Designing Fashionable Workwear for Women and Men from Hand-Woven Naturally Dyed Cotton

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to study the design, the making, and the satisfaction examination of workwear for women and men made from hand-woven naturally dyed cotton. The natural materials used for the dyeing of hand-woven cotton were indigo, acacia farnesiana, annatto, and ebony. The samples were women and men working for the Federation of Thai Industries in Sathon, Bangkok. The total number of participants was 170 people, including 85 women and 85 men. They were selected using a purposive sampling technique. The tool used in the research project was the questionnaire on satisfaction with the design of the workwear. The results were analyzed for statistical data in term of percentages, means, and standard deviations. The result of the study showed that designing fashionable workwear for women and men from hand-woven, naturally dyed cotton was inspired by the passion and love for natural fibers. The woven fabrics were then used to design the workwear for women and men. These workwears of 5 women and 5 men outfits were selected by 5 fashion designer experts. The selected designs were made into prototypes and evaluated by the samples on their satisfaction with the design and the making of the clothes. The overall satisfaction rating was high (=3.85). Both women and men in the sample group are most satisfied with the design.