The research study explores the concept of storytelling as a method to facilitate the communication of the art of the traditional upholsterer to add value to professionally restored chairs and sofas within the context of design and sustainable practice.

Prolonged observations of fashion students highlighted a limited understanding of garment construction quality, technical knowledge and skills, timescale boundaries, and a lack of confidence to experiment with construction techniques; it was the realisation of these issues which initiated a study to revitalise and enhance sewing skill capability through a purposely designed resource tool. While originally developed to be used by fashion design students the resource tool when fully developed would also be useful for craft dressmakers to develop and enhance their skills and expertise. In the fashion student context an extensive literature review substantiated the observed sewing skills which was also verified by further industry personnel through interviews. While the salient points from the literature review and interviews are given the main purpose of this paper is to outline the development stages of the proposed resource tool which was designed to serve as an aid to revitalise and enhance garment construction knowledge, skills and expertise. The resource samples were inspired by clothing collections held in two UK archives thus offering an opportunity to revitalise some of the more complex construction techniques that are no longer used in modern mainstream fashion. The usefulness of the resource tool is also given along with future developments to improve the system.

At the end of the twentieth century the decline of the domestic knitting craft was of paramount concern to the yarn companies and retailers that served this market sector. As demand reduced in the UK so did the number of specialist retailers. This was as detrimental to the yarn companies as it was to the craft. Research undertaken in 1999 by the author suggests that it is probably true to say that the knitting craft was at that point in time at its lowest point of popularity throughout the entire twentieth century. Throughout the twentieth century in the UK the popularity of crafts as domestic leisure pursuits fluctuated. Increased interest is reported to be primarily related to economic recession, where necessity is identified as being the greatest motivation for craft engagement; and craft engagement declines when the economy is more buoyant. There is evidence to support claims that the popularity of crafts in general experienced rise and fall throughout the 20th century correlating with times of austerity during economic downturns, thus suggesting that crafts were still largely taken up then as a necessity which could be contested. This paper reports briefly on the reasons behind the rise and fall of the hand knitting craft’s popularity throughout the last century in the UK before focusing on the latter decades in order to expose the factors related to the more serious decline of the craft in the 1990s. It discloses the perceptions of the craft at the end of the century and provides the foundation for the next stage of the research project which will involve an investigation of the craft in the early decades of the twentieth-first century. The paper draws predominantly on company and trade reports such as Keynote and Mintel and on previously unpublished survey materials from the late 1990s that were designed to explore the state of the hand knit craft at the close of the twentieth century.

Through this study the influencing factors for the development of a national dress for Tanzanian people was explored. The need and desire for this development received support from several groups including the Tanzanian Government, local tailors, NGO’s (Non-Government Organisations) and Tanzanian societies. This stage of the study focused on the effectiveness of traditional Tanzanian textiles’ motifs and natural symbols in the design process employing imported recycled second-hand clothes (mitumba). Qualitative data was obtained through interviews and focus group discussions. The study explored what Tanzanians need to strengthen their national identity and the use of recycled mitumba within a national dress. The study used a co-design style workshop for the development of the national dress as a different approach to addressing the issues identified in Tanzania regarding National dress. The participants added valuable contributions providing ideas for cultural conservation through building a national identity, ideas for strengthening the concept of recycling mitumba and suggestions for the incorporation of kanga and kitenge as inspirations for the design of a national dress in order to promote national identity. The study examined the presence of mitumba from abroad, several styles of indigenous traditional dress worn by different ethnic groups in Tanzania and reasons for strengthening Tanzania’s national identity. This paper reports on the main primary research activities and finding used for the experimental textile and dress designs, and includes the plan for the next stage of the project.