Since i came to the uk, i have been seeing people on the streets of london wearing no color other than black. this was intriguing me so much that i started to look for answers, started clicking pictures of people on the busiest streets of london, observing people. Consequently i came up with my research question:

WHY DOES THE COLOR "black" CONSTITUTE A MAJOR PART OF THE WARDROBE OF PEOPLE IN U.K.?

üEnvironmental conditions- heat absorbent color

üDifferent cultural associations

üCan be combined with any color

üWidely accepted color

üAvailability in retail stores

üClassic color- goes well for most occasions

üSuits any body type

üFashion forecast- latest trend

üBlack clothes can be easily teamed up with any color accessory

üMakes one look good- safe color to wear

üDoesn’t get soiled easily 

RESEARCH STRATEGY

A. INTERNET:

•Questionnaires and Surveys – to know people’s personal opinions and views

           1. What percentage of your wardrobe consists of black clothes?

           2. Do you prefer black over any other color while choosing your daily wear?

           3. Do you think black is the safest color to wear at most occasions?

•Websites

                  a) Historical and current research – origin, importance of black in the past and present

                   b) Cultural analysis

                   c) Psychological research

•Blogs

•Articles

•Trend Research- past, present and future

B. Books on color psychology, fashion trends, historical research on fashion, etc.

C. Taking photographs of people at various places.

D. Recording people on the streets and observing their clothes.

E. Experiment : Giving people a varied selection of  garments and testing their wardrobe choices.   

It was very difficult for me to be able to click pictures at the oxford street because of people walking too fast and always in a rush. There were so many people who refused to get clicked, while there were some who loved to get clicked and a couple even gave their e-mail id to me to mail them their picture. When I couldn't take pictures the way I wanted to, I  decided that taking a video of the street would be the best idea to capture as many people as I could. So I recorded a number of videos and narrowed down to some of the best I could keep for further reserach on this topic.

The Six Thinking Hats Method

 ØIt is a thinking tool for group discussion and individual thinking.

 ØCombined with the idea of parallel thinking, it provides a means for groups to think together more effectively, and a means to plan thinking processes in a detailed and cohesive way.

 ØAllows the thinker to do one thing at a time.

 ØThe emphasis is on “what can be” rather than just on “what is” and how we design a way forward – not on who is right and who is wrong.

 ØThe experience and intelligence of everyone is used in the same direction.
ØAllows a switch in thinking.

WHY HATS

ØStrong association between

     thinking and “thinking hats”

     or “thinking caps” in many

     cultures.

Ø Can be put on or taken off with

     ease.

Ø Easily visible to everyone around.

WHY COLORS?

ØAuthor wants thinkers to visualize hats as actual hats.                                                 

Ø Color makes the imagining easier.

ØEasy to remember.   
  

RESULTS

ØPOWER: Since everyone is looking and working in the same direction, it is totally absurd if a person shall hold back information because revealing it would weaken his/her argument.

ØTIME SAVING : Meetings take a third or a quarter of the time. All reports indicate how much quicker meetings have become after using the six hats method.

ØREMOVAL OF EGO: People don’t realize how obstructive the ego is in preventing effective thinking. With this method, one his/her the ego by preventing well as a thinker under each of the hats.

ØONE THING AT A TIME: The six hats method sensitizes the brain to think in a single direction at a single point of time. Ex: color printing. 

CONCLUSION

ØThe Six Thinking Hats concept allows the issue to be addressed from a variety of angles, thus servicing the needs of all individuals concerned.

ØThe most striking benefits of this method are seen in group discussions or conversations.

ØSince every thinker at every moment is looking at the same direction, the thoughts are laid out in parallel and in the end, the subject is fully explored.

ØThere are many organizations in which the symbolism of the hats has, indeed, become a part of everyday language- as a means to direct thinking more effectively.