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Article Title:
Design Innovation Challenges and Coping Strategies of Sustainable Apparel Product Development among Fashion Designers in Uyo, Nigeria
by Thompson, D., Okon, U. U. & Nwonye, N. U.

Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to examine the design innovation challenges encountered in the process of sustainable apparel product development and the strategies adopted by the fashion designers to cope with the challenges. One research question and one hypothesis guided the study. Using a descriptive survey design, convenient sampling technique was used to select 49 out of 117 fashion designers in Uyo. Simple percentages, means and t-test were the statistical tools adopted to analyse the obtained data. The results of the study showed that challenges in the course of sustainable apparel product development are actually encountered by fashion designers in Uyo at the designing stage(x = 3.37). The statistical differences between the strategies adopted by male and female fashion designers to cope with sustainable apparel product development was not significant for design innovation challenges (tcalc = 0.56, tcrit = 1.68, P<0.05). The findings of the study also revealed that application of the appropriate strategies to cope with apparel product development challenges enhances sustainable production turnover. It was recommended that challenges encountered in the process of apparel design innovation are necessary to harness the capacity of the Fashion designers to sustainably develop apparel products which will satisfy the consumers and as well gain widespread acceptance.

Keywords: design innovation, sustainable apparel, coping strategies, capacity building, fashion designers

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