Communication of Tactile Experiences in Handcraft Decorations

This article addresses the important role of tactile experiences in fashion design and consumption focusing on handcraft decorations through examining various experiences of consumers and designers in Korea. In-depth interviews are conducted based on the preliminary literature reviews and questionnaire survey and 20 general fashion consumers and 20 fashion designers participate in the interviews. Firstly, we check their recognitions about handcraft decorations on clothing, which are one of the most representative examples of handwork in fashion design. To find out what can be induced from tactile experiences of handcraft decorations, various pleasures with their handcraft decorated clothes are separately understood in two different situations of the process of making and touching. According to the designers’ interview result, it is possible to form a sympathetic relationship between designers and materials as communicating each other through the tactile experience as using hands. In this procedure, creators come to be immersed more into the work and feel the pleasure of labour. In the consumers’ cases, tactile observation as touching the handcraft decorations stimulus sensible pleasures exploring the materials and also makes them understand the creators’ endeavour and time investment on the decorated clothes and feel empathy to them.