Collaborative Design for Fashionable Wearables: A Fashion System Perspective

Abstract

Wearable technologies are used by only a small part of the consumer market, and their abandonment rates are still high. Aesthetic value and style are essential for making these devices fashionable, thus facilitating their widespread use. Designing fashionable wearables requires a collaboration between professionals working in technology and fashion fields. Although many studies in the literature indicate a need for collaboration, none explored the attitudes of professionals from these fields towards collaborating with each other. Addressing this gap, we conducted in-depth interviews with 4 fashion designers, 1 fashion editor, 3 product developers and 1 public relations manager working in fashion industry. Based on the insights derived from these fashion professionals, we presented stakeholders that should be actively involved in the collaboration, the characteristics of collaboration environment, barriers for a successful collaboration, and two product development process models driven by either fashion and technology.