From Cultural Identity to Fashion Design Decisions: Developing Evidence-Based Guidelines for Iranian Fashion Designers

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Faculty of Design, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz, Iran.

Abstract

Iranian fashion designers face the challenge of expressing Iranian–Islamic cultural identity while creating garments that remain contemporary, wearable, and appropriate across everyday contexts. Although previous studies have discussed identity and modest dress, they provide limited guidance that can be directly used in fashion design practice. This study aimed to develop evidence-based design guidelines by identifying consumer meanings of Iranian–Islamic fashion and refining them through expert evaluation. A sequential qualitative multi-source design was used. In Phase 1, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 urban Iranian women aged 20–40. In Phase 2, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 fashion professionals, including designers, stylists, brand managers, pattern makers, and educators. Data were coded in ATLAS.ti 23 and analyzed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. The findings from both phases were then integrated through a triangulation matrix that classified insights as convergent, complementary, or discordant. Consumer interviews identified seven themes, including dignity and respectability, elegance through simplicity, cultural recognizability without cliché, context-fit, social judgment management, comfort and material practicality, and bounded modernity. Expert interviews translated these themes into design considerations related to silhouette, layering, materials, cultural referencing, and prototyping checks. The final synthesis produced a structured set of actionable guidelines for concept development, collection planning, and sampling. The study contributes an empirically grounded and context-specific framework for translating consumer meanings of Iranian–Islamic dress into design implications and actionable fashion guidelines in the Iranian context.

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References

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Journal of Design Thinking
Volume 6, Issue 2
December 2025
Pages 259-280

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