MST-Department of Fashion, Design & Marketing

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Browsing MST-Department of Fashion, Design & Marketing by Author "Mugo Winnifred Wangui"

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    Development of Hotel Staff Uniform Designs Inspired by the Turkana Material Culture: A Case Study of Nasega Village in Lodwar Turkana County Kenya.
    (Kenyatta University, 2024-05) Mugo Winnifred Wangui
    This study explored the material culture of the Turkana community with a view to using it as a potential source of inspiration to develop a hotel staff uniform designs as a way of preserving the Turkana cultural aesthetics. The Turkana is a community that resides in North Western Kenya. The recent discovery of oil in this region will open it up to urbanization and modernization which will erode the Turkana cultural aesthetics. The Kenya Association of Hotel and Caterers requires its members to preserve the cultural heritage of the local people and this study will help hotels setting up in Kenya to meet this requirement. The location of the study was the Nasega village in Lodwar, Turkana County. The research was a qualitative case study type of research design through interviews, direct observation and photography. The target population for this study was the Turkana people in Turkana County while the accessible population was the Nasega village of the Turkana community in Turkana County. Homesteads to be visited were selected by simple random sampling. Purposive sampling was then used in selecting respondents with material culture to be studied. Purposive sampling helped the researcher to study material culture with desirable characteristics such as shape, motifs and size that were suitable for product design inspiration. Observation and interview schedules were used to collect data. Photography was also be used to record the visual aspects of material culture. The data obtained was analyzed using cultural content analysis and descriptive narratives. Design development involved studio work in two phases which were preparation and production phases. Preparation involved sketching of designs based on cultural features of data collected. Two designs were selected for production. The selected designs were then developed into prototypes of hotel staff uniforms and presented to the department of Fashion Design and Marketing for Marking. The findings of the study will be a reference for designers on how to use their design knowledge in solving social problems. The study may also benefit to the Turkana community as more people will be interested in their material culture hence visit the region and this will open up Turkana County to Economic development.