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Design

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Cultural factors that influence design and designers: Caravana

In the Area of Study: Design, you will investigate the cultural factors that influence design and designers. This tutorial focuses on the work of two young Australian designers, Kirsten Ainsworth and Cath Braid, and their fashion label, Caravana, which is inspired by the traditional weaving, dyeing and fabric decoration techniques practised by the people of a remote area of Pakistan.

Influence of cultural factors on design

Cultural factors, including

Geographic location: where the country or cultural group is in relation to other countries or groups, and the climate that it experiences due to its position.

Technological development: the extent of the use of technological developments within the group.

Resources available: what the group can use in order to produce its textile products, such as raw materials, worker expertise, money to purchase necessary items and supplies.

Religious practices: practices which have an impact on the way that textiles can be produced, or practices that involve the use of textile clothing or items in some way.

Workers' skills and status: the importance of the textiles worker to society, how their work is valued, and the skill level of the workforce.

Activity 1

ABC television featured Kirsten Ainsworth and Cath Braid on the program Foreign Correspondent in November 2004. Visit the web site http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/ and select Archive, then 2004, then 23/11/04 Pakistan - Haute Couture in the Hindu Kush. Read the Synopsis, then select Transcript and read the transcript of the interview by reporter Geoff Thompson.

From your reading, and considering the information on the influences of culture on design above, answer the following questions:

1. Geographic location: Describe the area and climate of the Chitral Valley. How has the geographic location of the Chitral Valley been a challenge to the designers?
   
   
2. Technological development: Describe the technological developments, if any, that are used. Why is this so?
   
   
3. Resources available: What traditional skills of the women and men are being utilised? Where do the designers get the basic supplies from for making the garments?
   
   
4. Religious practices: Do the religious practices of the people impact on the production of garments? Have they in the past? Why don't the local people wear the garments that they make for Caravana?
   
   
5. Workers' skills and status: How has the status and value of the workers changed since they began working for the Caravana designers?
   
   
6. Outline some of the benefits that the work of the Caravana team has brought to this particular region of Pakistan.

Activity 2

To gain an understanding of the type and style of clothing designed by Kirsten Ainsworth and Cath Braid for their label Caravana, visit their web site at http://www.fashion.at/design/2006/caravana3-2006.htm .

1. Read about the background of the two designers and explain how their experiences have shaped the philosophy of their Caravana label.
   
   
2. Create a media release to describe items from their collection. Comment on garment styles (design features of garments), fabric used and decorations or motifs used.
   
   
3. Choose two outfits from the collection. Sketch and describe each outfit, including your observations of fabric design and construction, colours used, fabric decoration design and application techniques.