Fashion Thinking

CFW Living Room participant and Vocation Group Leader Fiona Dieffenbacher has published a textbook, Fashion Thinking.  Fieldnotes Magazine features an article by Fiona where she describes her motivation for creating the book: “As I searched for academic textbooks in the field of fashion that might provide support I found none that fully unmasked the design process. Many act as mere “show and tell,” with images of mood boards, research, and final sketch presentations. These books often demonstrate a rote and redundant approach to fashion design. Clearly there was a need for a book that celebrated the various entry points into design, rather than simplistically catechizing students in only one philosophy or method. This is the book I determined to write.”

As a leader shaping the next generation of fashion designers and design thinkers, Fiona’s approach to design education expands the realm beyond mere products and tasks into the region of awe in which the process is as formative as the finished work. Fashion Thinking is truly a book that seeks to humanize fashion design and emphasize particularity not as a branding element but as a vigorous declaration of humanness.