Maker to Wearer: A Transfer of Intention

Abstract

Following up from a previous article on the possibility of materializing intention through the design and production of a “knot dress,” this study confirms that the maker’s intention can be transferred to, and actively perceived by, the garment’s wearer. The interviews and related documentary on wearing the knot dress show that an unusual piece of clothing induces movements and behaviors in the wearer that more ordinary garments do not, thus triggering “epidermic self-awareness,” that is, the experience of greater or lesser discomfort as a chance for the wearer to appreciate the connection between body and garment. Minimal discomfort, however, will disappear as the wearer becomes accustomed to the feeling. The wearer-garment interaction through the amount of imbalance created, more or less intentionally, by the maker, causes garment and body to be felt as separate, yet connected, entities, whilst also linked to the world outside. The results of this study suggest the possibility, or a method, for a maker to sharpen the wearer’s perception of both the garment and the added value of its maker’s intention.

Keywords:

• maker
• wearer
• in-depth interview
• garment
• epidermic self-awareness

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 Because of the respondents’ natural inclination to say what they think the interviewer wants to hear, non-verbal expression was analysed, thus capturing unintentional and/or unnoticeable behavior, that would contradict or confirm the spoken answers (Boyce and Neale 2006).

2 Participants in the first interview of this study in UK (2014) are numbered from U1 to U6. Participants in the second interview in Korea (2022) are numbered from K1 to K12 (Table 1). This sample is not focused on age difference but includes a variety of ages and occupations.

T able 1. Participants in the first interview in UK (2014) and the second interview in Korea (2022)

3 In qualitative research, the unexpected findings can be detected during the research. It is one of the advantages of qualitive research (Baškarada 2014, 11).

4 As the knot dress is not meant to be a mass-produced, everyday garment, a small number of respondents has been considered appropriate.

5 The words “dress” or “knot dress” were not mentioned, to prevent any preconceptions on part of the respondents.

6 In the case of the Korean wearers, conversations were conducted in Korean. Thus, the transcript was recorded in Korean, with part of it translated into English in order to be included in this article. The translation was checked by a professional translator.

7 In this part, only the more relevant answers are reported, while repeated answers from the first interviews have been omitted.

8 Wearer discomfort is not necessarily caused by a garment’s pattern. A garment that is unthreaded or has holes in it causes its wearer to feel more or less uncomfortable and perceive garment and body separately – the experience of epidermic self-awareness.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Hye Eun Kim

Hye Eun Kim studied her MA at London College of Fashion and PhD at Royal College of Art in UK. She is a designer, researcher and assistant professor in the fashion design department at Dong Eui University in Korea. Her work has been exhibited internationally including China, France, Italy, Korea and UK. Her main interest is fabric and its changes through garment making and wearing in material culture from anthropological viewpoint. She published several articles in international and Korean journals related these issues. Her research was published in TEXTILE Cloth and Culture in 2019 - 23. [email protected], [email protected]