Autoethnography in Fashion and Textile Design: Self-Reflection for Creativity

Abstract

Creating unique and meaningful work is essential in the fashion and textile design process, where understanding identity through designers’ personal experiences and environments plays a vital role. Autoethnography is a research approach that connects personal experience with social and cultural contexts through storytelling and self-reflection. This study aims to analyse and evaluate the role of autoethnography in developing creative thinking and constructing identity in fashion and textile design. It focuses on exploring autoethnography as a tool that enhances creativity, deep meaning, and identity within the design process. Using a qualitative multiple case study methodology framed by autoethnography, this research draws on the author’s doctoral thesis as the main case, supplemented by two additional designers’ cases for comparative analysis. Data were collected through recording and reflecting on personal experiences, analysing design processes, and reviewing social and cultural contextual content. Findings reveal that documenting and reflecting on personal experiences enable designers to deeply connect their inspiration with social, cultural, and emotional contexts. This leads to enhanced creative thinking, decision-making, and presentation of meaningful, unique work. Moreover, autoethnography can serve as a strategic approach that integrates research with design to create works rich in social and cultural dimensions. Limitations include a small number of cases and the subjective nature of interpretation, yet this approach demonstrates strong potential in supporting creativity rooted in designers’ identities and contemporary contexts.