April Elisha Stanley

Tacit magic: understanding the principles behind Nakamichi’s creative pattern cutting

ABSTRACT Tomoko Nakamichi is globally renowned for her creative pattern cutting techniques presented in the Pattern Magic books [(2010). Pattern magic. London: Laurence King Publishing; (2011). Pattern magic 2. London: Laurence King Publishing; (2012). Pattern magic: Stretch fabrics. London: Laurence King Publishing]. The goal of this research inquiry was to uncover tacit knowledge in Nakamichi’s techniques. Understanding the tacit principles behind her patterns may inspire pattern cutters to create innovative techniques and designs. Researchers conducted a structured inquiry into 50 different patterns in the Pattern Magic books to create a framework of principles. Each pattern was drafted, the principles contained therein analysed, and then applied in a new garment location to test the principles’ universality. Our inquiry began with traditional block-based pattern cutting principles of Joseph-Armstrong [(2010). Patternmaking for fashion design. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education/Prentice Hall]: Dart Manipulation, Added Fullness, and Contouring. In addition to creative uses of these, we found principles which we termed: Adding 3D Geometric Shapes, Creating Shape through Extensions, Extending 2D Shapes from Seams, Geometric Shapes become 3D with the Body Inserted, and Versatility by Design.