Browsing by Author "Buys, L."

Filter results by typing the first few letters
Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Thumbnail Image
    item: Article-Full-text
    The Fashion Designer's Evolving Role in the Apparel Value Chain : Perspectives from Sri Lankan Designers
    (2019-06) Gopura, S; Payne, A.; Buys, L.
    In the South Asian Region, the Sri Lankan apparel industry is transitioning from apparel assembly to providing higher value-added product and services. Fashion designers are key actors in this transition. The purpose of this article is to examine the evolving role of the fashion designerin the Sri Lankan apparel industry.The study adopts a qualitative approach through semi-structured interviews conducted with twenty-eight fashion and product development professionals in the Sri Lankan apparel industry. Based on an inductive thematic analysis, the study finds that the Sri Lankan designers take a multidisciplinary approach to their design practice, integrating the key functions of fashion design, product development and manufacturing capabilities, in alignment with the functional and strategic ambitions of the apparel companies. Their approach to design through technical skills extends the conceptual approach of brand designers in fashion design practice. However, the fashion knowledge of Sri Lankan designers varies significantly depending on their familiarity with Western brands and retailers as well as Western consumer culture and lifestyle.
  • Thumbnail Image
    item: Article-Full-text
    Fashion education in Sri Lanka : the nexus between formal and informal education
    (2019) Gopura, S.; Payne, A.; Bandara, D. C.; Buys, L.; Seneheweera, L.
    For the past fifteen years, the Sri Lankan apparel industry has been upgrading from apparel assembly to providing design and product development services. The country’s fashion education developed in response to the industry’s need for design professionals. The purpose of this study is to explore how fashion designer competencies are developed within Sri Lanka. This study adopts a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews conducted with twenty-eight fashion and product-development professionals, selected through purposive sampling. The development of fashion designer competencies within SL in this context are analysed and discussed. The study proposes a ‘fashion education ecosystem’ that has emerged from the nexus between formal fashion education and training and professional development within the industry, supporting the upgrading of the industry through the enhancement of designer skills. Sri Lanka, as a small country that depends heavily on the apparel industry for employment and economic development, provides a model for other developing countries seeking industrial upgrading from apparel assembly to design and product development services through the fashion education ecosystem.
  • Thumbnail Image
    item: Article-Full-text
    Fashion exposure : Sri Lankan apparel industry designer interactions with the world of fashion
    (2019) Gopura, S.; Payne, A.R.; Buys, L.; Bandara, D.C.
    Developing countries engaged in apparel value chain are going global, seeking opportunities to upgrade the industry through providing higher value-added products and services. The purpose of this article is to investigate how Sri Lankan apparel industry designers interact with the Western fashion world in the apparel value chain process, and how they acquire, adapt and apply the knowledge needed to develop high-value fashion products in their fashion design practice.
  • Thumbnail Image
    item: Article-Full-text
    Sri Lankan fashion designers: Self-directed learning in the apparel industry
    (2021) Gopura, S.; Payne, A.; Bandara, D.; Buys, L.
    The Sri Lankan apparel industry is currently in transition from apparel assembly to manufacturing original designs as a value addition. Design teams work closely with Western brands, buyers and designers to offer advanced creative and technical design services. The purpose of this article is to investigate how Sri Lankan designers acquire personal, high value fashion knowledge and design skills in this crucial time of industry transition. The study adopts a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews conducted with 28 fashion design and product development professionals in the industry. Based on an inductive thematic analysis, the study finds that Sri Lankan designers’ acquisition of high value fashion knowledge and skills comes primarily through their self-directed learning. This study proposes the Designers’ Self-Directed Learning Cycle to illustrate how designers’ learning happens and is applied in their professional practice. The findings are significant in understanding the designers’ practice in the export-oriented apparel value chain.