This book shows students and professional designers how to use visual research to develop a personal aesthetic as a fashion designer in a global industry.

Fashion design is a process of investigating, researching and constantly questioning what you are doing and why. The first section of this comprehensive guide demonstrates the research process underpinning the work of design icons from Coco Chanel and Jean Paul Gaultier to Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen. It reveals the many different areas of inspiration upon which they draw, from historical precursors such as Christian Dior’s ‘New Look’ to traditional textiles from around the world.

The second section introduces a wide range of themes that often inform fashion design research, including vintage and retro, the use of archives and the influence of art movements such as op art and surrealism. Finally, a series of detailed case studies investigates the research process in the work of designers such as Paul Smith, Comme des Garçons and Anna Sui, among others. Many visual examples are included and the influences on their work are analysed.