Element shifting method: an innovative approach to apparel collection design based on the morphological chart method

This study introduces the Element Shifting Method, a process-oriented adaptation of the morphological chart method, to address the need for a traceable approach to apparel collection design. Although designers transform visual elements during collection development, the relationship between inspiration sources and garment forms is often documented implicitly, making it difficult to explain how coherence and variation are developed. To explore this issue, the study adopts a qualitative practice-based design approachand demonstrates the method through an illustrative six-garment collection in a simulated design environment. The process is examined through workflow documentation, visual element coding and coding diagram analysis, allowing elements to be followed from inspiration sources to garment development. The findings suggest that the method clarifires element lineage and transformation, making stylistic coherence and controlled variation more explicit. The study contributes to fashion design methodology by proposing a traceable analytical framework for documentation visual element transformation in apparel collection design.