process, an amalgamation of sources
she is solipsistic, then she is fortunate that her have been referenced and applied to the

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 Ames / Fashion Future 105

approach taken to create and solve this par- scenario predicts that technology and eco-
ticular design problem. nomic conditions will improve, and the
worst-case scenario projects more negative
Forecasting Framework outcomes. For this project, I developed a
modified version of the surprise-free scenario
Fashion designers are often quoted in pop- in which many current conditions continue to
ular literature as explaining that they obtain evolve and some conditions improve. This
their inspiration and ideas “everywhere” scenario allows for surprises, but not grave
from “anything and everything.” According shocks, such as the partial devastation of
to Brannon (2005), the long-term forecaster humanity by a disease or an asteroid.
is looking for

shifts in demographics that can restructure Creative Process

society, changes in industry and market
The creative design process for this prob-
structure, differences in consumer interests,
values, and motivation, breakthroughs in
lem combined an assortment of aspects from
technology and science, changes in the eco- models for creative problem-solving devel-
nomic picture, and alteration in political, oped by researchers Wallas, Dewy, Rossman,
cultural, and economic alliances between Bransford, and Stein, Vaigiu, Osborne, Polya,
countries. (p. 143) and Guilford (as cited in Dacey, 1989).
Figure 1 illustrates my conception of my
Nystrom (1928) also asserted that design process, which is nonlinear, allowing
me to work back and forth through the vari-
the factors that guide and influence the ous phases to arrive at a design solution.
character and direction of fashion move- More recently, scholars of creativity and
ments . . . may be classed under three gen- imagination have expanded the under-
eral headings, namely: (a) outstanding or
standing of the creative process. Although
dominating events; (b) dominating ideals
which mold the thought and action of large
Gardner (1993) credits the cognitivists with
numbers of people; and (c) dominating identifying “ways to examine creative work
social groups that rule or lead and influ- at the appropriate level of complexity,” he
ence the rest of society. (p. 83) also states that the “particular claims seem to
me to be overwrought” (p. 22). He addition-
Brannon (2005) adds that cultural trends ally observes: “The readily invoked terms
arise from high culture, low culture, and pop problems and solutions prove far more suited
culture sources. Using these guideposts, a for standard scientific work than for creation
scan of the current environment is instrumen- in the arts or in the social sphere” (p. 34). The
tal in developing possible scenarios for the psychoanalyst Ernst Kris (1952) proposed
future. Scenarios logically developed include that creative people are more able to alter-
many possibilities with varying outcomes. nate between primary process and secondary
The different outcomes depend on the factors process cognition. He asserted that because
that cannot be known for certain, because no it is associative, primary process thinking
one really knows what the future holds. makes the discovery of new combinations
According to Kania (1998), a minimum of more likely, whereas creative elaboration or
three scenarios is necessary to support long- verification involves a movement toward
range planning. In the surprise-free scenario, secondary process thinking. Martindale
current conditions continue. The best-case (1995) defines primary process thinking as

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106 Clothing and Textiles Research Journal

Figure 1 lesser degree, depending on the parameters

Conceptual Model of the Personal of the problem, such as the demands of the
Creative Process target market.

Identify/
Formulate/
Explore
Preparation
Define
Approaches/
Preparation Problem
Formulate For this exploration, I scanned as much
Solutions
information as time allowed, to support the
construction of scenarios for the future,
approximately 10 to 20 years from now.
Frustration
Because the creative process is nonlinear,
generation of design ideas occurred while
researching for the forecast, triggering ques-
Incubation
Adoption of Evaluation/
& tions about other forecasting possibilities, the
Solutions Solutions
Critically
Illumination
answers to which inspired new search direc-
Examined
tions, and so on. In this way, the process
began to influence the design in the way that
following one road on a journey may lead to
“analogical, autistic, and free associative” other roads and destinations and eliminates
and secondary process thinking as “abstract, the possibility of encountering others. Thus,
logical, goal oriented, and reality oriented” the forecasting process became partially sub-
(p. 258). For a design intended for a target sumed by the creative process (see Figure 1).
market, the creative process should empha-
size secondary process thinking to a greater
degree than was necessary for this more Forecast of Dominating Events
open, aesthetic exploration.
Barron (1963) discovered that what he Certain current events, the impacts of
termed the moral attitude, which is a per- which may be expected to influence the
sonal commitment to the aesthetic and philo- near and more distant future, are generally
sophic meaning expressed in his or her acknowledged. These are terrorism; the war
work, is a motivational characteristic of the in Iraq; globalization; global warming and
creative person. All of these factors point to other threats to the environment; the prolif-
the fact that the personality and motivation eration of nuclear weapons; viral and bacte-
of the designer are highly influential in terms rial epidemics and possible epidemics;
of what types of problems will be formu- worldwide religious revivals and the clash
lated and what types of solutions will be of civilizations; the dominance of computer
sought. It is important to note that the for- technology, communications technology,
mulation of the problem itself is a creative and rapid worldwide communication; and
response to stimuli; formulation of the prob- rapid advances in biotechnology and bio-
lem does not consist of mere identification medical research, including cloning, stem-cell
or observation of a problem, as in some mod- research, and cybernetics. For the present
els of the problem-solving process (Dacey, study, the trends to worldwide religious
1989). Because the formulation of the prob- revivals and clashes of civilizations were
lem is personal, the choices the designer studied for more clarity and understanding,
makes will also be personal to a greater or because these trends appear to be related to

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 Ames / Fashion Future 107

many of the other events, such as terrorism, social science. In social psychology, distinc-
the Iraq war, and the proliferation of nuclear tiveness theory holds that people define them-
weapons. These trends also encompass many selves by what makes them different from
dominating events, ideals, and social groups. others in a particular context” (p. 67). We
Concerning the occurrence of worldwide observe these factors at work in our own
religious revivals and what historian Samuel society as well as in others.
P. Huntington (1996) has called the “clash A second heralded area of predicted domi-
of civilizations,” he states: nance in the near future is the biotechnology
industry. Meyer and Davis (2003) predicted
We are witnessing ‘the end of the progres- that molecular technologies will become a
sive era’ dominated by Western ideologies major economic force in the next decade,
and are moving into an era in which mul- converging with the information economy.
tiple and diverse civilizations will interact, A related area is the field of cybernetics,
compete, coexist, and accommodate each
which includes robotics and artificial intelli-
other. This global process of indigeniza-
tion is manifest broadly in the revivals of
gence. These dominating events will affect
religion occurring in so many parts of dominating ideals, and they influence many
the world and most notably in the cultural of the cultural trends that I find particularly
resurgence in Asian and Islamic countries interesting.
generated in large part by their economic
and demographic dynamism. (p. 95)
Forecast of Dominating Ideals
Huntington further asserts, “More broadly, Dominating ideals include those of specific
the religious resurgence throughout the world religions, secularism, capitalism, materialism,
is a reaction against secularism, moral rela- feminism, the backlash against feminism,
tivism, and self-indulgence, and a reaffirma- multiculturalism, cultural preservation, cul-
tion of the values of order, discipline, work, tural isolationism, and ideals on various sides
mutual help, and human solidarity” (p. 98). of environmental issues. The choice of domi-
Some thinkers, such as Naipaul (1990) have nating ideals to inspire this design is governed
claimed to observe the emergence of a “uni- by my personal worldview.
versal civilization,” optimistically anticipat- The existence of the ideal of multicultur-
ing that its universality will resolve conflict. alism appears at first to contradict the pre-
Huntington, however, argues the direct oppo- dictions of Huntington’s (1996) clash of
site. He cites three assumptions that support civilizations, the rise of indigenization, and
the argument that a universal civilization global religious resurgence, all of which are
should be emerging: that the collapse of related to the ideal of cultural preservation.
Soviet communism meant the universal vic- However, Huntington discussed historical
tory of liberal democracy, that increased facts, whereas others have tried to propose an
interaction among peoples is generating a ideal; thus, multiculturalism is an idealistic
world culture, and that the broad processes of attitude proposed as a strategy for dealing
modernization will result in societies that with increasing intercultural interconnec-
resemble Western civilization. He goes on to tions. There are competing versions of mul-
explain the fallacies of each of these assump- ticulturalism; cultural pluralism and cultural
tions. He argues that “the failure of trade and particularism are most prominent. Ravitch
communications to produce peace or com- (1992), speaking of the United States,
mon feeling is consonant with the findings of explained, “As a result of the political and

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108 Clothing and Textiles Research Journal

social changes of recent decades, cultural (1991) opinion: “We also need to recognize
pluralism is now generally recognized as an that women have multiple voices, and we
organizing principle of this society” (p. 274). need to tolerate a great deal of ambiguity and
She goes on to contrast cultural pluralism, a to confront our ambivalences that stem from
state in which people may maintain their incipient gender myths” (p. 213).
cultural heritage, with the earlier idea of the
melting pot, which focused on assimilation
and erasure of group differences. The ideal Forecast of Dominating
of cultural pluralism is described as a norm Social Groups
of a free society, an ideal situation in which Dominating or influential social groups
differences are resources, not problems. were identified by Nystrom (1928) as those
Multiculturalism in its pluralistic incarnation with wealth, power, and leadership positions.
ideally reduces hatred and civil conflict In the United States, upper-middle class and
through tolerance, understanding, and appre- educated individuals dominate economically.
ciation of difference, even setting a good According to one article in a recent special
example to other nations. This contrasts with series on class in America published by the
its particularistic incarnation, in which the New York Times, a college education is more
preservation of difference is stressed and the a determinant than ever before of future
possibility of a common culture is discounted. success. Educated elites, knowingly or
My position is that the ideal of multicultur- not, control the education system to a great
alism, in its pluralistic version, represents a degree:
philosophical good.
The other ideal that particularly interests Colleges have come to reinforce many of
me is that of feminism. My position in regard the advantages of birth. . . . Many more stu-
to the positive expression of feminism paral- dents from all classes are getting four-year
lels that of my position regarding multi- degrees and reaping their benefits. But those
culturalism. In other words, I argue that a broad gains mask the fact that poor and
feminist stance should embrace the expres- working-class students have nevertheless
been falling behind. . . . As a result, despite
sion of many forms of gender identity,
one of the great education explosions in mod-
including those that have been historically ern history, economic mobility—moving
associated with the feminine. My design from one income group to another over the
process for this particular piece reflects the course of a lifetime—has stopped rising,
type of thinking that Fox-Genovese (1991) researchers say. Some recent studies suggest
demonstrates when she argues for women’s that it has declined over the last generation.
appropriation of history to “draw strength (Leonhardt, 2005, p. 1)
from a recognition of the common tradi-
tion as in fact common” (p. 240) and states This research indicates that the educated
“Feminism should, in this perspective, be elite will continue to dominate for some
seen as a strategy of interpretation—a trans- time in the United States.
lation, transformation, and appropriation of In the design solution for this problem,
womanhood, understood as a social product” expensive both in materials and labor, I do
(p. 240). I am not limited by this focus, not attempt to address the need to adjust
however, and seek to explore many types of income inequalities that could be stated as
symbols related to gender and social class an ideal in opposition to those of capitalism
ambiguities. I strongly support Kaiser’s and materialism. I do, however, make an

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 Ames / Fashion Future 109

attempt to break away from traditional sym- cubist painting and sculpture—that he
bols of class consciousness. regards as postmodern and that most inspired
solutions to my design problem. Collage has
long been classified in standard art history
Forecast of Cultural Trends to be a modernist art form; however,
According to Brannon (2005), cultural Brockleman (2001) argues that it actually
trends include three levels of culture: high represents “postmodern intertwined with
culture, including literature and fine arts; pop the modern, a postmodern as crisis of the
culture, including movies, television, music, modern announced from within modernity”
celebrity, and sports; and low culture, “activi- (p. 6). He later states the following:
ties pursued locally by special-interest groups
outside of mainstream awareness” (p. 123). Collage practices—the gathering of materials
The last statement appears suspect; what from different worlds into a single compo-
activities are meant? Prostitution? Gambling? sition demanding a geometrically multiply-
These and others that might be considered to ing double reading of each element—call
attention to the irreducible heterogeneity of
belong to low culture have influenced fashion
the ‘postmodern condition.’ But, insofar as
throughout history and have been included in it does bind these elements, as elements,
mainstream awareness. within a kind of unifying field . . . the prac-
The disciplines of philosophy and aes- tice of collage also resists the romanticism
thetic criticism provide the most prevalent of pure difference. This is the case whether
descriptor of our times: postmodernism. As one speaks strictly of collage (where ele-
Morgado (1996) states, ments are attached to a limited surface that
symbolizes such a field) or of the three-
The term postmodern is problematic dimensional effects definitive of ‘assem-
because it is applied inconsistently, and the blage’ in the broadest sense. Collage
confusion is compounded by a general lack depends upon a new kind of relationship
of agreement regarding essential elements between these two shards of the traditional
of postmodern theory. Theorists, analysts, concept of worldhood—and, as a result, it
and critics disagree over the characteristics promises a new sense of truth and experi-
which define postmodern culture, dispute ence, potentially revolutionizing both epis-
the ways it is interpreted, and argue over temology and aesthetics. (pp. 10-11)
whether or not it even exists. (p. 41)
One of the goals of the present design proj-
However, the term is used by its enthusiasts ect was to resist the romanticism of pure dif-
and detractors alike, as well as those who ference that is brought about by direct
reserve judgment regarding its value but quotations of historical and cultural cos-
believe that it exists. In the strictest sense, tume. Brockleman’s ideas and the potential
postmodernism’s validity as a philosophical of collage appealed to that goal.
perspective may likely be logically disproved I have long been attracted by the beauty
(Alford, 2005), but postmodernism as a of armor, although its purpose is disturbing.
concept, as a description of the Zeitgeist, While contemplating the significance of
possesses power if not total credibility. armor in general, I happened by chance to
The largest share of my cultural encounter a photograph in a fashion maga-
research focused on the writing of Thomas zine of one of Lee Bul’s cyborg sculptures.
P. Brockleman (2001) in regard to three major In 1998, she created a series of silicone sculp-
artistic practices—collage, assemblage, and tures representing female cyborgs. To see

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110 Clothing and Textiles Research Journal

Cyborg W1-W4, see Bul (1998). Bul has and its potential danger versus its promise.
said about these sculptures: Some of the strongest statements of appre-
hension or optimism concerning these tech-
There are two currents of thought in my nologies have been made by the movies
work with the cyborgs. The first is that it ref- Metropolis, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Dune,
erences and elaborates on popular imagery The Matrix Trilogy, Alien, and The Fifth
borrowed from cyborgs in animations and Element. The popularity of many others both
films, but my cyborgs are all missing organs serious and comic, such as I, Robot and Men
or limbs, so they are incomplete bodies in a
in Black, further corroborates the importance
sense, questioning the myth of technologi-
cal perfection. The other idea is to invoke
of the themes of these movies. These themes
archetypal images of women, art-historical represent cultural trends significant for this
representations of femininity, particularly in exploration in two ways. They are cultural
Western art history—the Pieta, Boticelli’s indicators expressing collective fears and
The Birth of Venus, or Manet’s Olympia— desires, and they are visually influential,
by rendering these cyborgs in those time- exhibiting strong, imaginative, and in many
less, iconic, feminine poses. (as quoted in cases groundbreaking visual design.
Obrist, 1998, p. 1) Another cultural trend I chose as inspi-
ration is the current popularity of movies
Bul’s Cyborgs appear to have an ancestry in referencing mythology, particularly Greco-
cubism, but they also refer to pop culture, Roman and medieval. There is also often a
particularly Japanese manga (comics) and clear parallel between the futures of science
animation. The sculptures became an influ- fiction and these mythical pasts. All of these
ence for the present exploration, as their movies use romantic, elaborate, exciting
symbolism expressed many of the themes of design and feature fabulous armor in breath-
the dominating events, ideals, and cultural taking scenes of war. Examples are The Lord
indicators and particularly resonated with of the Rings trilogy, The Messenger, Troy,
my feminist ideals. Gladiator, and Kingdom of Heaven.
The extreme apprehension and even para- An influential trend in popular music is
noia caused by the explosion in biomed- world fusion music. According to Montfort
ical advances, such as the development of (2000) on ancient-future.com, world fusion
machine parts for human bodies and the music blends musical traditions from around
development of artificial intelligence, are the world. It is a product of a conscious
expressed by trends in pop culture as well decision on the part of some artists to make
as by Bul’s sculpture. Many movies of the cross-cultural music in an effort to show
science fiction genre express a collective how people from different cultures can grow
approach-avoidance conflict concerning by learning from each other. World music
advances in technology and what they may has become a passion and life’s work for
mean for the future of humanity. Particularly many musicians; they find it artistically
frightening, according to many of these stimulating to create music by integrating
movies, is the idea of the machine, created by ideas from more than one tradition. There is
man much as the monster was created by an obvious link between popular music and
Frankenstein, taking over the world and erad- ideals of multiculturalism, and this link
icating humanity. The cyborg theme is also became an inspiration for me.
encountered in movies, with doubts concern- The fashion trends selected as significant
ing its purpose, its use, its partial humanity, to this project are those that reflect or express

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 Ames / Fashion Future 111

the other predictors chosen for the scenario. being used, with both new postmodernist
The DIY or do-it-yourself trend, a movement twists and modernist harmony and unity, by
with connections to punk and goth subcul- different designers.
tures, has inspired designs for ready-to-wear Certain fashion trends may have the abil-
clothing. This trend is related to the concept ity to symbolize the ideal of multicultural-
of postmodernism in its use of pastiche. Also ism. There are many instances of mainstream
related to pastiche and the postmodern is the fashion borrowing styles from other cultures
use of collage techniques by several influen- and subcultures, such as African American or
tial designers. The use of collage techniques Native American, and cultural groupings
does not guarantee a postmodern confusion within subcultures such as hip-hop and punk.
of meaning, nor may every designer wish to It is important to consider whether the atti-
convey such meaning. For instance, the use tudes expressed by the designers or wearers
of a patchwork of fabrics that harmonize, of these fashions are attitudes of sympathy,
such as those in many traditional quilts, cre- admiration, and identification, or constitute
ates a pattern, not confusion. A more post- an ethnocentric approach, resembling that of
modern-type of collage technique is achieved 19th-century imperialist colonizers of what
by mixing garments that do not harmonize in were thought of as exotic lands. Probably
the traditional sense, such as the juxtaposi- both attitudes operate in different times and
tion of work boots with evening gowns, situations and with different wearers and
which appeared in the early 1990s. Rei observers. Fashion trends that appear to
Kawakubo (2004) is known for her fusion of embrace the ideal of multiculturalism include
parts of different garments into one garment. the current bohemian trend with its many
Her recent use of sleeves attached to skirts Indian references as well as references to the
probably comes closer to subverting mean- 1970s, when peace and love were the watch-
ing, in the sense that the original collages words of the day and many articles of cloth-
of Picasso did, than has any other fashion ing had origins in cultures other than the
design. Antonio Marras (2005), in his line for mainstream.
Kenzo and in his line for his own label, play-
fully mixes prints and patterns from different
cultures (pp. 156-158, 258-261). Christian Formulation of the Problem
Lacroix (2004), Jean-Paul Gaultier (2004),
and John Galliano (2004) all used collage
Development of a Scenario
techniques in their fall 2004 lines. Gaultier I chose to develop a version of the
provided irony similar to Kawakubo’s with surprise-free scenario (with some caveats),
jacket fronts printed or stitched onto skirts. which projects the continued development
Galliano, however, enthusiastically refer- of many of the trends I have selected to
enced collage in multiple funny and silly influence my design, at least for the relatively
ways, with hats mixing fur, ivy, and Coca- near future. My version should be termed
Cola cans, newspaper-print fabric, hairdos “shock-free,” because there will undoubtedly
dressed with tambourines, corsets worn over be surprises of many kinds, especially in the
shirts and jackets, and mixes of vibrant areas of science and technology. In this
patterned fabrics. Many of these techniques scenario, the Iraq war will probably end;
have been used in both the recent and distant terrorism will continue to be a threat; if epi-
past; Schiaparelli is famous for her surreal- demics occur, they will be contained suffi-
ism, for instance. These techniques are still ciently to prevent radical social upheaval;

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112 Clothing and Textiles Research Journal

and nuclear proliferation will continue to Figure 2

threaten and challenge negotiations between Ancient Future, Right Side
nations. Economic globalization will con-
tinue. The worldwide religious revival will
continue, as will the clash of civilizations in
some parts of the world. Individual cultures
will continue to identify themselves and
their successes most strongly with their own
histories. Feminism will see new definitions,
and at the same time, the backlash against
feminism is likely to continue as an expres-
sion of religious fundamentalism and as an
expression of fear of change. Biotechnology
will overtake the dominance of information
technology in the economy. In this scenario,
cultural clashes will hold dominance over
the other trends so that the identification of
individual cultures, their characteristics, and
their successes within their own histories
will be emphasized.
Two trends Popcorn (1997) identified that
are pertinent to my design are that people
need excitement without danger and that
products need to be customized to balance
the impersonal feeling of contemporary
culture. The latter would appear to be an
outgrowth of Naisbitt’s (1982) prediction of
the need for products with softness and
handmade qualities, which he said would be
needed to balance the expansion of high
technology in our lives. Source: Photograph courtesy of James Miller.

extreme (see Figures 2 and 3). The cultural

Development of the Design indicators chosen to inspire the design
Problem became the parameters for the design, there-
fore leaving many possibilities open from
The design problem was initially framed the beginning of the design process.
by the decision to work within the runway
showpiece genre. Within the range of possi-
bilities afforded, I decided to explore the ques-
Explore Approaches and
tion of whether, while designing, the point
Formulate Solutions
at which the garment crossed the line from I chose to use armor of both the historical
saleable to nonsaleable could be identified. and mythological past and of the mytholog-
This is the reason that the design Ancient ical future as one of my inspirations. Armor
Future was not developed to the theatrical intrigues in that it is both crafted and

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 Ames / Fashion Future 113

Figure 3 trickle down to mass-produced fashion? It is

Ancient Future, Left Side difficult to prove, but they can add visual
reinforcement to a trend. Norma Kamali’s
shoulder-padded sweats of the 1980s were
the ultimate in classless fashion using the
ubiquitous shoulder pad of the time; their
shapes resemble those of science fiction
armor more than those of shoulder-padded
business suits.
The choice of armor as inspiration did
not delimit the silhouette, but it did help to
determine it. The silhouette is intended to be
archetypically feminine with a small waist
and prominent posterior, echoing that of the
goddesses of the past such as the Minoan
Snake Goddess, who embodied the regener-
ative powers of nature, as female, strong,
and powerful. The choice was made to use a
skirt, in keeping with the goddess image.
My intention was to unite symbols of the
traditional feminine with symbols of a new
feminine. The garments are intended to
appear both hard and soft at the same time.
They needed to be flexible and soft, defi-
nitely made of fabric. The importance to the
design of the soft and flexible qualities of
fabric is again the expression of the idea of
the feminine. It can, however, be claimed
that armor has belonged primarily to men,
Source: Photograph courtesy of James Miller. so there is a touch of irony here.
I chose to use collage techniques to
symbolize the ideal of multiculturalism.
designed; it echoes the shape of the body Why choose collage for the future when it is
like an exoskeleton, without fitting it like a already in use? It is in use by mostly avant-
second skin; it visually enhances the power garde designers; there are endless ways it
of the body; and it has included interesting can be used and endless permutations to be
variations in fastenings and shapes over the developed. Variations have been used off
centuries. Its images, both historical and and on for years, and in fashion, a trend can
from the fantasy worlds of art and movies, appear and recede many times in 10 to 20
are powerful and seductive. Many designers years. Most important, it still perfectly
have been inspired by armor. Recently, expresses Brockleman’s (2001) “irreducible
Alexander McQueen included decorated heterogeneity of the ‘postmodern condition’”
football shoulder pads in his line. During his (p. 10).
long career, Thierry Mugler has referenced The planned silhouette and armor or
armor many times. Do these references ever cyborg influence ruled out a pastiche of

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114 Clothing and Textiles Research Journal

multicultural costume forms. I wanted differ- Draping was begun using several of the
ent fabrics to play an important role in the rough sketches. The primary material is a
design, both to symbolize different cultures woven silk, wool, and spandex fabric in
and to suggest the fiber work that women gunmetal gray. It has some sheen, suggest-
have had in common over time and space ing the memory of metal, but is not actually
across many cultures. I had an image in my metallic. A stretch cotton fabric was used
mind of an old quilt being a part of the design, for draping. Once the skirt was worked out,
accompanied by other fabrics, preferably several different bodices were draped. Having
from different cultures but used ultimately roughed out the bodice, I began to make the
for their aesthetic effect. The search for a way pieces of the bodice in the actual fabrics,
to combine the shapes and sheen of armor interfacing them with thin batting or regular
with the collage of various fabrics became interfacing depending on the desired look. I
the new challenge. I made some rough used safety pins to hold them together as I
sketches and became committed first to the worked, which inspired the use of silver
skirt with its structured buttocks and its jewelry clasps for the finished piece (see
front-to-back flare, intended to balance the Figures 4 and 5).
buttocks and suggest forward movement. The fabrics chosen to symbolize multicul-
An idea came to my mind from the turalism and used for the shoulder plates and
introduction to Fashioning the Frame by sleeve cuffs were taken from the scrap box
Cavallaro and Warwick (1998): and old garments, and some were purchased
specifically for this project. They include the
Clothing, then, does not just operate as a following: the old quilt, a cotton brocade, an
disguising or concealing strategy. In fact, it African indigo-resist cotton, an African
could be regarded as a deep surface, a man- woven stripe, an Indian shawl, an Indian silk
ifestation of the ‘unconscious’ as a facet of
gauze with a woven pattern, a silk chiffon-
existence which cannot be relegated to the
psyche’s innermost hidden depths but actu-
and-satin weave paisley, a Chinese silk bro-
ally expresses itself through apparently cade, an Indonesian cotton batik, a stretch
superficial activities. (p. xxiii) polyester panné velvet print covered with a
knitted wire mesh, a metallic gold lace, a
Of course, the authors meant “deep surface” 1970s print polyester panné velvet, pillow
metaphorically, but the metaphor inspired ticking, a cotton ikat, a gold metal and silk
the solution to the problem. Deep surface gauze, and a silk organza. Most plates or cuffs
suggested reverse appliqué such as found in incorporate two fabrics, one on the top and
the molas of the Cuna people, where several one under the surface. I wished to include a
levels of fabrics may be revealed. A deep modern fabric with a plastic look, so the
surface, rather like the layers of earth in an underskirt is made of nylon mosquito netting
archeological dig, was the perfect symbol and is trimmed with a band of wool tweed to
for the intended meaning. And of course, the lend visual and physical weight, structure,
metal plates of armor overlap, so these images and a strong contrast in its reference to
worked together to provide a method for the ancient tradition. The knitted metal mesh is
major pieces of clothing to consist primarily again used on the bodice.
of a solid color and incorporate a collage- A final intention, that future garments
type assemblage of fabrics without using should be modular and transformable by the
patchwork. owner, was satisfied to a degree. The upper

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 Ames / Fashion Future 115

Figure 4 Figure 6
Bodice, Front Detail Ancient Future With Collar
and Sleeves Removed

Source: Photograph courtesy of James Miller.

Figure 5
Bodice, Back Detail

Source: Photograph courtesy of James Miller.

Source: Photograph courtesy of James Miller.

shoulder and collar portion of the bodice is to pass as ways of working with old garments
separate and removable. The sleeves have or old scraps.
elastic at the top and are removable. And of
course, the skirt and bodice are separate
pieces, as is the underskirt (see Figure 6). It
Solutions Critically Examined
is also hoped and projected that the do-it- Allowing the scenario for the future with
yourself movement will continue and that all of its accompanying forecasts to chal-
some of the ideas in this project will come lenge the design process directly, without

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116 Clothing and Textiles Research Journal

the intervention of commercial demands, 1) syntactic density, where the finest dif-
did create a freer creative atmosphere. The ferences in certain respects constitute a
process of designing the showpiece allowed difference between symbols . . . 2) seman-
for playfulness in problem solving and a tic density, where symbols are provided of
focus on aesthetic issues. The process of things distinguished by the finest differ-
ences in certain respects . . . 3) relative
scenario building using long-term forecast-
repleteness, where comparatively many
ing techniques was useful, of course, for aspects of a symbol are significant . . . 4)
identifying the possible impact that various exemplification, where a symbol, whether
events, ideals, attitudes, and trends could have or not it denotes, symbolizes by serving as
on clothing design. But it was also freeing. a sample of properties it literally or
It provided a clear framework in which to metaphorically possesses; and finally 5)
identify possible outcomes and choices. multiple and complex reference, where a
Environmental scanning becomes reflexive symbol performs several integrated and
after this exercise, and unfolding current interacting referential functions, some
events resemble pieces of a puzzle whose direct and some mediated through other
place has been found, even as the puzzle of symbols. (p. 68)
the future expands.
Is the finished piece successful in address- According to Goodman (1978),
ing the problem as formulated? The works of
two authors will be used to supply criteria These properties tend to focus attention on
the symbol rather than, or at least along
for evaluation. The first work, by cognitive
with, what it refers to. Where we can never
researcher Finke (1995), concerns the con-
determine precisely just which symbol of a
cept of creative realism, which “refers to the system we have or whether we have the
study of creative ideas that make contact same one on a second occasion, where the
with realistic issues and problems or, equiv- referent is so elusive that properly fitting a
alently, of realistic ideas that have creative symbol to it requires endless care, where
potential” (p. 303). According to Finke, one more rather than fewer features of the sym-
measure of creative realism is that there bol count, where the symbol is an instance
needs to be continuity between old and new of properties it symbolizes and may per-
ideas, a property termed structural connect- form many inter-related simple and com-
edness. “In order to be realistic, creative plex referential functions, we cannot
ideas need to be structured, and that struc- merely look through the symbol to what it
refers to as we do in obeying traffic lights
ture needs to have evolved from previously
or reading scientific texts, but must attend
established ideas and principles” (p. 304). A
constantly to the symbol itself as in seeing
second measure of creative realism is that paintings or reading poetry (p. 69).
ideas must “exhibit inspirational qualities
that excite the imagination and lead to mean- According to Finke, Ward, and Smith (1992),
ingful explorations,” a tendency that is
termed imaginative divergence (p. 304). Judges may disagree in their ratings because
The second set of criteria is supplied by of differences in their backgrounds, experi-
Goodman (1978), who suggested that sym- ences, and preferences. What one person
bols could be determined to be functioning regards as original may be regarded as
aesthetically when some or all of five “symp- commonplace by another, who has already
toms,” as he called them, are present. These seen the invention or heard the idea many
are the following: times before. What one person regards as a

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 Ames / Fashion Future 117

practical device may seem confusing to fabrics, and colors, and a target market
another, who does not understand how it should be defined. If a line of clothing were
would actually work. (p. 41) to be designed, a line plan should be created.
The process would then proceed in much the
Finke et al. (1992) go on to say that evalua- same way as before, but many more possi-
tion of creative products must be based on ble solutions would probably need to be
consensus. Accepting their premise makes generated, to ensure sufficient numbers from
evaluation of my own process and product which to select the most likely marketable
problematic. I do think that the design designs.
Ancient Future exhibits many of Goodman’s
symptoms of the aesthetic, and I do think it
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Style.com Web site: http://www.style.com/fashion Annette Ames is an associate professor of fine and
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EDUCATION-FINAL.html# fashion theory.

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