Impact Of Fabrics And Notions Sourcing On Garments’ Quality: A Case Of Selected Fashion Design Centres In Ghana

Abstract

Quality remains the solution to the market need which keeps the fashion enterprise surviving and possibly expanding in a competitive business environment. Quality is perceived by the fashion consumer in both present and anticipated product performance. Achieving superb quality in the garment construction processes requires well operational plan in all facets, designed through informed decisions premised on the foundation of the right fabrics and notions sourcing. This established the framework for this study with the purpose of seeking to build the competency of the Ghanaian-based fashion designer through the adoption and deployment of fabrics and notions sourcing guidelines. The study objectives included: assessing the fashion designer’s competence in sourcing fabrics and notions for garment production, formulating innovative sourcing guidelines that address the fashion designer’s problems in fabrics and notions sourcing, and testing the new sourcing guidelines formulated via expository workshop to ascertain the adoption and impact on the quality of constructed garment and to document the innovative guidelines formulated on fabrics and notions sourcing for quality garment construction. The study adopted the qualitative design with a focus on the descriptive case study approach. Interviews, focus group discussions, and observation were deployed to capture data along thematic areas for analysis. A non-probability purposive sampling technique was adopted to select a total of thirty (30) fashion designers with fifteen (15) each from the Ghana National Tailors and Dress Makers Association (GNTDA) branch in Dekyemso in Kumasi and Odumase Zone B in Sunyani respectively. The study revealed that the majority of the sampled fashion designers displayed a high level of competency in garment construction techniques. However, the overwhelming majority representing 81% of the respondents displayed a gross lack of competency to apply sourcing guidelines in selecting the right fabrics and notions for garment construction prior to holding the expository workshop. This finding meant that the respondents were not trained, and also did not experience and practice fabric and notion sourcing during their formal and or informal apprenticeship education and training period. Therefore, an expository workshop was used to facilitate the formulation of fabrics and notions innovative sourcing guidelines. These sourcing guidelines were then deployed by the respondents and the garment constructed thereafter was assessed over a period of time to test the adoption and the impact of the guidelines on the quality of the garments constructed.