Design and context: thinking openly in fashion

Abstract

The contributions of this work come from the intersection between two investigations sharing the challenge of encouraging new methodological approaches in the areas of textile and fashion: a citizen innovation project which favored collaborative learning through textile experimentation and a Ph.D. research which proposed methodologies for fashion design in the scope of the academic education. The researches’ findings were collated by an exploratory approach, resulting in inferences about the effects of collaborative methodologies on educational experiences and citizen science. The resulting reflections reinforce the potential of systemic and open approaches as transforming agents of the design praxis and knowledge management.