What?
Users adjust and modify products themselves, for themselves and near relations. This is self-driven and un-systematised.
Why?
To prolong product lifespan and to adapt a product to its own changing needs.
Challenges
- It relies partly on the product’s emotional value.
- Many users do not have the necessary skills to make alterations and modifications.
Examples
- In the project, Local Wisdom, British scholar Kate Fletcher, has documented ways in which users adjust and modify garments over time.
- Blogging and Youtubing about DIY is a growing phenomenon. See e.g. www.stylemotivation.com/24-stylish-diy-clothing-tutorials or https://changingyourclothes.wordpress.com.
Further Reading
Fletcher (2016). Craft of Use. Routledge.
Gwilt (Ed.) (2015). Fashion Design for Living. Routledge.