Visible Bodies—The Human Body and AI as Conceptual Catalysts for Creativity in the Fashion Design Process with Undergraduate Students

This research examines a pedagogical approach which uses the human body as a conceptual catalyst for developing creativity during the fashion design process. By applying a design brief as a framework for the fashion design process, second year undergraduate students navigated a series of specified research steps in a sketchbook, extracting and developing concept ideas for color, silhouette, structure, texture, and pattern for a contemporary cocktail dress. This multi-faceted design approach applied experimental drawing, mark-making, and textile design development techniques. To formulate initial design ideas, it also incorporated investigational collage, spontaneous sketching, and artificial intelligence trials. Observations and student feedback showed that the human body offered a wide variety of material for the development of design concepts, providing inspiration for silhouette, cuts, overall shape, color, fabric, and texture. Innovation for the cocktail dress design was achieved though the development of sketchbook ideas into unconventional dress silhouettes, novel garment structures, experimental textile designs, and unusual construction approaches. Print design and fabric manipulation were widely used, and although AI offered new design perspectives, it received mixed feedback from the students. Overall, the project helped to develop creativity by fostering experimentation during the design process.