The study Use of Knitwear as Design Inspiration centres around women’s wardrobes to better understand the characteristics of using garments – knitwear in particular. It implies users’ practices in relation to knitwear and how these insights are used as inspiration for the design process of developing a concept of knitted jumpers for customisation.

The idea is hereby to design for the user’s experience of the garments. For sure, it is possible to extend the durability of garments through resistant materials and the construction of them, but if the garment is only used a few times, and then replaced with new ones, its lifespan is not very long. It can therefore be argued that the difference between durability and longevity is associated with the use of clothing.

By incorporating knowledge about the use phase, the designer can, consciously, work to increase satisfaction with clothing and postpone garments’ lifetime. From a perspective of sustainability, it is an advantage to, not only postpone the stage of disposal but at the same time increase the use active use of clothing. In other words, it is important to distinguish between clothes that are in active use and clothes that are passively stored.

Studying users' practices of knitwear, Louise set up a design experiment to do in-depth interviews with female participants. To guide the dialogue in a semi-structured way Louise used knitted prototypes. These were a mix of different types of materials, structures, textures, and constructions. For example, the opposition between a tight and a loose knitted textile, as well as the experience of a tight-fitting or loose-fitting jumper. The intention was hereby to support the participants in expressing themselves about knitwear, based on quality, appearance, touch, shape, fit, details, usability and function, and thereby put into words personal preferences and experiences, using knitwear.

Use of Knitted Prototypes

The participants examined the knitted prototypes and described their experience with the different textile samples and jumpers – some dealing with haptic and visual perception, others focusing on the participant's experiences with fit, cut, decoration and other details, in order to gain an insight into the participant's personal preferences associated with use. In this way, the materiality of the knitted prototypes and garments acted as a catalyst for articulation and dialogue, as well as creating a common basis for an in-depth conversation about the participants' experiences with the use of knitwear.

This study is a part of Louise’s PhD research – Design of Knitted Jumpers for Longevity: Knitted Prototypes as a Tool for User Dialogue in the Design Process, which examines ways in which the textile designer can contribute to the sustainable development of the industry in view of the paradigm shift that the industry faces.

Related Sources

Ravnløkke, L., 2023, “Designing for User Empowerment through an Involving Process.” International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education: pp. 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/17543266.2023.2241479

Ravnløkke, L., 2019, Design of Jumpers for Longevity: Knitted Prototypes as a Tool for User Dialogue in the Design Process[Design af strikbluser til lang levetid: Strikkede prototyper som redskab for brugerdialog i designprocessen]. PhD Dissertation. Design School Kolding. https://www.designskolenkolding.dk/node/2948

Møller, T., Ravnløkke, L., & Bang, A.L., 2016, “Tangible Dialogue Tools:  Mediating Between Non-verbal Users and Everyday Experts”. In Conference proceedings: 15th NORDCODE Seminar - Design and mediation. University of Southern Denmark, 22-24 November 2016, Kolding, Denmark