Engaged Design and the Practice of Fashion Hacking: The Examples of Giana Gonzalez and Dale Sko

Abstract

This article draws attention to how hacking, as a mode of practice, can be applied to fashion design processes. Hacking, originating from the world of software programming, features characteristics that could be of essential value when departing on participatory, engaged or sustainable fashion endeavors beyond the modes of production we see common in the industry today. Being networked and collaborative, hacking is a constructive practice rather than subversive and can be a complementary modus operandi to the workings of the traditionally hierarchical fashion system. The first part of the article examines the origins and methods of hacking and their application outside of the computer world. The second part applies these ideas to fashion design and examines two cases: Giana Gonzalez project “Hacking-Couture” and a workshop organized by the author at a shoe factory in Dale, Norway. The article finishes with a short discussion on how fashion hacking can act as a tool for empowerment and cultivation of craftsmanship among people who were once only “passive” consumers.

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