Haute couture is considerably more to the French than merely exquisite ball gowns. It is, in reality, a protected area under French legislation. What does it take to work in such a tightly controlled industry? Haute couture is a French term that implies “high sewing” or “high fashion.” Its a step up from prêt-à-porter, the well-known designer collections that most fashionistas are familiar with. Workers in the haute couture sector can put in up to 700 hours on a single garment, which is only sold to 2,000 people. When anything is labeled haute couture, it means it’s a one-of-a-kind item created specifically for a client.
Haute couture’s founding father
Despite the fact that it is connected with French culture, haute couture was invented by an Englishman. When Charles Frederick Worth moved to Paris from Bourne, England, in 1856, he opened a dressmaking department at Gagelin, where he constructed bespoke items for clients rather than just selling them materials to make their own clothing.. Worth eventually launched his own shop, worth et Bobergh, on rue de la Paix, and immediately garnered a loyal and passionate following.
What are the rules of haute couture?
The Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, part of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, is in charge of regulating the Parisian haute couture industry. It safeguards fashion houses such as Chanel, Givenchy, and Valentino, as well as haute couture designers like as Schiaparelli and Jean Paul Gaultier. The haute couture designation is worn by only 14 designers in total. It can be difficult to police, and it can be confusing for consumers, as Juicy Couture, a casual-wear business, has discovered. Sweatpants are nothing like Chanel or Givenchy, so how can they be considered “couture”? The phrase ‘haute couture,’ despite its association with an exclusive, high-fashion sector, is protected by French law, whereas the term ‘couture,’ is not.
In the naming game, ‘couture’ is a huge term.”
While it’s a popular assumption that anything must be handmade to be considered haute couture, the industry actually follows a strict set of guidelines. Designers must have their own atelier, which must have at least 15 staff (in addition to 20 technical workers, including over 2,200 les petits mains who precisely detail couture pieces) and be prepared to conduct private customer showings as well as several fittings.
Furthermore, the company must show at least 25 looks at Paris Couture Fashion Week, which takes place twice a year in January and July.
Week of Haute Couture in Paris
Clients carrying chequebooks ready to buy that exquisite haute couture gown (the porte-monnaie sur pattes, or ‘walking purses’), Attend Paris Haute Couture Week, which may cost upwards of $20,000. Couture Week is a lavish affair with plenty of opulence and magnificence, even though haute couture isn’t a big moneymaker for fashion firms — some even lose money on it. The sets are lavish in order to emphasize the enormous amount of time and effort that went into creating the clothes. At this year’s shows, Chanel employed Parisian streets as a backdrop for their iconic boucle jackets and dreamy chiffon gowns, while the normally flamboyant Schiaparelli accessorized clothing with animal masks at the Palais Garnier Opera.
Who buys high-end fashion?
Daphne Guinness, a British socialite, is one of the most well-known haute couture shoppers. As the heir to the Guinness fortune, she has regularly backed designers such as Alexander McQueen and Givenchy. She is so well-known for her haute couture tastes that she even had an exhibition of her favorite outfits at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
She explained her commitment to fine couture in an interview with The Talks. “It’s like a man going to a tailor on Savile Row: Haute couture is like a man going to a tailor on Savile Row : It’s all about the journey. “Everyone is there to assist you in comprehending the concept in your mind. The runway is of no consequence.” : It’s all about the journey. “Everyone is there to assist you in comprehending the concept in your mind. The runway is of no consequence Among the prominent haute couture buyers are Elena Perminova (wife of billionaire Alexander Lebedev), Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al-Missned (second wife of Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani), and Queen Rania of Jordan.
Despite the fact that haute couture is a world in which the typical customer can only fantasize about being a part of, the presentations offer an unedited view into the world’s most innovative designers.
