WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS OF USING SECONDARY DATA TO INFLUENCE A DESIGN PROJECT?
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Secondary research involves the using of information that other people have gathered through primary research. It is research that is neither collected directly by the user nor specifically for the user (Collins, 2010). The creative journey, from inception to final outcomes, always begins with the process of exploring and collating ideas. Research motivates a design project. It offers the user a direction and focus and helps to determine the quality of outcomes. Simply put, good research equals good design (Ambrose and Leonard, 2014). The most basic attributes any designer needs are an inquisitive mind and the desire to create. “Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose� Zora Neale Hurston (as cited in Ambrose and Leonard, 2014)
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Commercially, it is the designers job to innovate by finding new solutions to problem spaces whilst reacting to contemporary expectations (ibid). Secondary research, is vital to ensuring that the problem space is fully understood so that the best resolutions can be offered. Fashion by its very meaning is about the contemporary popular practises or style. The fashion designer expresses the zeitgeist, or the spirit of the times in their work (Seivewright, 2012). Fashion is continuously changing and the designer is expected to reinvent it each season. Because of this persistent pressure for innovation, designers have to dig deeper and search even further for new inspiration and ways of interpreting this into the collection. Seivewright (2012) notes that to manage this, designers must therefore take on the role of the magpie and become obsessive collectors always on the hunt for new and exciting things to inspire them. And so, the need to gather source material for the use in the creative process is essential for feeding the imagination. This report aims to explore secondary research, what it is, why we need to do it and how it relates to the discipline of Fashion; weighing on the strengths and limitations of secondary sourcing to influence a design project. For the purposes of this report, I have relied upon secondary sourcing; using mostly books, journals and online articles for information but have also drawn upon film and audio.
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Silver and Wrenn (2013), Jenss (2016) and Collins (2010) amongst others, share the idea of secondary sourcing being the initial step in the initial stages of tackling a problem space, with the idea that questions can be answered faster and with low expense when secondary sources are adequately utilised. Silver and Wrenn (2013) provide a breakdown of the advantages and disadvantages, which are also combined with the views of other practitioners in the field. Kawamura (2011) offers insight into fashion design research and Granata (cited in Jenss, 2016) delivers a case study on sourcing material in a project she carried out on Martin Margiela. This is concluded with my own personal experience of secondary sourcing and my future project in fashion forcasting with supporting literature from Mckelvey and Munslow (2008), Samata Angel (2013) and Martin Raymond (2010), who all offer valuable insight on the trend forecasting process.
WHAT IS SECONDARY RESEARCH AND WHY DO WE NEED TO DO IT?
“Research is what I’m doing, when I don’t know what I’m doing” Wernher von Braun (cited in Seivewright, 2012) There is a common misconception that comes with the label ‘secondary’ that alludes to it coming second in the process or that it is not as vital to the process as primary. This is not the case. Silver and Wrenn (2013) elaborates on the confusion, expressing that researchers should exhaust all secondary data before conceiving any kind of primary research, showing that it is integral to providing a basis to any problem space. Secondary research is research that has already been carried and collated, that is available to access for reference by another user. Acayo and Schwanbeck (2015) explain that “secondary research sources can be books, magazine articles, academic journals, case studies, market reports, basically any credible source that has been published, information for anyone to access. Secondary research is a great method to begin you research process”. These publications can supply a wealth of information on a whole range of issues pertaining to fashion and the wider context. Periodicals for example might include a gender debate, the politics of work, historical debates, craft methods or current research practices (Steed and Stevenson, 2012) whereas magazines will provide access to popular culture topics relating to current trends in fashion, technology, art and lifestyle to name a few, industry specific magazines such as selvedge provide textile reference. Galleries and museums are a legitimate source of inspiration that make you ponder and reflect on your own practice and work. Galleries can be predominantly contemporary focused and art based. It is a great source of current fine art, paintings, sculptures, conceptual pieces, film, design, photography and installations (ibid) whereas museums offer a historical context with a wealth of artefacts created in a time we cannot access. “Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought” Albert Szent-Gyorgyi (as cited in Ambrose and Leonard, 2014)
To understand design contexts, reflecting on what has been is as paramount as pushing the possibilities of the discipline. Knowledge and consideration of context should envelope everything around design itself as well as audience and social factors (Ambrose and Leonard, 2014). While design is fundamentally linked to culture, there are other specific contexts such as historical background, art movements and the way styles and trends are cultivated for example, that must be considered to develop a well-rounded understanding of the wider context relating to the problem space. Finding this information out almost entirely relies on secondary sourcing and is therefore incredibly valuable to the design process. Carly Fiorina explains the goal is to transform data into information, and information into insight (cited in Ambrose and Leonard, 2014). By conducting in depth and broad ranging research a design can begin to interpret a series of garments or evolve a collection. Silhouettes, textures and fabrics, colour, details, print and embellishment, and market and consumer will all be validated in the process of design and will be directed by the research undertaken (Seivewright, 2012).
THE STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS OF SECONDARY DESIGN
Yuniya Kawamura (2011) once made a comment about there being a common knowledge among scholars and research professionals, that fashion as a research topic is often not considered serious enough to be treated as a marginal area of research. When we study fashion, there is a wide range of sources that we use, such as written documents, visual materials and objects and artefacts, historiography and archival records (Whitaker 2007, cited in Kawamura 2011) the more varied the sources, the more accurate and convincing the findings. Secondary research is a process of looking at work that has already been carried out by somebody else. Carrying out this kind research can often help to clarify the focus areas in which primary research is needed (Collins, 2010). It is easily accessible, and some information is only available in the form of secondary data, for example a census (Silver and Wrenn, 2013). It is also very flexible and provides a great variety. Secondary sourcing is also low in cost which makes it particularly attractive. Secondary research may also allow the user to access information of a higher quality produced at a high level than the user could personally collect (Collins, 2010). There are also significant disadvantages to consider when using this research method. Secondary research can be time consuming. As it is largely self-governed and often requires collecting more information than will be useful, it needs to be scrutinised closely (Collins, 2010). Secondary data is not provided in a format that the user will need and so time is also spent compiling, analysing and presenting the information. Secondary research can be a victim of personal, political or commercial bias and it can be difficult to take a fresh view of the material because of the preconceived arguments that have already been made (Gray and Malins, 2004), and therefore it is imperative that secondary materials are viewed with an impartial eye. Its permanence can also be questionable as the information it carries can become outdated (Collins, 2010) old information is not necessarily bad information but in terms of market research, up-to-date information is key. It is also necessary to question the accuracy and credibility of secondary sources. This is particularly true of secondary data. It is necessary to question the organisation or persons that produced the data, the quality of their methodology, how they produced the data and their reputation, so the user of the sources has accurate information and does not damage their project because of improper information (Silver and Wrenn, 2013).
SECONDARY RESEARCH IN DESIGN: FASHION CASE STUDIES
Francesca Granata (2016, in Jenss, 2016) produced a study on the experimental fashion design of Martin Margiela in the 1990s. In her study one of the limitations preventing her from analysing contemporary fashion was the lack of actual or material evidence of recent experimental design works and required using a wide range of sources from online image databases to fashion periodicals, press releases, exhibition catalogues and actual garments to begin her research. Granata (2016) explains that it was at times very difficult to find visual and material evidence of the garments, fashion shows and lookbooks produced in the specific year she was researching, as they had not yet been fully collated and archived. She could obtain some imagery from an educational database and exhibition catalogues could provide an important corrective to gaps in the documentation of experimental fashion of the 1980s and the 1990s. Magazines like i-D, The Face, Purple and Visionaire provided a relevant study of experimental fashion as they documented (unlike Vogue) independent designers from the beginnings of their careers and how they were received and perceived. Granata matched this with physically handling what garments of Margiela she had access too, but sites the contextualisation of the garment through runway photography as what provided the breakthrough in her study, making secondary research an integral part of the outcomes. In 2017s reality, detailed garment construction imagery is now available as a secondary source widely across the internet and would provide a much faster and quicker analysis of construction. Granata (2016) concludes her report by highlighting the importance of secondary sources but stresses that it is necessary to match with primary for a fully rounded context. Depending on the focus of the research, it is sometimes contrary to Granata (2016) conclusion, possible to rely solely on secondary sources to provide outcomes. Rocomora (2001, cited in Kawamura, 2011) investigated reports on high fashion shows during the year 1996 from British newspaper The Guardian and French newspaper Le Monde. After reviewing all the articles, essays and commentaries written about the shows, she could argue that in both newspapers, a field a fashion is constructed that is articulated around different beliefs; the belief in fashion as popular culture in the Guardian and high culture in Le Monde, without a need for primary research.
Secondary research can also provide the basis and inspiration for a design project. Vivienne Westwood has borrowed and reinterpreted elements of historical dress in her designs (Murphy, 2011). She has meticulously studied historic cut and has studied examples of historic garments in stored collections at the Victoria and Albert museum. She has used this historical interest to inspire designs such as the 18th century style corset printed with reproductions of Francois Boucher’s painting Shepherd Watching a Sleeping Shepherdess. She describes this process as ‘synthesising the old into the new’ (cited in Seivewright, 2012). Similar can be said of Stuart Stockdale who, as design director of Jaeger, references items influenced by the Jaeger archives in the brands contemporary Jaeger by Jaeger collections (Murphy, 2011). Secondary sourcing also provided a massive switch up in a global advertising campaign. In winter of 2010, a design agency was hired to work on the A/W 2011 campaign at Miu Miu. By looking at the secondary data that was provided internally through Miu Miu’s archive, the agency was able to identify a pattern in their previous campaigns that needed shaking up, they had all been similar looking models in similar looking studios. This resulted in Hailee Steinfeld (aged fourteen at the time) modelling the a/w collection out and about in the countryside and was deemed very successful.
SECONDARY RESEARCH IN FASHION: A PERSONAL APPROACH
Murphy (2011) outlines the importance of secondary research in the fashion design process, suggesting that it “underpins designers’ ideas, informs the shapes and proportion they use, influences the materials the choose to work with and determines the techniques they employ to put them together”. I have found that in my own practice as a designer and currently moving into fashion management and communication, that secondary sourcing provides a backbone to all the decisions that follow receiving the brief. The brief is unpacked and provides initial routes to start sourcing secondary data. From there pathways close and focused pathways open each providing further areas to adventure into. I find that museums are a great way of immersing yourself into secondary research. They contain an abundance of cultural artefacts that are contextualised for you to see and understand (Steed and Stevenson, 2012). It is a very creative and engaging space to be immersed in. The threat of gathering so much information that you lose focus is very real and it’s important to organise and collate the information as often as necessary, especially as this is a very time consuming process. From here I would be able to start sketching and designing, this would not close the door to secondary research but inspire new research areas. In my process designing and secondary research flow side by side. It is important to be inspired, and for clarification in your brief, inspiration needs to be contextualised and supported through secondary sources.
F A S H I O N F O R E C A S T I N G, T H E S E C O N D A R Y S O U R C I N G P R O J E C T?
The next project I will partake in is a fashion forecasting project. A fashion forecaster’s role is to predict future market trends. A forecaster is by definition and activity, a lifestyle detective (Raymond 2010). It the job of the forecaster to spend their time detecting patterns or shifts in attitude, mindsets or lifestyles that run against current thinking or how people normally behave, live, dress, communicate and trade. Angel (2013) says fashion forecasting relies on three key elements; a sharp instinct for fashion; an understanding of trends and style; and the ability to read and interpret industry intelligence such as trend analysis, reports, industry news, headlines and market research data. Forecasting assists designers and research by providing them with an idea of what they should me making and buying and how they should market it. A successful fashion forecaster will pay attention to what people are wearing on the streets, in magazines, on the television and all around whilst asking the question “why?”. Whilst there is an arsenal of techniques and methods of gaining this information, secondary research is heavily relied upon. They need to be well read in cultural and social topics as these too have an impact on fashion. Although it suggests looking to the future, fashion forecasting relies heavily on analysing trends and information from the past to present to supply the future predictions. It begins with exploring colour. Global colour referencing can be accessed through secondary sources such as Pantone – which is available to all (Mckelvey and Munslow, 2008) and the Society of Dyers and Colourists. You would then consider inspiration and where it comes from. It is derived from exhibitions, galleries, street style, science, culture, literature, history. A good knowledge of historical contexts combined with contemporary to provide something new. This requires delving into past trends and current influences, previous fashion collections, what was happening in a particular time frame and is there a pattern to follow. Raymond (2010) says to identify a trend, a forecaster must use secondary research in part to: -identify the key trends relating to the sector under review -outline the key drivers underpinning them -define and explain any sub=trends that relate to the above -identify the key consumer typologies associated with them – those creating the trends or adapting them earlier than others -identify new and emerging brands, products and services associated with these trends -outline how these trends are likely to impact on the client’s brand in terms of its tone of voice or way to market. The skills used by a forecaster should leave little room to be questioned, challenged or brought into doubt. They must be transparent, measurable, robust and provable (Raymond, 2010). It is every forecasters fear that they will lose their edge to those who are plugged into the new and the next.
“I’m losing my edge to the internet seekers who can tell me every member of every good group from 1962 to 1978. I’m losing my edge. To all the kids in Tokyo and Berlin. I’m losing my edge to the art-school Brooklynites in little jackets and borrowed nostalgia from the unremembered eighties”
James Murphy, LCD Soundsystem (2005)
And so it is imperative that a fashion forecaster remain ahead and in tune with everything and anything that may progress the fashion future. Secondary sourcing provides the opportunities for this to be much easier and streamlined process than in the past due to the vast amount of information that can be carried out on the internet.
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“Fashion does not define. It is instead a term that demands definition� Hazel Clark, 2010 (citied in Jenss, 2016)
In fashion, everything has its reference; nothing simply springs from a void. Inspiration research for creative practitioners operating in the numerous sectors of the fashion is vital in an ever fluctuating and evolving industry. Secondary sourcing is a vital part of the research process, for the user to develop a clear understanding of their problem space they acknowledge the historical and the contemporary social, economic, political and technological factors surrounding the issue and to consider what grew or is developing from those factors: art movements and future trends. It is necessary to situate oneself in the wider context of the question. There is an overwhelming number of secondary sources available to the designer. A wealth of information can be accessed within seconds and users should take to explore all the options without becoming overawed. This requires proper and organised synthesis of materials and sources so as not to lose the focus of the problem space. Designers must also take care not to become influence by other bias but develop an impartial eye that allowed them to approach all work from a neutral perspective. Care should also be given to the date and producer of the literature to identify what is and what is not reliable. The should seek advantages in the wealth of knowledge and the quality of information they can gain in a short amount of time without much need for travel. They should take the opportunities to be inspired. To design, users must develop the ability to be receptive to the world in a visual, sensory and critical way in order to analyse and synthesis aspects of the environment (Steed and Stevenson, 2012). It is clear from Granatas case studies around Margiela, Rocomoro’s report and the Miu Miu campaign that secondary sourcing plays a vital role in understanding the concepts of their problems/brief, but from Westwood and Stockdale we can see that it also plays an integral part in inspiring the designers creative process and decision that eventually become a part of their runway collections.
From my own practice but also from researching the benefits and weaknesses secondary sourcing has on the outcomes of a brief, I can see the advantages of secondary sourcing. Designers have a want and a need to create something new and often feel that being inspired by secondary sourcing means that they are not developing original ideas. This is far from the truth. The benefit of secondary sources to inspire a design collection is that the context is there for you to take advantage of, to inspire your practice, to provide meaning and background to your project and for you to reinterpret into something new and exciting. There is no shame in being inspired by the past to create something wonderfully fresh. 19th century philosopher Soren Kierkegaard (cited in goodreads, n.d) professed that
“life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards”
Secondary sources are an integral part of the design process and provide and important context to define the brief and define the outcomes of the problem, but they should also be used in conjunction with relevant primary sourcing such at questionnaires and surveys, observation in the field, working with materials, conduction focus group and other primary sourcing practice, to provide a balanced and fully rounded solution to the problem space. I am inspired by the words of Li Edelkoort (2015, cited in Jenss, 2016), who established an anti-fashion manifesto, proclaiming fashion that as we know it is dead. By this she means in the traditional sense and we are to find alternative solutions to the fashion process to match the changing world. Within the manifesto, she eloquently describes fashion discovery as though it were to be discovered, as the pyramids were, through careful excavation. I feel this analogy perfectly sums up the process of secondary research.
“Fashion is made manifest in material forms. It demands study in the same way that ancient artefacts are made meaningful by archaeologists through careful excavation” Li Edelkoort, 2015 (citied in Jenss, 2016)
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Acayo, P. and Schwanbeck, A (2015, February 24). Retrieved December 20, 2016, from https://www.lynda. com/Design-Foundations-tutorials/Primary-vs-secondary-research/182890/373874-4.html?org=shu.ac.uk Ambroe, G. and Leonard, N. (2014). Basics Graphic Design (Design Research). AVA Publishing SA. Angel, S. (2013). Fashion designer’s resource book: fashioning your life. London: A. & C. Black/Bloomsbury. Collins, H. (2010). Creative research: the theory and practice of research for the creative industries. Lausanne: AVA Academia. Gray, .C and Malins, J. (2004). Visualizing research: a guide to the research process in art and design. Burlington: Ashgate. Goodreads. (n.d.). Quotes About Past . Retrieved January 9, 2017, from https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/past Jenss, H. (2016). Fashion studies: research methods, sites and practices. London: Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing, Plc. Kawamura, Y. (2011). Doing research in fashion and dress: an introduction to qualitative methods. Oxford: Berg. LCD Soundsystem [MP3]. (2005). Capitol. McKelvey, K. and Munslow, J. (2008). Fashion forecasting. Chichester, U.K.: Wiley-Blackwell. Murphy, D. (2011, March & april). Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved January 6, 2017, from http://www. vam.ac.uk/content/journals/research-journal/issue-03/ dialogues-between-past-and-present-historic-garments-as-source-material-for-contemporary-fashion-design/ Raymond, M. (2010). The trend forecaster’s handbook. London: Laurence King. Seivewright, S. (2012). Basics Fashion Design 01: Research and Design (second edition). Lausanne: AVA Academia. Silver, L. S. and Wrenn, B. (2013). The essentials of marketing research. New York: Routledge. Steed, J. and Stevenson, F. (2012). Basics Textile Design 01: Sourcing Ideas. Lausanne: Ava Publishing SA.
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Fig 01 Students collage of data. Available at: http://www. thefashionalmanac.com/images/Research_Montage_full.jpg Fig 02 Clothing by colour order. Available at: https:// img.businessoffashion.com/1024/573/magic/site/uploads/2016/05/Endless_closet_stitchup_extended_copy.jpg Fig 03 Seashells used for design influence. Available at: http://blog.bloomsburyvisualarts. com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/RD_1.jpg Fig 04: Helmet Newton on his models. Available at: http://searchingforstyle.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Macs_Resaerch.jpg Fig 05: Students research sketchbook. Available at:https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x /8f/1f/fc/8f1ffcfaa41a39864e9c5eabafe48a48.jpg Fig 06: Photography for students sketchbook. Available at: http://thefashioncrowd.com/wp-cont e n t / u p l o a d s / 2 0 1 5 / 0 5 / 9 - r e s e a r c h - c o p y. j p g Fig 07: Student sketchbook. Available at: https:// s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/28/5e/ e0/285ee0a7c4e99da0b7710b633ef8a628.jpg Fig 09: Who made my clothes. Available at: http://i0.wp.com/www.weave-women.org /wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Who.jpg Fig 10: Margiela 1990s. Available at: http:// w w w.v o g u e . c o m / 1 3 3 6 9 6 6 4 / m a r t i n - m a rgiela-runway-shows-from-the-archives/ Fig: 11 Vivienne westwood corset and inspiration. Available at: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LxO 6 i b 7 z k vs / U K k H 2 z O r _ r I /A A A A A A A A B i k / G 0 a V R 0 c m42Q /s1600/BOUCHER+VIVIENNE+WESTWOOD.jpg Fig 12: Miu Miu 2010. Available at: http://imagesgonerogue.com/2010/02/miumiucampaign3.jpg Fig 13: Miu MIu 2011. Available at: http://med i a . t u m b l r. c o m / t u m b l r _ l v r f v g V N p 3 1 q j g s j b . p n g Fig 14: Research. My own image Fig 15: Student research board. Available at: https:// s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/51/4c/ c8/514cc82700a20d7b2fdd2c21f25c72a8.jpg Fig 16: Student research book. Available at: http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/61/12/5b/61125b38ab385804e70f5069b86fa7a0.jpg Fig 17: Alexander Mcqueen savage beauty. Available at: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/54/20/b7/5420b7cd83bdd7b13e98101afe07ed1f.jpg