Design Development Gaps in Apprenticeship - Trained Garment Producers in Ghana
Thomas Obeng Asare
Kumasi Technical University
Michael Obeng Nyarko
Kumasi Technical University
George Kwame Fobiri
Kumasi Technical University
Solomon Marfo Ayesu
Kumasi Technical University
Keywords: Garment producers, Apprenticeship-trained designers, Skill gab, Design development
Abstract
Product development process in the garment industry begins with Design, which is a critical component in fashion product development. The designers interpret findings after series of research and translate concepts into styles. These key skills are highly desired in attempt to boost a country’s economy through standardised product development. Notwithstanding, apprenticeship-trained garment manufacturers in Ghana who occupy a considerable percentage of fashion designers in the country seemingly disregard the requisite processes involved in garment manufacturing in their practices. This study seeks to investigate the skill level of the apprenticeship-trained small-scale garment producers in design development processes. The Qualitative research approach was adopted for the study. With fashion designers in Kumasi Metropolis as a target population, thirty-two (32) respondents were sampled using the purposive and random sampling techniques. Non-participant observation, one-on-one interview as well as document analysis were used significantly as research tools to collect data from the respondents. The study revealed that apprenticeship-trained garment producers rely on designs copied from catalogues and posters without innovations due to their lack of design interpretation and CAD application. It is recommended that small-scale garment manufacturers consider the design process as highlighted in this study to be the appropriate means of developing standardised products.
