Sumith Chandra Gopura Ranathunga Arachchilage Thesis
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
FASHION EDUCATION ECOSYSTEM: BRIDGING THE FASHION KNOWLEDGE GAP IN THE SRI LANKAN APPAREL INDUSTRY A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) under the joint PhD programme between Queensland University of Technology, Australia and Sri Lanka Sumith C Gopura MA (UK), BDes (SL), SEDA (UK), CTHE (SL) Supervisors: Dr Alice Payne Professor Laurie Buys Queensland University of Technology Professor Deepthi Bandara Dr Leena Seneheweera University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka 2018 Keywords Fashion industry, apparel value chain, industrial upgrading, Western brands, fashion knowledge, fashion buyer, brand designer, manufacturing designer, fashion product developer, fashion education, Sri Lanka. Fashion Education Ecosystem: Bridging the Fashion Knowledge Gap in the Sri Lankan Apparel Industry i Abstract The Sri Lankan apparel industry is seeking to develop value-added products and services for Western brands and retailers in order to upgrade the industry from apparel assembly to original design manufacturing. The apparel manufacturing firms are increasingly employing locally trained, in-house fashion designers who can support the industry in this transition. However, Sri Lankan designers face challenges in reaching Western consumer cultures and fashion markets due to cultural blocks and geographical disconnectedness. The global fashion industry has uneven power dynamics, with Western brands and retailers holding the high value cultural knowledge and understanding of the consumer’s culture and lifestyle. Nonetheless, Sri Lankan designers are finding methods of acquiring this knowledge, leading to better access to Western brands, retailers, designers and consumers throughout their careers. The purpose of this study is to identify the ways in which Sri Lankan fashion designers acquire higher value knowledge and skills that contribute to the industrial upgrading of the Sri Lankan apparel industry. The study adopts a qualitative methodology, and draws upon semi-structured interviews conducted with twenty- eight Sri Lankan fashion design and product development professionals in order to understand their education and career trajectories. The data were subjected to inductive thematic analysis to develop themes on Sri Lankan fashion designers’ education, career and industry experience. First, this study identifies the Sri Lankan ‘fashion education eco-system’, in which designer competencies are gained through the integration of formal and informal education, and proposes ways in which this ecosystem can be further enhanced in fashion education in Sri Lanka. Second, an analysis of Sri Lankan fashion designers’ career trajectories gives an overview of the multidisciplinary approach they take in integrating the key functions of fashion design, product development and manufacturing capabilities in alignment with the functional and strategic ambitions of the companies. Third, the study proposes the ‘designer self-directed learning cycle’ to describe the interactions between Sri Lankan designers and the world of fashion, contributing to the understanding of the role of manufacturing designers in the apparel value chain and assisting fashion educators to understand the ways in ii which high value cultural knowledge — termed ‘fashion knowledge’, following Weller (2007) — is essential in design practice. Thus, the ‘fashion knowledge bridge’ identifies the ways in which the Sri Lankan designer is bridging the fashion knowledge gap through interactions with Western brands, designers and buyers, increasing the reliability and relevance of products manufactured for Western consumers. The analysis of the notion of ‘experience’ through interactions with the world of fashion — termed ‘exposure’ — identifies the ‘virtual’ and ‘multisensory’ experiences obtained by Sri Lankan designers while adapting to the Western fashion system, and the gains for industry which result from this, presented in the ‘designers’ exposure framework’. The study provides a better understanding of the dynamics of Sri Lankan designers’ fashion education, their roles and responsibilities, their self-directed learning, and their exposure to the world of fashion. These findings can inform Sri Lankan fashion education in both industry and academia, and are significant in framing the industry and educational strategies necessary to develop designers in manufacturing countries that seek apparel industry upgrading through fashion design practice. Fashion Education Ecosystem: Bridging the Fashion Knowledge Gap in the Sri Lankan Apparel Industry iii Publications Articles published: Gopura, S., Payne, A., & Buys, L. (2016). Industrial upgrading in the apparel value chain and the role of designer in the transition: comparative analysis of Sri Lanka and Hong Kong. Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 4(4), 103-112. Gopura, S., Payne, A., Bandara, D. C., Buys, L., & Seneheweera, L. (2018). Fashion education in Sri Lanka: the nexus between formal and informal education. International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, 1-12. doi:10.1080/17543266.2018.1467500 In Press: Gopura, S., & Payne, A. (in Press). A spotlight on: examples of sustainable fashion in Sri Lanka. Global Perspectives on Sustainable Fashion Bloomsbury Academic. Articles submitted and currently under review: Gopura, S., Payne, A., Bandara, D., Seneheweera, L., & Buys, L. (under review). The evolution of apparel industry and fashion education in Sri Lanka: A South Asian Regional perspective. Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences. Gopura, S., Payne, A., Bandara, D., & Buys, L. (under review). Sri Lankan designers’ self- directed learning in the apparel industry. Sage Open. Gopura, S., Payne, A., Buys, L., & Bandara, D. (under review). Fashion exposure: Sri Lankan apparel industry designer interactions with the world of fashion. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management. Gopura, S., Payne, A., & Buys, L. (under review). The Sri Lankan fashion designer: career trajectories in the apparel industry. Fashion Practice. Conference/Seminars delivered during the candidature: Gopura, S., Buys, L., & Payne, A. (November 05, 2015). The roles of craft and design in the new phase of the Sri Lankan fashion industry. Paper presented at the Interplay2015: Global Parallels: Production and Craft in Fashion, Interior and Industrial Design Industries, Queensland University of Technology. Gopura, S., Bandara, D., Seneheweera, L., Payne, A., & Buys, L. (March 31, 2017). The potential of fashion education for economic development in Sri Lanka: Investigation into fashion education and apparel industry in South Asian Region. Paper presented at the Postgraduate Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences PGIHS_RC 2017, University of Peradeniya. Gopura, S., Payne, A., Buys, L., Bandara, D., & Seneheweera, L. (February 26, 2018). Fashion exposure: Sri Lankan apparel industry designer interactions with the world of fashion. Paper presented at the Fashion seminar February 2018, Queensland University of Technology. iv Table of Contents Keywords .................................................................................................................................. i Abstract .................................................................................................................................... ii Publications ............................................................................................................................. iv Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................v List of Figures ...........................................................................................................................x List of Tables ......................................................................................................................... xii List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................................ xiii Glossary ................................................................................................................................ xiv Statement of Original Authorship ......................................................................................... xvi Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................. xvii Chapter 1: Introduction .................................................................................... 19 1.1 Globalisation and economic upgrading ........................................................................19 1.2 Apparel value chain ......................................................................................................21 1.3 Apparel manufacturing industry in Sri Lanka ..............................................................23 1.4 Fashion design professionals ........................................................................................23 1.5 Research problem .........................................................................................................24 1.6 Motivation for the study ...............................................................................................26 1.7 Aim ...............................................................................................................................27 1.8 Research question .........................................................................................................28