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Design+ Traditional handcrafting and sustainability

(iii) Economic activities are retained within local The process includes planning, reviewing, analyzing, and
communities, thereby reducing inequalities. presenting findings from the reviewed literature. The
This study aims to map the utilization of traditional goal is to help researchers gain a better understanding of
techniques and handicraft practices within the modern existing studies. 37
fashion industry, examining their connections to value A systematic review differs from traditional literature
chains, community economic empowerment, and their reviews in that it follows predefined criteria and
potential to support alternative economic models. Instead methodologies for source selection and data analysis. This
of simply examining how traditional techniques can approach reduces the likelihood of bias and enhances the
survive, the study advocates for their integration into a validity of the conclusions. According to Cooke et al.,
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comprehensive, community-organized production and systematic reviews assist in identifying gaps in existing
economic management framework. studies and contribute to developing a clear framework for
2. Research objectives future research.

Based on the analysis of the existing literature, the specific The systematic review process includes the stages
objectives of this study are: of defining the research question, formulating a review
• To examine how traditional techniques – such protocol, selecting sources, assessing the quality of studies,
as weaving, embroidery, and dyeing with natural extracting and analyzing data, and finally presenting the
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pigments – are integrated into contemporary fashion findings. This method was employed to produce a well-
design and production structured and comprehensive review of the international
• To explore the key regions and methods worldwide literature, providing insights into the domain and the
where traditional techniques are utilized, including trends in existing published research.
the stages of the value chain and the types of fashion 3.2. Selection of sources
enterprises involved
• To analyze whether, and in what ways, traditional For a comprehensive review, search, and analysis of
techniques support local communities and contribute sources, this study applied clearly defined inclusion and
to economic development, particularly in developing exclusion criteria to select articles from the vast amount of
regions available literature. To ensure methodological validity and
• To investigate the challenges documented in existing alignment with contemporary developments, only articles
literature, with a focus on those related to the published between January 2000 and September 2024 were
incorporation of traditional techniques into modern included. This time frame also served to reduce the scope
fashion systems (e.g., feasibility of industrialization of the extensive existing literature. Keywords relevant to
and mass production, cost factors, and the preservation the research topic were used, including:
of expertise and authenticity), to synthesize and assess (i) “We-economy and handcrafting in fashion.” This
proposed solutions and strategies keyword was utilized to identify studies analyzing
• To evaluate the potential of traditional handicrafts how traditional handcrafting supports collaborative
as an alternative economic model within the fashion economic models. Specifically, the search focused on
industry, and to inform their role in promoting a more studies discussing:
sustainable and ethical fashion sector. (a) Co-operative fashion and craft workshops
(b) The role of local communities in sustainable
3. Research methodology production
(c) Initiatives promoting ethical and socially
3.1. Purpose equitable practices.
The main purpose of this study is to examine and analyze (ii) “Slow fashion and handcrafting techniques.” This
the literature concerning the integration of traditional keyword was used to identify studies examining:
techniques and handicrafts into contemporary fashion. It (a) The integration of traditional techniques into
aims to evaluate this integration and its acceptance in the contemporary slow fashion
international literature, as well as to determine the extent (b) Challenges in preserving these techniques amid
to which this adoption has contributed – or is expected increasing industrial automation
to contribute – to sustainability. This study employs a (c) Collaborations between designers and traditional
systematic literature review, a form of secondary research artisans to create sustainable and ethical collections.
that involves the collection, evaluation, and interpretation (iii) “Sustainable textile production.” This keyword was
of a large number of related studies on a specific topic. applied to identify articles examining:
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Volume 2 Issue 3 (2025) 4 doi: 10.36922/DP025190027