Algorithmic Culture and Sartorial Prosperity

The article defines the term "prosperity fashion" by focusing on the nature of work in contemporary fashion. Our aim here is to redefine the concept of labour by balancing solitary work against collective imagination, creative invention against algorithmic creativity informed by sartorial knowledge, and solitary genius against empathy towards local communities. The paper deals with three main assumptions. First, it posits that in contemporary fashion design there is a newfound interest in tailoring and sartorial literacy. Secondly, it argues that this interest in tailoring is a consequence of contemporary algorithmic culture. Tailoring can be seen as an agency that unites craftsmanship, algorithmic culture, and a spiritual approach to clothing. Thirdly, in the final part of the argument we deal with the case study of a contemporary designer community (Terike from Budapest) connected through sartorial literacy, highlighting how this community embodies the principles of the sartorial turn. The article concludes by advocating for the decolonization of tailoring as a civilizing process (Wild 2014), using the Terike community as an example of local sartorial creativity and of "defashion" (Niessen 2022). This examination underscores the need to recognize and preserve diverse sartorial practices that challenge dominant narratives within the fashion industry.