In 2020 the Royal College of Art (RCA) / Future Fashion Factory (FFF) research group received AHRC funding for training in Ethnographic and Design Anthropology methods. Principal Investigator Susan Postlethwaite, Research Fellow Dawn Ellams and Research Associate Kat Thiel, are defining a new approach for practice based fashion research, putting designers at the centre of industry facing investigation, interrogating parallel fields of design research, including Design Thinking, Textile Thinking, Transition Design and definitions of Fashion Theory. The aim for the skills development training is in supporting the design and use of pre and post-FFF micro-project qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. The micro-projects are intended to provide solutions to manufacturing industry problems through Industry 4.0 and 5.0 economic theory lenses. Using a Design Anthropology approach will allow the group to examine the affect and effect of design research on both ECRs and stakeholders, iterate through qualitative data gathering, whilst questioning and understanding the value of designing research projects for impact. The goal is the development of transdisciplinary narratives for policy change, focused on the future of fashion manufacturing, particularly in a UK setting. At the time of publishing, two FFF micro-projects were completed: Twelve Oaks Systems, which has identified the technical and creative opportunities for 3D weave manufacturing for fashion, and GameStyle/ Lockwood Publishing which has developed an IP Framework and recommendations for the required value chain for fashion designers to engage with Gaming. These projects provide initial opportunities for the application of Design Anthropology methods and tools. Feedback from academics involved in the delivery of the training will help the FFF/ RCA research team develop our approach for future micro-projects as they are concluded.

The skills development programme was designed and developed in 3 phases. Phase 1 - a series of lectures delivered by academics with expertise in Anthropology, Transition Design, ethnographies and systems thinking; Phase 2 - a series of 3 workshops to further understand the development and application of other funded project methodologies and Phase 3 - dissemination, consisting of an online publication, a podcast and a digital symposium hosted by FFF and RCA as part of the annual showcase in 2022. For this publication the findings are disseminated through an Executive Summary and 3 essays that focus on policymaking, framework design and pedagogy.