Wearer-As-Designer: A Practice-Led Ethnography of Sneaker Subculture and Tacit Craft Knowledge

Owen, KJ ORCID: 0000-0003-2517-4739 (2026) Wearer-As-Designer: A Practice-Led Ethnography of Sneaker Subculture and Tacit Craft Knowledge. Doctoral thesis, Liverpool John Moores.

Preview

Text 2026owenphd.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial. Download (133MB) | Preview

Abstract

This practice-led thesis investigates how leather’s material, cultural and philosophical potential can be reimagined through creative practice, ethnographic fieldwork, and the co-production of archival records. Working with leather as both subject and medium, the research explores how craft processes- restoration, customisation and conversion, can generate new forms of value, attachment and sustainability when applied at wearer level. Through iterative making, design interventions, and embodied experimentation, the study interrogates leather as a durable, and flexible material, challenging assumptions shaped by historically embedded perceptions of environmentally harmful production.
Central to the enquiry is sustained engagement with a specific sneaker-focused subculture, whose artisans embody tacit knowledge and alternative approaches to production and consumption. Ethnographic methods including fieldwork, observation, interviews and participant engagement, provide situated insight into how this community navigates adaptation, ownership and creative practice. These findings are translated into a series of practice-led investigations that test how subcultural techniques and philosophies can inform wider approaches to leather garment design and use.
The project culminates in the development of a living archive, realised through the co-created research platform Sole-Zine, alongside a series of material experiments. This archive preserves endangered craft skills while communicating them to new audiences. Through this interrogation of practice, research, and dissemination, the thesis proposes the philosophy of the wearer-as-designer: a reframing of fashion consumption that promotes emotional and material durability, extended garment lifecycles, and more responsible relationships with leather.
This research contributes new knowledge by demonstrating how practice-led enquiry, community engagement and archival methodologies can intersect to protect craft knowledge, shift perceptions of value, and provide an actionable framework for sustainable, participatory fashion.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	archive; customise; ethnography; leathercraft; material culture; practice-led research; repair; subculture; sustainability
Subjects:	T Technology > TT Handicrafts Arts and crafts > TT490 Clothing manufacture. Dressmaking.Tailoring G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GT Manners and customs > GT500 Costume. Dress. Fashion
Divisions:	Art and Creative Industries
Date of acceptance:	12 June 2026
Date of first compliant Open Access:	26 June 2026
Date Deposited:	26 Jun 2026 12:50
Last Modified:	26 Jun 2026 12:50
Supervisors:	Fallows, C and Roberts, E
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/28860

View Item