A Direction for Clothing and Textile Design Research

Clothing and textile design is a discipline of practice, scholarship, and research, sharing many characteristics and issues with the broader discipline of design. This manuscript briefly introduces some of the history and main concepts of the design discipline and design research; presents a framework for Design Scholarship to initiate a discussion about research, and suggests ways to contribute to the larger academic dialogue on forming a design discipline. The main thrust is to argue that a different context is needed for creative scholarship; one of design research that can add to the knowledge base and help build theory in the field. The tacit knowledge of hands-on experience is distinct, but cannot remain solely with the practitioner or the artifact. Clothing and textile design has a long tradition in creative practice, but due to the increasing complexity of our world, there is a need to formally capture the knowledge of the field.