Considerate Design
Challenging Traditional Design Processes to Develop Personalised Fashion Products
The Considerate Design Project is a collaboration between London College of Fashion, The Open University and The Engineering Design Centre at Cambridge University. It is led by Prof. Sandy Black (LCF) and Co Investigator Dr. Claudia Eckert (The Open University and Engineering Design Centre University of Cambridge). Fatemeh Eskandarpur is the projects research associate who is working on the process modelling of Considerate Design. The project was part of the research Initiative “Designing for the 21st Century” funded by the research councils AHRC and EPSRC.
The Considerate Design concept:
• consideration of the entire life cycle of products
• the customisation of the products and the consideration of the end user
• The efficient use of materials by eliminating waste
• the reduction of labour costs for assembly
• reduced overheads
• localised ‘on demand’ production and fewer travel miles
• longevity of products
Image: Stoll Knitwear, Hook Bag and Rapid Prototyping by Freedom of Creation
The Project is structured as a portfolio of three sub projects which act as case studies for the overall aim: To develop a Considerate Design concept and test new design and production methods for creation of personalised fashion products. Whilst the end products of every project diverge, there was initial commonality in the use of individual bodyscan data and rapid prototyping technology to derive a new methodology for each design process.
The three sub projects are:
- Personalised Knit – Seamless garment knitting for comfort and personalised fit utilising advanced knitting technology with Sandy Black and Penelope Watkins
- Bespoke Bags - Bespoke functional bags ergonomically designed to fit the body Steven Harkin and Frances Geesin
- Evolving Textiles - Rapid manufacturing for pseudo-textile structures which conform to the body with Philip Delamore and industry partners; Freedom of creation, Complex Matters, EOS, Warwick University
For more information visit the Considerate Design website
