MASTER OF DESIGN TECHNOLOGY

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA, SHAH ALAM

AMT 709: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

ASSIGNMENT 1: PHASE 1

MUHAMMAD IQMAL BIN ROSLAN

2023343371
CAAD704FT/01

To be submitted:
Prof. Madya Ts. Dr. Rosita Mohd Tajuddin
TITLE OF RESEARCH

Integrated Innovative Slow Fashion Approach by Interpreting Boro Technique in Designing

Functional Resort Wear Attire for Tourism Activities in Malaysia

INTRODUCTION
Fast fashion is a term used to describe readily available, cheaply produced fashion in
modern times (Bick et al., 2018). Before 1800, making clothes required sourcing materials such as
wool, cotton or leather, processing and preparing them by hand, and then weaving or otherwise
transforming them into wearable items. But the introduction of new technologies such as sewing
and textile machines, which led to ready-to-wear clothing and factories for mass production at the
same time irrevocably changed the world of fashion. The volume of clothing produced worldwide
has increased by 400% in the last 40 years (Peleg Mizrachi & Tal, 2022). The global apparel market
reached $758.4 billion in 2016 and has grown at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.5%
since 2014 (Ong et al., 2021). These trends are the result of the proliferation of the fast fashion
business model, technological advancements, and incredibly fast sales.

When it comes to job opportunities, the apparel sector has brought many benefits to many
people. Employment of people is crucial, especially in countries like Pakistan and India. The
apparel sector not only represents a large share of the world's leading producers and exporters of
textiles and apparel, but also contributes 2% to global GDP (Aus et al., 2021). China is the largest
producer and exporter of apparel and raw materials. Most raw cotton is produced in the United
States. There are many nations that will rise in the future and cause an increase in investment in
the textile or apparel sector. Such adjustments could initially be seen as positive trends that help
increase consumer purchasing power, but they also generate billions of tons of non-recyclable
textile waste. Textile waste is the biggest contributor to the rapid depletion of landfill capacity.

Although academic research and retail practices have started to pay more attention to
sustainability in the fashion sector, most relevant studies focus on supply chain logistics. Retail as
a critical link in the supply chain has not been sufficiently studied in academic circles. Retail
practices where "retailers minimize emissions, effluents and waste by continuously improving
their internal operations" are referred to as sustainable retailing (Yang et al., 2017). Green business
practices, which refer to retail activities that support energy conservation, waste reduction or
recycling, and green transport, which refers to the transportation of environmentally friendly items,
are two key practices of sustainable retail. Selling environmentally friendly products and managing
non-products (e.g., the retail supply chain, customer-facing activities and building management)
are important components of sustainable retail.

As a result, consumers began to deliberately challenge themselves to be more creative and

ecological by reducing the size of their wardrobes (Bang & DeLong, 2022). The notion is that a
capsule wardrobe project can help people improve their creativity by allowing them to experiment
with a little wardrobe. In this regard, their clothes give resources and inspiration, and the problem-
solving involved in putting together ensembles may increase their creativity. Furthermore, by
eliminating overconsumption of clothing, such a limited wardrobe could contribute to
sustainability (Bang & DeLong, 2022).

In the world of Japanese textile, the word Boro is derived from the Japanese onomatopoeic
phrase “boroboro”, which means worn out, ragged, or tattered (Herald, 2021). Boro also refers to
Japanese utilitarian textiles and clothing that have been patched, pieced, and repaired. These
textiles and clothing are frequently constructed of indigo cotton or hemp “kasuri” cloth (fabric
woven from dyed-thread fibres used to create patterns and motifs). It is an interpretation and
curatorial effort to introduce Boro's ongoing legacy within contemporary creative practise in Japan
and the United States. Rei Kawakubo, Issey Miyake, and Yohji Yamamoto are three pioneers of
Japanese avant-garde fashion design who began in the 1970s and 1980s. These designers
appreciated flaws, which was a shocking contrast to western conventional beauty. Patching and
creases became characteristics of the clothes' individuality in their hands, and that aesthetic
resonance is what the Boro garments have (Lawrence, 2020).

A modular garment is one that may be disassembled into several sections, or modules, and
then rebuilt at the wearer's leisure. Then there's the more adaptable version, such as geometric
modularity, which allows a product to be folded into a new size or shape. Modular fashion has
been a reoccurring area of exploration for fashion design students for numerous years. However,
it is now transitioning from a conceptual to a commercial realm (Vaid, 2021).
 The COVID -19 pandemic has significantly changed the way we consume clothing. The
imposed closures and the resulting culture of cottage industries have forced designers to re-
evaluate their products. (Vedica Vora, Bhawana Dubey 2021). The pandemic has accelerated the
shift towards a more digital world and triggered changes in online shopping behaviour that are
likely to last. As many people will still work from home for the foreseeable future, businesses are
adapting to new trends and habits, from customers investing more in casual wear to retailers
offering more personalised shopping experience (Sponsor, 2021). While some economic activities
will recover after the removal of movement restrictions, it will take time for incomes and jobs to
recover, as some parts of the economy such as manufacturing will return to growth faster than
others such as tourism (Diop, 2020).

To understand the extent to which the epidemic has impacted Malaysians' quality of life
and well-being, it is useful to look beyond the figures. The survey results show that low-skilled
and informally employed people and those with low incomes are more likely to be affected by
employment and income shocks compared to others. Interestingly, more adults were employed in
June 2021 than before the pandemic: 58% of respondents were employed in June 2021 compared
to 53% in March 2020 (Purnamasari & Ali Ahmad, 2021). After the pandemic, the tourism industry
has been promoting spatial and social equality in tourism with a focus on creating marketing
strategies that are anchored on local and slow tourism to help minority-owned local tourism
enterprises survive (Ashraful et al., 2020).

PROBLEM STATEMENT

The majority of pre-consumer fabric waste during garment manufacture is reportedly

caused by the cutting process. The amount of trash produced can be significantly decreased if the
cutting process is streamlined or enhanced. (Kiron, 2022). Pre- and post-consumer waste are the
two primary categories into which textile waste can be divided. Pre-consumer trash is the debris
produced on factory floors during the cutting and production of clothing, including fabric selvedge
and residual fabric scraps. Used clothing, towels, bedsheets, carpets, rugs, upholstery, and other
textile products contribute to post-consumer trash. Consumers that are aware of sustainable fashion
often do not support sustainable consumption with their purchase decisions and behaviours due to
the cost of rapid fashion products (Mandarić et al., 2022).
 Previous research has revealed a contradiction known as the attitude-behaviour gap, which
describes the disparity between the rising acceptability of sustainable fashion and a lack of real
purchasing activity. To support this statement, post-purchase clothing care and maintenance always
have a harmful effect on the environment, and little is known about consumer post-purchase
behaviours surrounding apparel hoarding and disposal. The production process may impact
clothing sustainability during the usage and disposal stages (Hassan et al., 2022).

In Malaysia, the apparel sector will see a surge in demand during the forecast period. The
Malaysian textile manufacturing market would be driven by increased demand for garments over
the projected period, making waste disposal a significant influence on both the environment and
human health in this industry (Farhana et al., 2022). The SDG indicator states that by 2030, waste
creation should be significantly reduced through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse.
Sustainable consumption and production (SCP) were proposed as a vital method to achieving green
growth and addressing environmental sustainability in the 12th Malaysia Plan. However,
practising solid waste recycling in developed nations such as Malaysia remains a challenge in
comparison to other countries (Azri et al., 2022).

RESEARCH AIM

Therefore, this research is aimed to support the integrated innovative slow fashion
approach in designing resort wear attire for tourism activities in Malaysia.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the study can be listed as follows:

1. To determine what sort of fabric or unconventional material to use in designing resort wear.

2. To reinvent the boro technique which fully utilizes the minimal or zero waste in resort wear
collection.
 3. To apply modular design concept mechanism towards clothing and design details in the
final prototype.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The research question can be listed as follows:

1. How ethical would be the application of boro technique in relation to a modular design
concept towards design styles.

2. How can we formulate the use of suitable fabric or unconventional material during
segregation to execute the making of sustainable slow fashion resort wear attire.

3. How the end users’ perception reacts to the application of Boro textile technique in the
final prototype.

AREA OF STUDY

The scope of the study is limited to recruiting 100 volunteers that consist of modest women
around Klang Valley between the ages of 18 and 40 and will be contacted using online platform
such as email, google form etc. This research will also be done to interview a group of people by
direct approach as part of primary data. Respondents with interest to travel often will be the main
priority to this survey because the final prototype will be designed for this specific market
segmentation. The recruitment period will last for a maximum of 2 months and will end when
either 100 volunteers have been recruited or 2 months have passed. Each volunteer to the study
will be asked to complete a short questionnaire in order to evaluate any changes in the data
collection.
RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE

One of the greatest global challenges is to integrate environmental sustainability with

economic processes and welfare by decoupling environmental degradation from the economic
process and doing more with less. Resource decoupling and impact decoupling are needed to
market sustainable consumption and production patterns and to form the transition towards a
greener and more socially inclusive global economy.

To ensure sustainable consumption and production practises, it is necessary to respect the

biophysical boundaries of the earth and scale back current global consumption rates to suit the
biophysical capacity to provide ecosystem services and benefits. The main goal of this product is
to approach sustainability, which aligns with the 12th goal, which is responsible consumption and
production. To prove that statement, this prototype is constructed from minimal waste while at the
same time reducing the fabric waste in the production and fulfilling customers’ satisfaction in
fashion styling with the application of a modular design concept that utilises high efficiency of
design and clothing detail (Zhao, 2020).

Modular design mechanism is a fun creative process to produce a garment. The design of
a product's form, function, aesthetics, and engineering features have a significant impact on its
economic worth. It has a direct impact on customer impressions and experiences. Design can also
have a significant impact on how a product is manufactured and maintained, and hence on its cost,
quality, and dependability (Baldwin & Clark, 2002). It encompasses the idea of multifunctional
styles and innovative design detail that improve wellbeing.

In conclusion, the fast fashion industry has contributed to environmental concerns over
the years. As a result, more garments are in mass production due to the demanding market. If this
were not because of the consumers' satisfaction, the fast fashion industry could have turned into
slow fashion, and to solve that society needs to change the way to fashion. This prototype
contributes to the long-term implications in the future. It encompasses the idea of creating
environmentally friendly production that changes unethical practices and can slow down the mass
production in the apparel industry that leads to a good impact on mother earth. The apparel industry
needs to find a solution in reducing wastage or overproduced garment especially fabric waste by
repurposing the scrap fabrics into something.
DEFINITION OF (5) KEY WORDS

BORO

1. Boro is essentially the practice of using a simple running stitch (a sashiko stitch) to
reinforce a textile item using spare or would-be-discarded scraps of fabric. It is a
practice that grew out of necessity in medieval Japan, and has evolved, four centuries
later, into a distinctively gorgeous textile artform. Like sashiko itself, boro combines
practical functionality with beauty (Howie, 2018).

RESORT WEAR

2. Resort wear is clothing worn while traveling and on vacation, especially in warm
weather climates. Sometimes referred to as "cruise wear," it began as a fashion trend
for elites and socialites (Hobby, 2023).

FUNCTIONAL CLOTHING

3. Functional clothing represents the evolutionary segment of the technical textiles

market, representing an area where clothing crosses the conventional boundaries and
integrates with the domains of medicine, biotechnology, nanotechnology, physics and
computing among others, to meet the multifaceted and complex requirements of the
user (Gupta, 2011).

SLOW FASHION

4. Slow fashion encompasses slow production and consumption. Slow production does
not exploit natural and human resources to expedite manufacturing speed (Fletcher),
and slow consumption entails a longer product lifespan from manufacturing to
discarding.

MODULAR FASHION

5. Modular fashion refers to clothing items that have detachable pieces so that one can
easily alter the clothing item to suit changing needs and tastes over time.
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