Designing the Myth: Pattern Language to Assist with the Designing of Garments at the Drawing Stage

Abstract

This article presents and introduces a new approach for researching into fashion, textile and clothing design. Following Christopher Alexander’s understanding of a pattern language the aim is to present and propose a pattern language which assists with the visualisations and designs of garments that use narrative, non-visual forms as forms of inspiration. To visualise the descriptions of the Slovenian mythological creatures, a guided method for designing the garments was developed, based on fashion design practice and different proposed mythological patterns. Furthermore, the design components during the drawing process were defined and analysed. The above-mentioned type of research is important in order to better understand the phases in the design process during drawing. On the basis of the gained results it can be concluded that the proposed pattern language and the guided method have great potential for creating new interdisciplinary knowledge. This developed method for visualising garments’ forms was tested on Slovenian mythological creatures but it could be used with any written texts. Moreover the method can also be used for educational purposes and further research into fashion design processes because it provides a classified environment that can be easily observed, analysed, and discussed. © 2016, University of Ljubljana. All rights reserved.