This research utilised primary data, collected specifically for this study (Struwig and Stead, 2013), and secondary – documentary – data. An unobtrusive strategy was utilised in collecting the documentary data and the physical artefacts (the t-shirts) of material culture (Struwig and Stead, 2013). First, secondary data in the form of past interview documentary data about the designers’ and their brands was collected online. This secondary data was used to inform inferences regarding the identity and design ethos of each brand. Once the documentary data was collected and analysed a content analysis was employed as a data collection method in order to convert the aesthetics of the t-shirt into data using an analytical scheme of static visual image (du Plooy, 2009).“The purpose of data gathering in qualitative research is to provide evidence for the experience it is investigating” (Polkinghorne, 2005: 138). The secondary data – in the form of past narrative interviews – served as documentary evidence used to
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contextualise each designer’s production process. The collection extraction of the graphic t- shirts into data served as evidence of the zeitgeist portrayed by each designer, contextualising the moment of consumption from the researcher’s perspective. The primary data in the form of semi-structured interviews conducted with each designer transpired after the analysis of the t- shirt data. Unlike the secondary data, which was analysed in order to understand the each designers’ encoding process, the primary data served as a triangulation method. As such the primary interview data was utilised to verify the researcher’s decoded meaning as the designers’
intended encoded meaning of each t-shirt.
This present Data Collection discussion details the collection of the secondary documentary and the conversation of the graphic t-shirt aesthetics into analysable data. The latter part of the chapter entitled, Credibility, Dependability and Conformability of the Study, presents the primary interview data as part of the triangulation methods used to ensure the credibility measures of this research. The decision to use the primary interviews as a validity measure served as the rationale for not discussing the interview process as part of the Data Collection segment of this chapter.
Qualitative Content Analysis as a Data Collection Technique
The fabric selection and stitching of the t-shirt was not included in the analysis of the t-shirt.
Each designer was asked to send images of their two best selling t-shirts from the year ending 2015. The decision to analyse only the best selling t-shirts was informed by the diffusion model of fashion garments. Once a garment has been designed and produced, its diffusion throughout society is characterised by the stages of the garment’s lifecycle: introduction, growth, maturity and decline (Le Pechoux et al., 2007). Fashion innovators are the first to adopt the style within the introduction phase, followed by opinion leaders and early conformists (Le Pechoux et al., 2007). The popularity of a new style is due, in part, to opinion leaders and early conformist who hold influence over early majority adopters (Rogers, 1962).
The chosen t-shirts were those t-shirts that had reached popularity based on the sales of the garment. The aesthetics of the t-shirt served as the unit of analysis, had to be extracted as data;
this called for the use of a pre-coded analytical scheme of static visual images utilised in order to covert content into data (du Plooy, 2009). An analytical scheme of static visual images is utilised for describing the contents, while a semiotic analytical scheme of typology and layout
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describes the signs and codes of the text, as well as their meanings (du Plooy, 2009). The Data Analysis segment of this chapter (see Contextualising Consumption sub-section) details the layout and utilisation of the above-mentioned schema as a data collection and analysis tool.
Online Documentary Data
Documentary data refers to written texts that are not necessarily created for research purposes, but can be used in the description of the social reality under investigation (Mogalakwe, 2006).
Selection of documentary data should be based on: i) the authenticity of that which detailed; ii) the typicality of the document; iii) the credibility of the creator of the document; and iv) the various meanings or interpretation that can be made of the text (Flick et al., 2004). Initially the documentary data was limited to the websites of each fashion label in order to extract information regarding the identity of each designer. Surveying each website revealed that the designers rarely disclosed any information about their personal identities. The data sources were extended to include online magazines, newspaper websites and blogs that had conducted interviews with the designers. In order to ensure credibility of the blogs, the documentary data was collected from well-established bloggers who had conducted interviews with the designers and bloggers who display their published interviews with the designers. The documentary data took a single day to collect (3 October 2016), the sources utilised in the collection of the data are summarised below (Table 4.3 and Table 4.4).
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Table 4.3: Butan Wear Documentary Data Sources
Documentary Data Sources Butan Wear
Author
(Publication Date) Page Title Publication
(Type) Julian Kubel
(2013) About Us Butan Wear
(Butan Website) Mandy de Waal
(16 November 2015) Butan and the Gutsy Art of Brand-Building Mark Lives (Online Magazine)
Mpumi Sinxoto
(1 April 2014) Sensational Street Style
Destiny Connect:
Man
(Online Magazine)
Rudzani Netshiheni
(26 August 2014) Why the 'B' in Butan Stands for Business
Hype Magazine (Magazine Website) KOOLOUTC
(16 December 2015) One on One with Butan Founder, Julian Kubel Kool Out Concepts (Magazine)
Nick Kaoma
(25 September 2007) Butan Wear - More Than Just a Clothing Label The Encore Mag (Online Magazine)
Siphiliselwe Makhanya
(30 June 2016) Bantu fashion: Butan is the New Black The Time Live (Newspaper)
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Table 4.4: Magents Lifestyle Apparel Documentary Data Sources Documentary Data Sources
Magents Lifestyle Apparel Author
(Publication Date) Page Title Publication
(Type) Didier De Villiers
(2013) History Magents
(Magents Website) Lee Lebotsa
(28 July 2015) Magents More than Just Food
(Magazine) Nontando Mposo
(2016) Fashion Fit for an African Warrior Business Media Live (Newspaper)
Lesley Mofokeng
(07 July 2015) Magents Make Local is Lekker Trendy Again The Soweten (Newspaper) Tara Johannisen
(04 July 2015)
The Misunderstood Kids on the Fashion Block - Magents Lifestyle Apparel
Trend Soiree (Blog) Yazeed Kamaldien
(27 March 2016) Wear local fashion, say South African designers Weekly Argus (Newspaper)
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Challenges Encountered
A few challenges were encountered during the data collecting process, the first of which being finding a sample. Establishing initial contact in order to request their participation proved to be difficult because many designers do not list their contact details online. The decision to contact each designer via Facebook, though not ideal due to the informal nature of the platform, served as the only means of establishing contact. However, once contact was made with each designer, the process of communication became easier.
Full ethical approval from the University of KwaZulu Natal was only obtained during the month of July 2015 (appendix 2), therefore due to the lengthy ethical application process, the analysis process only transpired in 2016. This setback also influenced the selection of the t-shirt, as the initial aim was to obtain t-shirts that could reflect a current zeitgeist. Furthermore, the decision of one designer to pull out of the study served as a challenge as the sample size was further reduced. However, in conversing with the designer, they mentioned that their t-shirt designs had remained the same since 2013, and felt that they would not serve as a reflection of the current zeitgeist. Though the collection of documentary data was not a great challenge, there was a limited amount of interview data available online. Many websites contained replications of the same interviews or opinion pieces regarding the brand – this was especially difficult with Magents whose designer and graphic designer rarely do interviews, as such the documentary data collected for Magents is less than that of Butan.
During the transcription of the interview with Butan owner/designer Julian Kubel, it was discovered that parts of the recording had been paused, and 20 minutes of the interview had not been recorded. The first section of the interview processes consisted of questions regarding to the evolution of Butan as a fashion brand. A secondary interview was not conducted; rather data was collected in the form of personal communication with Butan marketing manager Sandile Samuels on November 04 2016. The personal communication with Samuels took place in Johannesburg during ‘Butan Wear 15 Years in the Game’ exhibit.
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