Sense and sensibility in fashion design education

Abstract

This article discusses the conventional function of drawing as a tool to generate ideas and solve problems in Western art and in art and design higher education. The problem of design ideation is also examined regarding Generation Z fashion students and their seeming inability to express ideas through drawing. In our view, this is not because they don’t have graphic skills but because they exclude from consciousness much of the clothes details, a circumstance that is inversely proportional to their access to fashion images via digital devices as well as clothes via fast fashion stores. Our aim is not to discredit fashion education’s orthodox approach altogether, but to contribute to its redesign toward a more hands-on methodology. Thus, we present six exercises that use drawing in combination with other exploratory techniques, as their effectiveness proved their right to become part of the curriculum of our BA in Fashion Design.