Inter-Relational Creativity. Fostering Collaborative Creativity through Skill-Based Training in Fashion Education
Defence of the PhD research ‘Inter-Relational Creativity. Fostering Collaborative Creativity through Skill-Based Training in Fashion Education’, conducted by Andrea Cammarosano between 2010 and 2024 at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp (AP Hogeschool) - within the research groups Body and Material Reinvented and Art & Ecology - and the University of Antwerp (ARIA).
Promotors: Annick Schramme (UAntwerp) and Walter Van Beirendonck (Academy)
| PROGRAMME WEDNESDAY 2 APRIL 2025 |
| 14:00 |
Installation view |
| 15:00 - 17:00 |
PUBLIC PHD DEFENCE
Jury: An Vandevorst, Aya Noël, Stephanie Mallon, Ian King, Pascal Gielen, Annick Schramme and Walter Van Beirendonck
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Abstract
This research investigates the dynamics of creative collaboration within fashion education, focusing on the ideation process behind a fashion collection. While in the industry, this process relies on collaboration across diverse roles, skills, and ecosystems, fashion education often emphasizes an individual approach, with students undertaking all creative roles to develop a singular personal vision. The study examines the tension between the industry’s collaborative nature and education’s emphasis on individual creativity, aiming to develop models and strategies that foster collaboration in educational projects while enhancing both the creative process and its outcomes.
Creativity is a central aspect of this research. In the industry, it is a key factor behind the success of collections and careers, balanced with business, communication, and organizational strategies. In education, creativity is a cornerstone of the formative mission, emphasizing individual expression and personal growth. This is particularly evident in the Fashion Department at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, whose alumni include renowned creative directors and designers. However, while their training focused on individual creativity, their success in the industry also depends on effective collaboration within teams. The research examines this collaborative aspect within the school environment to explore how individual and collective creativity interact in creativity-driven fashion education.
The entry point for this analysis is the notion of “Creative Languages.” These languages, as the research postulates, are linked to domain-specific skills but also facilitate the interaction and blending of personalities and styles, which are at the core of creative processes. Creative languages are central to the exchange of ideas and information between individuals during the ideation of a fashion collection. In this process, creativity operates at both the domain-general and domain-specific levels, with interpersonal interaction serving as a crucial factor in bridging these two dimensions. By analyzing this multi-dimensional framework, the study explores how the ideation of a fashion collection can evolve from an individual task into a collaborative process. The research specifically examines three creative languages—coupe, drawing, and textile design—which form the foundation of skill training at the Fashion Department.
By adopting this approach, the research provides insight into collaborative processes that integrate both social and material aspects. While many studies on collaborative creativity adopt sociological or humanistic perspectives, this research focuses on material culture as a medium for effective interpersonal exchange. The study integrates a multi-level theoretical framework, including individual creativity (Amabile, 1996), domain-specific versus domain-general creativity (Kaufman and Baer, 2005), and group creativity (Woodman, Sawyer, & Griffin, 1993).
The resulting model, termed the “inter-relational model,” provides a scaffold for skill-based training that nurtures both individual and collaborative creativity in fashion education.
(image: Photo Alessandro Di Palma; Styling Leonardo Persico; Post Production Gloria Torquati; Fabrics by Gruppo Cinque)
BOOK LAUNCH
Saturday 29 March 2025, at MoMu Antwerp
- 13:00 - 18:30 ongoing presentation of the book (at the MoMu Library)
- 16:00 Talk with Andrea Cammarosano and Johan Pas (at the MoMu Auditorium)
- 16:30 Talk with Andrea Cammarosano and Walter Van Beirendonck (at the MoMu Auditorium)
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