Integrated MCDM for evaluating fashion design schemes

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop comprehensive criteria for evaluating fashion design schemes and used an integrated model which considers the interrelation between the clusters of evaluation and the influence between criteria for evaluating alternative fashion design schemes. Design/methodology/approach The integrated approach uses the advantages of all three methods: the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) can be used to analyse the interrelations between the major clusters of fashion design evaluation. The analytical network process can calculate the criterion weight that is adjusted based on the influence between different elements in the decision framework. The Visekriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) determines the best fashion design by ranking a set of designs by using ten conflicting criteria. Findings Style is the decisive dimension because it is highly affected by other clusters. The comfort of the style is the most crucial criterion. “Veracious” is the best and most preferred design scheme. Originality/value The study develops the decisive cluster and criteria in designing a fashion design scheme. The proposed approach can be used as a decision analysis tool in fashion design and other fields and has various advantages (e.g. considering interrelations between clusters and influences between criteria, and ranking a set of alternatives), and therefore, is appropriate for practical circumstances.