Methodology to study the creativity of Portuguese fashion designers

The instable and unpredictable economies have challenged all types of companies to be concerned with creativity and innovation matters. Nowadays innovation is known as the result of a system, involving the creation (creativity), the management of process, the distribution of products and the final use. In this work the 'design' is perceived as an important contribution for differentiation as it is associated with creativity and then innovation. The Portuguese Textile and Apparel Industry presents models and trends so that until 2020 these transforming entities are prepared to collaborate in a competitive way by offering products and services with added value. This is the best way to ensure the survival and the opportunity to target external markets. These indications are mostly directed to the employers. This study argues that workers, especially fashion designers, are a great driving force of the companies' results, therefore its competitiveness. And so it is appropriate to study the creativity of fashion designers working in Portuguese Industries. The strategy to be adopted is interdisciplinary and the creativity is considered as being directly related with the surrounding contexts/variables.