The Significance of Support- Fabrics in Apparel Production in Ghana

Abstract

Finishing is an area that needs attention if Ghanaian apparel is to meet standards and cut across cultural barriers in making its way into other markets (international). Over the years, clothes produced by some fashion designers in Sekondi-Takoradi have been made by paying little or no attention to details or finishing. One such area is the use of support fabrics to finish an item of clothing. This paper sought to identify and examine the availability or visibility of the support fabrics in the local Sekondi-Takoradi market and also investigate the awareness of support fabric used and its impact on the apparel produced. The study used qualitative research methodology employing the descriptive approach. Questionnaires were administered and interviews done. The population for the study was made up of practising fashion design teachers, fashion designers ("master”), fashion students and haberdashers, adding up a total of eleven. Findings revealed that virtually all the respondents were aware of support fabrics, but the challenge has to do with the various names given to them. It was identified that,with regard to the names, there was conflict with the generic names, trade names, as well as "localised” names. However, the paper recommends that there should be training for fashion designers, "masters”, as well as haberdashers to enable them to be abreast with fashion terminologies.