Study on the Analysis regarding the Connection Network of Design Inspirations pursued by Modern Fashion Designers - Focus on the Concept of Fashion Collections -

Abstract

This research explores diachronic fashion design trends through a structure analysis of a connection network based on fashion show concepts implemented by modern fashion designers from S/S 2009 to F/W 2013. The findings from this research are as follows. First, four categories affect the inspiration and thinking of design: the experience of the designer, social atmosphere and phenomena, natural sensitivity (or formative characteristics of natural objects), and the influence and quality of other fields. Second, in cases where the designers’ experiences influenced design inspiration and thinking, designers express personal memories with keywords like high school, grandmother’s closet, prom, beauty and the beast, heritage, past, and reminiscence through design elements such as lines, silhouettes, materials, and colors. Third, the representative example of the social atmosphere and phenomena that influenced design inspiration and thinking was the 2008 Global Financial Crisis that reflected the social climate through design concepts of keywords such as Recession, Black, Economy, US, Depression, Gray, Dark Age, White and New York. Fourth, inspired by nature and the formative characteristics in design, the designers employed ornamental elements to collections and design concepts that focused on nature words connected to light, sun, wild, dirt, rock, moss, and trees. Fifth, the designers took their ideas from different fields of personal interest in the arts, science and humanities (sports, architecture, sculpture, painting, and literature) that were decisive in determining materials, design colors and silhouettes. The theme of architecture was analyzed as a central element that had an ongoing impact on the concepts of designers.