Inspiration sources for Australian fast fashion design: tapping into consumer desire

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify both the inspiration sources used by fast fashion designers and ways the designers sort information from the sources during the product development process. Design/methodology/approach – This is a qualitative study, drawing on semi-structured interviews conducted with the members of the in-house design teams of three Australian fast fashion companies. Findings – Australian fast fashion designers rely on a combination of trend data, sales data, product analysis, and travel for design development ideas. The designers then use the consensus and embodiment methods to interpret and synthesise information from those inspiration sources. Research limitations/implications – The empirical data used in the analysis were limited by interviewing fashion designers within only three Australian companies. Originality/value – This research augments knowledge of fast fashion product development, in particular designers’ methods and approaches to product design within a volatile and competitive market.