Hacking as a Co-creation Method for Specialized Soft Product Design

Abstract

Traditional clothing design often fails to address the unique needs and desires of people who wear specialized clothing, resulting in garments that they perceive as functional but not personal. The field of adaptive clothing is increasingly recognizing the importance of human-centered design; however, moving beyond a problem-solving paradigm to one that embraces individual identity and creative expression remains a challenge. This chapter proposes and explores ‘hacking’ as a co-creation method to bridge this gap. We present a case study of workshops where individuals with disabilities were guided through a process of fashion hacking and personalizing garments. The workshop structure empowered hackers to act as experts of their own experience, transforming standard clothing into bespoke items that reflect their personal style, cultural identity, and specific functional requirements. Our analysis reveals that the hacking process: (1) democratizes design; (2) generates rich, embodied knowledge about lived experience; (3) produces innovative design concepts; and (4) supports community and skill enhancement. Our workshops demonstrate hacking as an effective co-creation strategy that supports and validates user expertise, fosters agency, and yields design insights that are often overlooked in traditional top-down design approaches. This study contributes to growing discourse on participatory and human-centred approaches in soft product design by prioritizing user-led innovation.

Keywords: Adaptive Clothing, Empowerment, Fashion Hacking, Participatory Design, Personalization, User-led Innovation.

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007762