Creative knowledge

Seeing that the informants had chosen the path of undergoing higher education in fashion design, they are highly knowledgeable from this perspective. Through the interviews, I have gained a clearer view of what this actually means in this setting. The informants point out the specific character of their education, where a strong focus is towards the academic side. What this means is that the students are heavily trained in design theory and methods, and this is also a key aspect of the concluding graduation collection produced. The view on this profile differs, with some claiming that it gets almost too academic, with not enough focus being put on practical skills of actual garment making. At the same time, the academic profile is also held forward as an advantage in relation to other schools; the students are given a much deeper understanding of the process of fashion design and what it actually means. This duality towards the structure of the studies can clearly be observed as affecting both the perceived feasibility and perceived desirability of becoming an entrepreneur. The specific profile rendered through the educational programmes on the one hand gives a feeling of not being equipped for working in industry, with positions offered not being in line with one’s knowledge. At the same time, it spurs a higher perceived desirability of continuing with one’s design process independently – a sense of having something to say and contribute with is strong.

More or less all the informants have similar sources of knowledge input, namely preparatory education, university education, and internships. Few have previous work experience of any sort, meaning that their knowledge base is more or less entirely academic at the point of entering industry. In this context, many also point at the importance of choice of internship as to be able to also absorb business knowledge.

In line with previous literature on the topic, my study confirms that potential entrepreneurs in the creative industries have high levels of education (cf. Lassen et al., 2018). In fact, one reason held forward for not becoming an entrepreneur straight after graduation, and then especially after graduating from the BA programme, was a feeling of not being knowledgeable enough.

I have classified all informants as having relatively high levels of accumulated creative knowledge. This refers to the structure of the higher education in fashion design offered at the Swedish School of Textiles, where the main focus lies in the further development of the students’ creativity and creative knowledge. This is also exemplified well by the quotes below:

DS13: ”Yeah, I’ve actually been thinking about that, or like, reflected upon

that. That, you know, what’s been good for me with having studied here is that I’ve been pushed to develop my design even more, to develop my design aesthetics, to come up with something new, like, you pushed to do that here.”

DS18: ”But I think it’s more art, design.. like, what do you call it? Scientifics,

in relation to one another. And like, how you can implement scientific methods and models in the design process.”

In my analysis, I have made a distinction in the level of creative knowledge between those who have obtained a BA degree in fashion design (classified as medium high creative knowledge) and those who have moved on to also obtain an MA degree (classified as high creative knowledge). The reason for this distinction is that with two more years of higher education in fashion design at MA level, the level of creative knowledge can be considered to be significantly higher than after graduation from the BA programme. This is further confirmed by the interviews, in which it becomes clear that the two years of MA studies both further developed the creative knowledge of the designers, as well as enhanced their ability to understand and utilise this acquired knowledge. As put by one of the informants:

DS20: ”But yeah, it feels like a given to also do an MA, and especially in

hindsight when you realise what it actually gives you. So that I am very happy about. (…) And the MA is so unbelievably different compared to the BA in that immerse yourself completely in what you’re doing.”

Previous research has pointed at universities as a potential source of KIE (cf. Malerba & McKelvey, 2018b). Seeing that my study deals with students, a lot of information and discussions have dealt with that of the university and its role. As discussed above in relation to the informants’ knowledge base, there is slight ambiguity in the view of the Swedish School of Textiles and the knowledge it provides. The general view is that of the school producing knowledge that from a research perspective is of great interest, but which is difficult to transform into commercial goods. At the same time, my analysis of the individuals over the course of both BA and MA studies shows that with an increased theoretical knowledge also comes a stronger desire to actually become an entrepreneur, in the sense that industry does not offer stimulating enough positions that are on par with the educational level. Furthermore, the continued studies seem to give rise to a firmer belief in one’s artistic output, and therethrough also an increased desirability of challenging the current state of the industry by introducing new concepts and ideas in the form of an own venture creation. My analysis further shows that the university is also seen as a source of income and stability, both through continued studies (MA/PhD), as well as through teaching. This brings forward an interesting aspect of pursuing, at least partially, an academic pathway, not necessarily as a calling in the sense of wanting to do research and further develop the field, but rather as a stable source of income that can lay the basis

of also being able to have a business of one’s own without any pressure in terms of making profits off commercialised goods.

My findings show that for those where the intention is not realised into an actual behaviour of becoming an entrepreneur, characteristics also differ slightly. While the strong belief in one’s designs is still there, there are also signs of what could be described as a fatigue, both mentally and creatively. This also leads to a desire and decision to seek more stability for some time, most often meaning taking on a position at an already existing firm. This is also linked to another characteristic of the group as a whole (i.e. both those going from intention to behaviour and those not doing so), namely the desire to increase and broaden one’s knowledge base. My findings show that this takes the form both of taking on positions within already existing firms, in an attempt to gain business knowledge, but also through continued fashion studies. The latter is especially prevalent among BA graduates who simply do not feel that their creative knowledge is sufficiently developed – to pursue an MA degree is brought forward as a way of further develop the ideas you later want to commercialise. Previous research has shown that KIE entrepreneurs in creative industries are highly educated by comparison to other groups, such as KIE entrepreneurs in manufacturing (Lassen et al., 2018). My findings give further insights to why this might be the case, as further studies here is seen as a combination of wanting to further develop one’s skills, and at the same time also have financial stability combined with artistic freedom.