Agential Digital Materials-Co-Creation with Digital Tools and Haute Couture Principles in fashion and Textiles

The Neo-Couture project investigates the intersection of haute couture principles and emerging digital technologies. In this paper, we introduce a developing Neo-Couture framework, grounded in five key areas: Humanness, Interactions, Hierarchy, Material Agency, and Bespokeness/Rarity. Drawing upon the concept of ‘intra-action’ (Barad, 2007:33) from agential realism, the study explores how humans and computational tools mutually influence each other, offering fresh insights into creative processes in fashion and textiles. Where previous research has aimed to categorise AI tools; here, tools are considered 'material agents,' emphasising the emotional and agential aspects of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). The concept of 'intra-action' is important in highlighting the co-creative dynamics between humans and digital agents. This study finds a nuanced interplay between human practitioners and computational tools. While participants experienced a range of emotions, from feeling in control to experiencing tension, the findings challenge the idea of universal tool design, advocating for bespoke, adaptable solutions. These insights are particularly relevant for interdisciplinary fashion and textile practice in conjunction with Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), digital design and AI fields, and hold potential for haute couture practice. Future research will be undertaken into user-centred experiences when working with digital tools, to examine the experiences of specialised groups of professionals in the fashion industry.