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Item Antigender fashion : the boundless possibilities of gender-fluid fashion design : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, School of Design, Toi Rauwharangi College of Creative Arts, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University, New Zealand. EMBARGOED until 11 May 2026.(Massey University, 2023) Beyer, JudithGender fluidity plays an increasingly important role in today’s fashion industry and Western culture, calling into question the very boundaries of gendered fashion. This doctoral project focuses on the incorporation of non-binary fashion in contemporary fashion design. Expanding on what Vicki Karaminas and Justine Taylor termed antigender fashion, this study investigates how contemporary fashion design can challenge and critique norms of gender identities and their representation. Like anti-fashion, which opposes and challenges fashion, antigender fashion seeks to dismantle and confront binary gender signifiers. Fashion is then understood as more than a mirror of society; rather, it is a phenomenon that reflects, absorbs, and visualises broader social and cultural shifts. The focus is therefore on fashion as a system of signification, analysing contemporary fashion imagery and design via a critical visual and textual analysis. To illustrate the various ways in which antigender fashion can expand the gender binary, the thesis takes a multiple case-study approach, discussing the contemporary designers JW Anderson, Gucci under the direction of Alessandro Michele, Art School, and No Sesso, investigating the ways in which they challenge, blur, and critique traditional gender boundaries in the context of fashion and culture. This study seeks to highlight the relevance of fashion in constituting and renegotiating contemporary forms of masculinities and femininities.Item Borderless fashion practice : contemporary fashion in the metamodern age : a thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, School of Design, Toi Rauwhārangi College of Creative Arts, Massey University, Wellington, Aotearoa(Massey University, 2021) Gerrie, VanessaTwenty-first century fashion practice has become increasingly borderless and pluralistic in the technetronic era, calling into question the very boundaries that define fashion in the Western cultural context. This doctoral project responds to this statement in light of contemporary fashion practices under what I call borderless fashion. Borderless fashion is a term that I conceptualise and use in this study to define contemporary fashion practitioners who work across disciplines through collaborations and communicate their work in a multitude of cross-platform ways. Borderless fashion practice describes practitioners whose work intersects with other creative disciplines and fields, such as art, technology, science, architecture, and graphic design. This is established through collaborative projects and conceptual fashion collections manifesting in the way in which they communicate their practice. This involves a movement from the physical to the metaphysical, transcending conceptions of the traditional runway catwalk show. It is fashion produced, communicated, and consumed in an expanded field. These practices are expanding the definitions of fashion as both material object and experience. As such, this thesis is driven by the following questions: Why are fashion designers working in this way? How has the consumer/audience’s relationship with fashion changed? To illustrate these claims I have conducted a critical visual and textual analysis through four case studies of fashion designers including Iris Van Herpen, Aitor Throup, Virgil Abloh, and Eckhaus Latta. The textual analysis is not that of material garments but rather that of the communication materials of the designer’s brand, which has been influenced by the democratisation of digital technologies. These designers work collaboratively with practitioners from other disciplines and utilise multi-disciplinary design principles themselves. They were chosen because they move between the commercial and the non-commercial fashion arenas through project-based fashion. I have mapped their practices against the philosophical and theoretical framework of metamodernism, a set of emerging frameworks that construct narratives and meaning around contemporary aesthetics and fashion design respectively.Item Lesbian style : designing a lesbian fashion collection : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Master of Design, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand(Massey University, 2019) Browne, NenehLesbian style and expression is an area of fashion which is underrepresented in the fashion industry as well as in the teachings of fashion. Fashion as an industry is overwhelmingly viewed as a gay man’s domain as men make up a majority of creative director positions in western fashion houses and many of fashion’s most influential figures are openly gay men (Pike 2016). Lesbians by comparison are associated primarily with being unfashionable – and more harshly in accordance with heterosexist feminine standards – ugly (Karaminas 2013). Through this research project, I explore how style is utilised and influenced by the lesbian experience and propose that, despite stereotypes, lesbian style goes beyond Birkenstocks and dungarees and can be used as an influence for subversive contemporary design. This research is made up of two components – an analysis of lesbian style history in the 20th century cumulating in the 1980’s, followed by an exploration of 80’s club and subcultural styles. There is a particular focus on the design practices of Vivienne Westwood, Walter Van Beirendonck and Elsa Schiaparelli. This analysis acts as the primary focus for the second component: a design practice outcome of five fashion looks using a bricolage and historic revivalist methodology inspired by 80’s subcultural style. The design outcome aims to showcase how clothing can be designed with specific lesbian coding.Item Modularity in apparel production : an industry-integrated investigation : Master of Design exegesis, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand(Massey University, 2019) Hoori, Te PaeaThe central focus of this project, as outlined in the industry brief, is to develop the workflow and manufacturing capabilities of the apparel company Kapinua, through expansion of the brand’s 3D-integrated, customer driven, e-commerce platform. Based in Levin, New Zealand, Kapinua is a vertically-integrated manufacturing and retailing company. Specialising in made-to-order (MTO) digitally printed garments, Kapinua have developed an online platform that allows its users to select and customise garments from their web browser. With the support of New Zealand government organisation Callaghan Innovation, Kapinua wishes to expand, develop and refine this digital asset. Through iterative design practice, analysis of Kapinua’s systems and processes, reflective documentation, and literary research, this work looks to explore possible applications of customisation and modularity in the production of apparel. Informed by client needs, the primary project outcomes are relevant sizing charts informed by parametric research; grading rule tables; modular pattern templates; a library of products prepared for Kapinua’s 3D-integrated, online platform; and a structured filing system to organise and access digital assets. Further objectives include improved efficiency through workflow streamlining and early iterations of resources designed to assist with future product development within the company. More broadly, this research poses the question: How can digital technologies help create economically-viable, structurally customisable patterns - and how can this increase customer satisfaction, garment fit, and improve the way we engage with clothing?Item The constant change : an innovative zero waste fashion design process : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Design at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand(Massey University, 2018) Sharma, MeghaWaste appears in all the areas of fashion and apparel industry, through manufacturing, overproduction, fast fashion and also over-consumption. Scholars such as Kate Fletcher and Alison Gwilt have cited statistics about the pollution created by the clothing industry and the increasing impact of the fast fashion trend on landfills. This practice led research project exemplifies a zero-waste pattern design process primarily aimed at reducing waste at the pre-consumer stage. In it, I employ an integration of fashion design technologies such as various zero waste techniques in the development of a new pattern design method and textile print. The alternative pattern design method uses Constant and Variable pattern shapes created by cutting straight-sided polygons(1) from set fabric lengths. This method of zero waste cutting becomes more visible with a dissected block print textile design. The cut shapes are draped on the form to derive a range of three innovative garment designs. My design process draws on “three levels of processing – Visceral, Behavioral and Reflective” (Norman, 2004, 2013). This methodology has aided my own development as a designer by blending my own history, culture and experiences into this design process for a more meaningful conscious cognition(2). This aspect and technical design process creates possibilities for other designers in the industry and future applications. (1) Polygon – a plane figure with at least three straight sides and angles, and typically five or more. (2) Meaningful conscious cognition – refers to the reflection or looking back over history, culture and experiences, evaluating the circumstances, actions and outcomes. As a result, this helps make decisions of outweighing the strengths of one aspect over the deficiencies of another.Item Opa's suit : memories in perspective : a written component presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Fashion Design at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand(Massey University, 2007) Mallin, KateThe ability of clothing to retain a sense of person enables memories to be reinterpreted and a person brought 'back to life'. Opa's Suit, Memories in Perspective is an investigation into the memories attached to clothing of lost loved ones, looking to the presence of absence for its ability to transport us through time. A multi-dimensional examination of the jacket has provided a new understanding of the importance of absence and space in the interpretation of memories inspired through clothing. This study of memories in clothing proposes that what is lost is as relevant to design as what is left behind.Item Shape on shape on shape(Massey University, 2017) Hope, AmeliaThis practice based design research questions the inf luence of body ideals and body categorisation methods on women’s body shape, individual dress expression and wellbeing. Historical and current body type categorisation methods are conventions prevalent within the fashion industry. This research project questions whether these conventions of categorising women’s bodies into simplified shapes and assumed fit and aesthetic preferences is problematic and even redundant in terms of women’s wellbeing in light of changing attitudes towards dress, body ideals and gender. New understandings of wellbeing and identity, self-awareness and body confidence for the individual impacts fashion expression now and in the future. It is highly relevant for designers to understand body shape and the importance of fit preferences in all respects, both physical and psychological throughout the design process. For this practice based research project two experimental design pieces are created that consider the diversity of women’s body shapes and self-ref lection of dress. In addition to relevant literature, this research includes design analysis of inf luential designers who explore the boundaries of the body and garment. My own investigation analyses responses from a small group of ten diverse women to gain insight to the relevance of defined body types and their own perceptions and choices of garment shape and design for personal fit satisfaction. This project informs a reiterative and integrative design process of mindful ref lection, drawing, draping, cutting and construction to create new volume, shapes and silhouette to ref lect the subjective perceptions of body and dress. This innovative design practice looks to new ways of design and pattern development processes to create new expressions of apparel outside of expected norms. This research challenges preconceived ideas about body ideals and dress, in an attempt to open minds to the diversity and uniqueness of body shape and external projection of self.Item Handmade tales : sustainable fashion through craft connections : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Master of Design, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand(Massey University, 2016) Kapur, HaritaIndia is a country with an ancient history. The crafts of this country are diverse and are a reflection of the country’s cultural heritage. According to Dasra (2013), the craft industry provides millions of artisans with employment and is one of the largest small scale or cottage industries. For centuries, these craft communities have specialized in traditions that are specific to the regions and respective skills, which have been handed down from generations of artisans. Yet in recent years, as Wood (2011) notes, this sector faces a major threat as a result of growing preference for mass produced designs that are cheap and easy to afford. This has contributed to the steady decline of craft based products. This, alongside a lack of knowledge of new innovative ways to design, and decreasing demand for their products have left the craftspeople very vulnerable and has posed a big threat to their sustainable livelihoods. Integrating fashion design with artisan textiles can help regenerate the community and village culture while enhancing the value of products. This practice led research project offers a framework to meet the emerging challenges associated with ethical and environmental principles linked with fashion by incorporating sustainable processes used in traditional craft production. Importantly, it can also offer one strategy to support economic sustainability issues linked to the livelihood of craftspeople at the village level. The project develops an example of a sustainable fashion design process by drawing from the rich heritage of Indian crafts and focuses on developing a fashion collection that integrates artisan craft textiles into the design process. This reaches out to a market that is sensitive towards sustainability issues linked to artisan livelihood and fashion and values the handmade and organic as an alternative approach. This exploration of issues related to sustainability both for fashion design and craft is an attempt to uncover why developing a relationship between the two is significantly more relevant today than it ever has been.Item Conversational skins : heirloom 'pelts' that emerge and evolve : an exegesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Design at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand(Massey University, 2015) Menzies, GretaFabric garments augment and transform the body as a second skin. This project is a poetic, heuristic inquiry that investigates taking this ‘second skin’ through multiple forms, transitioning between flat fabric, garment form, flat fabric, garment form etc. In this cyclical long-term relationship, the surface of the textile-skin is inscribed and augmented as cuts are made, and ‘healed’ through various textile processes. The scars write a story on the surface. There is a ceremonial sensation to removing and the ‘flattening’ the skin, which evokes the collection of a pelt. Using a phenomenological methodology the ‘flat’ and ‘form’ iterations are performed and photographed, growing a catalogue of the fabric’s evolution. Returning a garment to ‘flat’ offers erasure of form; it can become a level plane for a new construction. This action is achieved by utilising the method of ‘zero waste’ design, in which no fabric is removed in the construction of a garment. This enables the form to be unpicked, reassembled and sewn back to a flat-fabric state. The flat/ form/flat/form cycle is played out as a conversation with the cloth, responding to the flow and tendencies of each textile. The central proposition is that the flat-form-flat cycle provides a channel to engage in the transformative performance of dress, while enacting a use practice that diverges from problematic consumption models. In doing this, a unique surface pattern is inscribed on the cloth. The process asks: ‘what might be allowed to develop?’ The outcome demonstrates a collection of nine textile ‘pelts’ with documented progression; liminal pieces that are detailed artefacts in themselves, yet invite further interaction. Key Words: Textile Design, Speculative, Zero-waste, Shapeshift, Fashion, Skin, Transformation, Performance.Item Forming bodies : interrogating transgressive dress practices : thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts endorsed with Design at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand(Massey University, 2015) Smith, Tasha Maree DangerfieldThis research project consists of a written exegesis and a creative component that consists of a fashion collection and a conceptual short film that interrogates the formation of gendered identities in dress practices. The directive of this thesis is to push the boundaries of gender through transgressive dress practices. It will go beyond the debates regarding the validity of unisex and androgyny and will focus on gender as a construction and the way dress informs identity and sexuality. This body of work seeks to reflect on the shock value techniques used within the framework of high-fashion spectacles in catwalk collections and their ready-to-wear disseminations in order to explore the act of dressing as a form of performance and sexual expression. Drawing on the design oeuvre of Vivienne Westwood, Thom Browne, Walter Van Beirendonck, Hood By Air (HBA) and Comme des Garçons, this study draws attention to the politics of the body as a site of transformative dress practices.
