Keywords

1 Introduction

For some disabled individuals, it is still a struggle to shop clothing (Ahmed 2017). Within the industry, design is increasingly valued not necessarily for solving problems but for making issues evident and tangible, thereby simplifying the discussion and decision making (Pullin 2009).

Individuals are considered disabled when they lack essential abilities (e.g., sight or hearing) in their daily life’s that have been compromised (Heylighen and Strickfaden 2012). In fact, in October 2019, World Health Organization (WHO 2019) published that at least 123.7 million people suffered from moderate or severe distance vision impairment or blindness while 826 million were near vision impairment. Design for special needs is a patronizing way to describe design specifically for people with particular impairments (Pullin 2009).

By embracing several issues, design can operate as a technology-driven opportunity. It can operate with a sustainability approach (e.g. eco-friendly/sustainable brands) and it optimize the features of the product or service that are based firstly with a preconceived idea. Nevertheless, the visual communication of the brand itself is not possible with visually impaired consumers, so it is essential to analyse how fashion brands can create an emotional relationship with the individuals and what kind of approach are designers and brands currently using to create a bond with VI consumers. According to some authors, Inclusive Design is a concept that helps designers to develop products for disabled individuals but with the purpose of those products to be used by all consumers, whether disabled or not. However, and despite all the efforts, designers can be designing products that somehow are more exclusive rather than inclusive, once that they have been developed specifically for VI individuals.

Some fashion designers have been developing projects to improve the relationship with VI consumers enticing them to purchase and use garments with the main objective of helping them on a daily basis and to a certain point creating more accessible products and fulfilling the gap between consumers and fashionable clothes. So, if the main goal of a designer is, the creation of products that somehow fulfil needs, this study concerns the understanding of how inclusive products directed to fashion, such as clothing, have been successfully implemented in the market. Thus, three main research questions were created:

  • Q1. Regarding product development concepts, aspects, and elements what differences exist between inclusive and common design on clothes?

  • Q2. Within an inclusive approach, how many fashion brands exist currently developing products for VI consumers?

  • Q3. What kind of approach these entities have regarding the communication aspects of products towards VI consumers?

Because it is mandatory to understand how product development occurs in fashion design, regardless it is inclusive or not, the literature review is mostly based on scientific papers, informative articles, books and complemented with video watching. From the literature review were found and considered essential elements (study questions, propositions, units of analysis) that supported the case study. For the development of the case study and the analysis of the garments of each designer/ project, all aspects to be considered were first outlined. Internet (e.g. designers’ websites and informative journals) was the tool for the garments’ analysis. Once that was not found any scientific studies within this subject, this work is pioneer, considering fashion designers and inclusive concepts and regarding the type of clothing and designers examined.

2 Fashion Brands and Fashion Designer Responsibilities

As an expression, fashion communication is normally offered by the garment or the outfit that is the outcome of the development of the individual’s idea (Barnard 2011). As consumers have to combine all the branding signals to express the experience as a whole, fashion brands are often described as uniquely “experiential” (Kim 2012). After all, fashion comprehends an intangible system of signification (Rocamora and Anneke 2015) while visual communication involves a spectrum of aspects that are exposed in a sensually way (Čuden 2017). According to (Giacomin 2014) ‘design’, involves initially the creation of a plan and sketches. With the main goal of produce the idea, the object or the service, it represents a purpose of fixing a look, function, or reedifying purposes within a system or society.

Defining fashion industry and all the individuals involved in the creation, production, promotion, and sales, is to recognize that creation of products involves: (a) the creation of products with new and distinct look and functionality, (b) the activation of psychological responses linked to desire and need in the consumers, and (c) product acceptation by individuals for a limited amount of time (Ruppert-Stroescu and Hawley, 2014). As Baxter (1998), explains, the fashion industry is relentlessly organized to impose differences every year and every season, where fashion trends and colours are massified in the form of spring-summer, autumn-winter, or mid-season collections. Consumers devoted to fashion trends are the greatest heritage of the fashion industry and consequently fashion brands. So, the dualism of fashion design remains in the desire that an individual has to be like someone else, but different from everyone else to fit in society. After all, being fashionable is about having similitude and being distinctive at the same time (Rocamora and Anneke 2015).

Understanding the fashion designer’s role through all the product development processes is to acknowledge their capabilities while individuals that are able to connect and facilitate, producers of quality, visionaries, future builders and co-producers (Manzini 2009). These professionals are in part aesthetic agents and anthropologists and they are constantly motivated to explore new concepts with the main goal of promoting the product meaning and improve the consumer’s quality of life (Gobé 2002). According to McCann, Hurford et al. (2005), design research and product development processes require control and guidance while selecting elements for product development and production (e.g. selection and application of textiles, style appearance, appropriate technologies in product cutting, manufacturing and finishing methods). The next chapter focuses on the elements that a fashion designer must integrate into the collection and thereafter in the garments.

3 Fashion Designers and Support Elements in the Collection Development

Fashion collections are no more any less than the combination of silhouettes, colours, textures (Renfrew and Renfrew 2010), and woven and knitted fabrics (Jones 2011) connected with the designer aesthetics (Renfrew and Renfrew 2010) and brand DNA. They consist of a number of moments that are influenced by several factors (Chow et al. 2017). Each successful collection requires a vast quantity of investigation, analysis, and planning (Renfrew and Renfrew 2010), however, the first step is to analyse previously launched trend forecasts regarding the season that designers are working for.

The product development is a significant matter in fashion business (Chow et al. 2017) and the creativity is one of the main aspects for fashion product research and development, however, according to Jones (2011), clothing has primarily four practical functions: utility, modesty, immodesty, and adornment. The same author also defines the following practical values that a fashion designer must have into consideration when developing new clothing products: (1) Price, the most important aspect in purchase consideration; (2) Consumers tend to evaluate fabric and garment quality to perceive if the price is adequate to the expected product durability through cleaning and product care; (3) Fit of the garment, that is an important aspect because garment design must be functional and appropriate accordingly with the costumer’s body and emotional expectations, otherwise clothing will remain unsellable; (4) comfort and emotional comfort relates to the garment fit and materials properties (e.g. aromatic or anti-creasing properties) but also transparency of ethical and sustainable production and waste disposable methods information about the products; (5) relevance, because clothes must be adequate to consumers lifestyles, work and leisure occasions; (6) the brand is the key point of fashion marketing and creates a link between consumer and products, so, by advertising the product’s unique qualities, brands satisfy consumer needs and expectations; (7) Convenience and service of brands, refers to the shopping as a pleasant and fulfilling experience for the consumer.

3.1 Creativity

Creativity in fashion design is a complex process of ideas combining several phases and gradual improvements (Baxter 1998; Bjögvinsson et al. 2012) that has to be stimulated (Baxter 1998) to lean products towards to novelty and usability (Ruppert-Stroescu and Hawley, 2014). The creativity of new products assumes the additional requirement of creating value by inputting desire and demand for change (Kawamura 2005; Ruppert-Stroescu and Hawley 2014) but also ‘the notion of utility should never be underestimated because consumers often choose clothes with concerns such as comfort, durability or ease of care in mind’ (Jones 2011, p. 24).

So, conveniently, the function of fashion design is to “create a product with a practical function, while defining a product with unique characteristics that serve a purpose where consequently, the fashion designer’s creativity serves to attend and to create the expected harmony in a product, that the consumer recognizes and connects too” (Ruppert-Stroescu and Hawley 2014, p. 20).

Regarding creativity concepts, Ruppert-Stroescu and Hawley (2014), elucidates the existence of Leadership Creativity, a process that requires a great investment in product research, exploration and experimentation, whereas Adaptive Creativity process is based on an already made product that is again being designed, oftenly gotten from previous seasons. In this case, research is limited to which products will be changed and how to change them accordingly with established trend forecasts. Yet, Bjögvinsson et al. (2012), defends that designers should be more into social and innovative design and less into the economics and that design is a collective effort. So, ideas must be conceptualized, “prototyped,” and analysed in the early stages of the design process with resource to human-centeredness, affinity and optimism. Only then will be possible to communicate clearly with VI consumers in a well-succeeded manner regardless of product shape and its visual messages, and, the whole environment that surrounds them in a brick and mortar store.

3.2 Colours

Consumers respond to colour instinctively and emotionally (Pastoureau 1997). For example, as Heller (2007) explains, new colour pallets can be full of social and moral connotations (e.g. blue symbolizes harmony and satisfaction, violet, vanity, and self-centeredness while grey represents neutrality and black for instance denial and aggression). The author also mentioned that, in the world of fashion, colour is more than just a visual experience. It can be tactile. Fabrics are constituted with yarns that can be crafted with similar or different fibres and compositions and consequently with different colours, so, when caressed, colours transform themselves into different perceptions, eliciting different consumer responses.

3.3 Fabrics Textures

Choosing textile materials accordingly with the brand, the product, and the consumer target is always a challenging task for a fashion designer, even more, when there are timetabled periods for marketing, research, prototyping, ordering, manufacturing, and sales (Jones 2011) that are very reduced. When fashion designers are choosing and collecting textile materials for the following collection, normally they have already notions of the trends (e.g. colours, textures, and key products) and materials that are more suitable for the garments.

For a VI consumer, Williams, Ringland and Hurst (2013) explains that it would be marvellous to make garments with different textures and consequently different feels. The surface of a textile material is often manipulated by the designer to create different textures (Jones 2005). Lau (2012), presents different ways of manipulation and finishing’s that give the textile surface different effects. For example, the application of beads and sequins normally produces a luxurious sensation. It is pertinent to think about this aspects, because as Ruppert-Stroescu and Hawley (2014) mentioned, the most significant difference between higher priced and lower priced clothing is that consumers are willing to spend more for more original or unique clothes, so, products with superior designs are definitely a contribute for product and brand preferences by consumers and a determinant key of purchase satisfaction (Bloch et al. 2003). What is more is that the consumers availability to pay for a design changes with utility, and, the act of buying the garment will depend on the number of consumers that already have bought it (Coelho et al. 2004).

3.4 Seams, Trims and Other Aesthetic Aspects

According to Malcolm Barnard (2002) and Čuden (2017) when the garments are covered with slogans, and names of brands, the meaning of clothing is not just confined in its slogans. The meaning of a garment is something above that, meaning that when communicating through clothes, no verbalisms or written words are used. In fact, there has been a crescent use of trims and clothing personalization with visual elements (e.g. engraved button; printing lining; coloured ribbon; placket and binding in the interior with the brand symbol) to reinforce the brand identity in the products. However, these visual aspects can be a constraint for consumers because of the increase in prices on fashion goods comparatively with the individual’s income (Coelho et al. 2004).

3.5 Shapes

While materials and trims are the touchable aspects of clothing, the immaterial or the intangible refers to the sensations, meaning or value (Heylighen and Strickfaden 2012) where purchase clothing can be included. In fashion products, it is possible to have inferences about sensory experiences. For example, the look of a long fur jacket on sales in an autumn/winter collection may suggest softness and/or warm sensations (Bloch et al. 2003).

To achieve an effective and successful design on clothing and outfits, there are pivotal elements (silhouette; line and texture) and principles (repetition; rhythm; graduation; radiation; contrast; harmony; balance and proportion) that Jones (2005, 2011), mention and that fashion designers must consider when developing new products successfully. The inspiration to develop new designs sometimes emerge through the research of ‘old’ styles that will be influenced by global trends, though, through the unification of new trends and new predictions of the sales analysis of that particular style, the designer continues to achieve brand goals without losing identity (Renfrew and Renfrew 2010). This kind of creative thinking of the fashion designer is in accordance with Ruppert-Stroescu and Hawley (2014) principles and the appliance of Leadership Creativity and the Adaptive Creativity methods on product development.

4 Fashion Thinking and Inclusive Product Development

Design and aesthetic aspects are important for commercial elements and sensory channels (Bloch et al. 2003). It is extremely significant to recognize the relationship between the designer and the consumer and be aware of the importance of the consumer experiences including the consequence of these experiences in the development of new products. When questioning and provoking creative thinking, the future of designs will be potentially influenced by inviting designers to design and reach more senses (Heylighen and Strickfaden 2012). Product aesthetics (e.g. garment) can include a range of important nonvisual elements such as fabric textures and trims (Bloch et al. 2003), so, VI can purchase clothes due to the possibility of tactile, sound and smelling experiences, thus, perhaps the purchase can be also influenced by smells, sounds and from others sensations (e.g. aroma, music, lights and staff attitude) coming from the brick and mortar store space.

The product experience is considered an intricate phenomenon that involve several feelings and reactions, whether physiological, expressive or behavioural (Desmet and Hekkert 2007). The UX framework (Fig. 1) shows an interesting approach based on a fashion thinking approach presented by Pals et al. (2008) that is a tool to better appraise, interpret and build up innovative products success, where the sense-making process involves a conscious cognitive process, while others are the result of product perception and sensation. The cognitive processing and product perception happen simultaneously or sequentially.

Fig. 1
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UX experience circle for the creation of new fashion products based on Pals et al. (2008)

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This last perspective, ‘draws attention to all sorts of socio-cultural processes that occur between users and technology and between different users and to the need to take these into account in research and design’ (Pals et al. 2008, p. 290) what, in a certain way, reflect the basis of product development on inclusive design, where the product is directed for the disabled individual to aid those who are less able in achieving some goals but also to facilitate tasks for the able ones (Heylighen and Strickfaden 2012).

Design elements are the product features (e.g. knit or woven fabric) ‘which a designer can manipulate such as form, colour, interaction, flow, and functionality’ (Pals et al. 2008, p. 290). The design elements are filled also with aesthetic aspects that can trigger unpleasant or pleasant emotions (Desmet and Hekkert 2007). Compositional aspects are based on the possibility of use, pragmatic and behavioural aspects of the product that can also activate emotions related to (mis)understanding of how a product works.

A great example of clothing market is that VI consumers may have some difficulty on manage or wearing a certain feature or garment due to the difficulties of dressing that garment, affecting its (un)predictability and behaviour. The attribute meanings are related with the customer and to a ‘user’s higher-order goals, cognition, the ability to recognise metaphors, assign or assess personality or symbolic significance and can result in emotions such as anger, joy, satisfaction, fulfilment, fun, bliss, closeness to one’s own identity or image, inspiration or regret’ (Pals et al. 2008, p. 286).

The user experience and the design elements are linked through six different aspects related to the experience per se and the resulting emotions are created via sense-making. Based on prior consumer experiences comes anticipation; connecting is when the first contact with a certain product happens without giving meaning to it; then, consumers tend to interpret the product according to related hopes, fears, goals, and desires; reflecting, is when costumers evaluate a certain experience and then appropriate experiences and transform that experience to as their own. Recounting is the remembering of that experience and possibly finding new definitions to it. Some of these sense-making processes involve a cognitive process that is conscious, whether others are the consequence of perception or sensation and can happen simultaneously or sequentially.

Regarding Inclusive Design, Clarkson et al. (2007), also exposed that Inclusive Design processes of products or services are developed by starting from a problem, captured most of the time as a perceived need. It is necessary to transform that need into a possible solution that can satisfy society successfully, so, this requires an appropriate design process. The same authors explain that inclusive design connects four different approaches (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2
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Product development stream in the inclusive design process and concept

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Firstly, it concerns to a nonstop search and exploration of the need for addressing the correct design issue, with due consideration of all stakeholders, that leads to the understanding of the need; secondly, it translates, meaning that it is defined into a description of what the design wants to achieve, leading to the second output, the requirements specification; thirdly, it is mandatory the formulation of initial concepts that are assessed against the requirements leading to the third output, concepts, and, fourthly and lastly, the product or service are ready to be produced or used, leading to the final output, solutions (Fig. 2).

What is more, Dong et al. (2015), sustains that Inclusive Design concepts are based on two different perspectives. First, it will allow understanding the users, in this case, fashion customers, and, not only in terms of ergonomics, and second, allows a better understanding of the information received from the many groups involved in the problem solving and creative processes.

Within a general approach Manzini (2009), describes that every good complex design project is based and requires good design research. Inclusive Design can be related, regarding its objective similarities with other design approaches on the accessible field, such as: “universal design”, “design for all” (Persson et al. 2015), “lifespan design” and “design for the diversity” (Moreira and Almendra 2007) and also human-centered design (Giacomin 2014). Clarkson et al. (2007), also proposed several aspects to consider when developing new products based on the creation of a persona.

According to (Persson et al. 2015), to increase the number of consumers that can eagerly use a product, infrastructure, or service, the design of those must follow traditional consumer requisites. Although, the needs of older or disabled people should also be taken into consideration. However their needs have been considered in niche products such as disability aids, this often provides separation and stigmatizing solutions for these users (Hannukainen and Hölttã-Otto 2006). So, the User experience framework and inclusive design concepts are indeed important tools that when combined, can improve product development and enhance better product results.

5 Case Study of Inclusive Brands in Fashion for VI Consumers

5.1 Methods

It is known that some designers have been developing projects in order to strengthen the ‘bridge’ with VI consumers by encouraging them to buy and use garments that somehow support their days and are to a certain point more accessible. During the literature review were found and analysed scientific articles, informative articles, and reports that present inclusive design as a concept and a helpful tool on product development, but in a general perspective (Clarkson et al. 2003, 2007; John Clarkson and Coleman 2015).

It was also analysed the user experience framework presented by Pals et al. (2008) that is directed specifically to fashion, however, for the units of analysis, were considered elements from both concepts: inclusive design and UX experience. These two different approaches are the propositions on the case studies (Yin 2009). This chapter focuses on the analysis of products considered by their creators as inclusive. It is also the objective of this study to determine if the inclusive products explored by these designers have been successfully implemented in the market and survived over time.

‘The design of all research requires conceptual organization, ideas to express needed understanding, conceptual bridges from what is already known, cognitive structures to guide data gathering, and outlines for presenting interpretations to others’ (Stake 1995, p. 15). The motive for the selected method is related to the need for understanding inclusive fashion brands collectively (Marconi and Lakatos 2011).

A case study research can incorporate several entities (Gerring 2007) individuals, organizations, processes, programs, neighbourhoods, institutions, and even events (Yin 2001). Within a qualitative methodology (Fortin et al. 2009) the case study method (Gerring 2007; Stake 1995; Yin 1993, 2009) consists of a complete and detailed examination of a phenomenon linked to a certain entity. It is appropriate to use it when there is no information about the phenomenon in particular (Fortin et al. 2009).

Regarding the entities selected, two or more cases can be designated for the same study (Yin, 1993) to achieve a single set of conclusions (Yin 2009). All the studied cases have inclusive products and from those were selected the five most pertinent in terms of choice of methods for product development by the designers, its relevance in the fashion community, and its exposure and available contents on the internet, on their webpage, on social media, and online informative articles. Two other cases were found, but they are very particular because the products were developed by VI designers/individuals and not by sighted designers. So, for that reason, and due to brands and companies usually work with sighted professionals, they were excluded from this study.

With a descriptive and exploratory approach (Yin 1993), the design for the case studies are embedded with multiple units of analysis (Yin 2009). Table 1 will provide the necessary information about it.

Table 1 Case Studies research components
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Due to the impossibility of conducting physical and individual interviews with the designers, the study was conducted through an online analysis context, which made it difficult or impossible to analyse some elements previously established. The observation and the specific content used in the study was collected through websites. So, the information might not be 100% reliable. However, it was a great start to understand the effectiveness of the products. Regarding the list of designers and products and considering a general overview approach, Table 2 has the most important aspects of each one.

Table 2 General overview regarding designers and product aspects
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Table 3 describes the concepts and the solutions that each designer came up with, considering the product development within an inclusive approach.

Table 3 Product development within an inclusive design approach
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Tables 4, 5, and 6 describe the user experience elements developed by each designer focusing on the way how these particular garments communicate with the consumer.

Table 4 Product development regarding the user experience approach
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Table 5 Product development regarding the user experience approach (cont.)
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Table 6 Product development regarding the user experience approach. (cont.)
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6 Discussion

After the analysis of the designers and their inclusive products, some conclusions can be drawn. Considering the first question of the study, concerning the differences in the product development concepts, aspects and elements on common and inclusive clothing, it is clear that all the designers studied adopted a leadership creativity approach through their development process (Pals et al. 2008). The designers worked closely with VI individuals in order to understand their needs and preferences, to achieve plausible solutions to their issues that are mainly related to choosing, wearing, and caring for the garment. Regarding colours and materials, there is no information regarding the chosen palette and no congruency in the five cases explored. In fashion, the colour palette on a collection is most of the time selected having into account trend forecasts (Baxter 1998). However, this aspect does not appear in the inclusive design product development, once that the explored designers tend to implement a colour pallete accordingly with their taste and logic of clothing appearance and VI preferences.

Regarding the second question, concerning the number of designers and fashion brands existing currently developing products for VI consumers, five cases were found and studied.

Regarding the third question, concerning the approach that entities have regarding the communication aspects of products towards VI consumers, features such as functionality and interaction appear as being the most appealing. Fashion comprehends an intangible system of signification (Rocamora and Anneke 2015) while visual communication involves a spectrum of aspects that are exposed in a sensually way (Čuden 2017). The application of different features, such as Braille system application through studs, embroideries, beadings, and 3D printing is considered not only an ornamental aspect but also interactional. The creation of a language code system and QR code that can be read through a mobile application (e.g. Camila Chiriboga), allows VI to understand and to be aware of the garment specifications. Located volumes, reversible sides, velcro tapes, zippers, and pockets strategically positioned, are easy to use attributes that simplify the way of wearing the garment. However, the cost of these applications on the garment can be expensive for the brand or the designer, even more, if a business is being started. Not to mention, the time implicated in the application of each feature, especially on the beading application, considering each model’s specifications.

The studied designers created specific products for VI individuals, focusing essentially on the product itself regarding aesthetics and functionality aspects, alienating its integration into the fashion market and its relationship with the brand. Once these products are not adapted to the taste of all consumers, they do not subsist in the fashion market, becoming merely exclusive and non-inclusive. So, there is a difference between common and inclusive products.

According to Ruppert-Stroescu and Hawley (2014), Leadership Creativity requires an enormous investment in searching and developing solutions. Camila Chiriboga developed a universal language system applied to the tags that can be interpreted by VI but also by other consumers due to the simplicity of scanning the symbols with a smartphone. This is a pertinent feature on the product, even more, when is known that some VI do not know how to read Braille, but they are perfectly capable to manage a smartphone. The complexity of Braille requires time to be learned and interpreted and it can be an issue regarding the perceptive process on clothing with this kind of language system, even more, when they are applied in the garments with a certain ambiguity (e.g. Babette Sterling). Though, due to the non-availability of e-commerce, there was no information regarding the intrinsic aspects (e.g. fibre composition) of the garments per se. Only the L3-C2 jacket, created by the designer Camila Chririboga and the garments created by Babette Sterlin presented compositional specifications online but no others provided that kind of information. So, it turns out that in the greater majority, specific technical properties of the fabrics used for the product conception were impossible to ascertain.

It is important to emphasize that nowadays, consumers want to know more about products. Currently, there are interesting textile products in the market that simplify consumer’s life (e.g. eco-friendly, anti-stain, easy-care, and anti-crease properties). Other fibers maintain the colour effectively and there is a greater variety of sustainable materials as well, that were still not properly focused in previous studies and were not evaluated by VI individuals. However, the interesting features created by the designers are pertinent and eligible for the study. Rugilé Gumuliauskaitė products are more commercial and the designer offers a personalized service to her costumers on her atelier, but only there. Whereas, the designer Maria Sol Ungar garments are specifically created for a niche of consumers.

7 Conclusion

In general, because of its particularities that just satisfy the needs of VI individuals, the products analysed do not satisfy the fashion market, globally. The brands and designers only act locally with no e-commerce availability. Currently, inclusive design methods are used through clothing development, but these methods are too generic. Thus, the solution is not to praise the product itself, but rather to understand the whole: product, the brand, and the fashion designer. For example, the designer Alexa Jovanovic, co-founder of the start-up AilleDesigns sought to work with VI and sighted individuals in order to create an emotional connection with the visually impaired but also with all consumers. What is more, is that due to the complexity of details and aesthetic aspects these garments are more difficult to be combined with other pieces.

Today, designers and products must survive in the market, so they need to understand the foundations of inclusive design in the fashion business allied with user experiences and emotions. Not only clothing connects the brand to the costumers, but, to also achieve customer needs successfully, designers and brands must think outside the box to provide more information regarding their products, otherwise, they will not be able to subsist in the market and they will be just one more inclusive project lost in the multiplicity of products that the fashion market already has available. For further studies it could be important to interview these designers and analyse the real products.