Designer-artisan co-design for value co-creation: Case studies of the Chinese traditional textile sector

Traditional crafts are vital cultural and economic resources that support local societal sustainability. However, rapid industrialisation, globalisation and misaligned design interventions have led to their decline. While existing studies underscore the importance of designer–artisan co-design, it remains unclear how to optimise and sustain long-term co-design capabilities in the presence of complex social dynamics.
To address these challenges, this research proposes a systematic model for developing designer–artisan co-design in the China’s traditional textile sector, focusing on bridging the macro, meso and micro levels of co-design practices.
This study developed a co-design process model that incorporates interconnected components across stakeholder levels. It demonstrates how social contexts interact with the partners’ co-design competitiveness and capabilities. The model also illustrates a co-design process between designers and artisans, incorporating interconnected co-design strategies to balance diverse capabilities while enhancing the craft product design quality.
Moreover, the practicality of key aspects of existing designer–artisan co-design tools and toolkits in real-world settings was evaluated. This research’s findings may guide interconnected approaches to long-term designer-artisan co-design across different textile sectors and social contexts. The findings also provide insight into holistic co-design theory for societal sustainability and practical multilevel co-creation practices, which stakeholders can use to develop transformative, interdependent tools and support systems. By linking academic theory with practical application, this study promotes sustainable innovation in traditional craft industries for overall societal development and offers valuable insights for researchers and practitioners seeking to revitalise traditional textile sectors.