UNFOLDING THE PROCESS
Document 2 Notes made by interviewee regarding: vision, strategy, system
137 6.4.1 Organising the data
This sub-section presents the process of organising the data and is divided into data from the interviews, data form the documents reviewed and the data from the products reviewed. 6.4.1.1 Organising the data from the semi-structured interviews
Four templates were developed based on the four levels in the conceptual framework, namely vision, strategy, systems and role players.74 Key words or key phrases from the conceptual framework were used to populate the templates and each key word or key phrase was explained briefly. For example: The first level, vision, critical point of differentiation was a key phrase which was explained briefly by holistically integrating sustainability throughout the
business. The templates form part of reliability, as these were used for constant reference
during the process of data organisation. The content of each interview was viewed from the focus of the template and the data of the interview placed in the relevant area, as Table 6.5 portrays. This process was repeated for each interview, for each of the four templates. In total, for the seven semi-structured interviews conducted, 28 templates with data were generated. In some cases data was applicable to more than one area in a template as well as in more than one template. Care was taken to ensure data saturation.
Table 6.5: Sample extract from vision template, primary data organisation – interview, critical point of differentiation, from interview transcription Participant 1.
74 The four templates developed and applied in data organisation are available in Appendix G. Key word or key phrase from conceptual framework Brief explanation Line number of the transcription Prompting phrase from interviewer (if needed)
Cut from transcription
Interview guide Refined D-D CF Line Interviewer comment Text Critical point of differentiation Holistically integrate sustainability throughout the business Environmental consideration embedded in all [?] aspects of operations
42-45 when we were () considering this brand […] we felt very strongly that it should not be children’s wear in the traditional wear sense, it should be adults wear shrunk down for kids, so one immediate decision was we were not going to make kids-like clothing but adult wear for clothing, number 1.
46-52 Number 2 – it must have a meaningful brand name, and actually…the artwork had all been planned…it was in fact going to be called company name. Then at the very last moment, we () were very worried about the word addict for kids. So half…so the debate was that addict could be perceived as a positive thing, if you’re addicted to something good, but obviously the word addict also has a very negative connotation. So we () changed that at the very last moment and we went from company name to
company name and we said that if ever we did
another brand, well that brand would become
138 6.4.1.2 Refining the organised data from the interviews
The following techniques were applied in refining data organisation. Firstly, memoing and theorising is suggested by Bernard and Ryan (2010:273) as a technique to record hunches, ideas and observations and should occur right through the process of refining the data. Memoing formed part of the refining data organising process when a specific idea or observation was deemed necessary. These entries were all made in bold green italic text. Secondly, the explanation of the key words and key phrases was highlighted with different colours and applied in the transcription text. Thirdly, phrases that seemed important in the transcription text were also highlighted in bold and fourthly, where a problem was mentioned, for example, organic fabrics are unobtainable and too expensive; the text was highlighted in red.
An extract portraying the above is presented in Table 6.6, below:
Table 6.6:Sample extract from strategy template – interview, working from a broad knowledge base, from interview transcription Participant 5.
(developed by author) Interview guide Refined D-D CF Line Interviewer comment Text Working from a broad knowledge base Can lead to inclusive decision making that can lead to sustainable solutions Strategy for environmental sustainable fashion implementation in practices Material and immaterial decisions
8-10 once we started finding organic fabrics, and things that were less harmful for the planet. That just gave us that direction and focus properly on it. The starting point was the fabric, trying to source natural or organic.
25-31 When designer’s name started company name back in
the mid-nineties. When she did, she was doing bridal wear – was a main focus and special orders and she worked in linens and cottons and hemp - natural fibres, and her dying was always vegetable pigment dying. That was her…she was really nature orientated and that’s really stuck with name of company since the beginning, and it is something we have always tried to be aware of. You know, there are instances where it is not possible to be completely eco-friendly in the product make-up, but where possible we still try and do that.
57-65 Ethics at CMT
Obviously you would see straight away if they work from a fair trade point of view, if the basic conditions of work are not in place. You can tell, if there is poor lighting, if staff are locked-up. I know most of the CMT’s personally, the owners. If there had been something I would have picked up on it and would have questioned it. I don’t think South Africa, especially Johannesburg, the type of CMT’s we work with, are small owner-managed. They are low-volume, they are not churning out masses, they’re not working their staff like slaves – it’s not like that. Everyone I know of is paying minimum wage, the staff have proper breaks, proper lighting, and bathrooms…it’s all fair trade conditions.
147-148 There’s also soya that they use. Milk, where I’m not sure how they make a fabric out of it.
150 I’ve seen it and felt it, not my ideal.
152-154 It’s a bit slimy. It depends on the make-up of it. But the weave I saw it isn’t the right aesthetic for the kind of clothes we’re making. So, what other fabrics are there? Hemp is something that I really wish could take off. What else is there?
Above conversation emphasises company’s interest in eco fabric. Structure allows experimentation
139 6.4.1.3 Data from the supporting documents
The above-mentioned four templates also informed the supporting data collected from the documents. Some of the documents were in electronic format and thus the above process was done on a manual basis, ensuring that the above processes used in the transcription text were applied similarly. The name of the document and the source is provided in Appendix G. Below (Figure 6.4) is an extract from one of the documents sourced that provides more information regarding a specific type of fabric mentioned by Sub-unit 3.