Twice a year in Paris, fashion has its most exclusive, expensive, and extraordinary moment: Haute Couture. The new Haute Couture season started today in Paris. It will run January 22-25. So, we thought it would be interesting to share with you some key things to understand more about haute couture, how it works, and its purpose in fashion.
Haute Couture – Everything you need to know under 10 minutes
What Is Haute Couture?
Let’s begin with the significance of this term. “Haute Couture” translates literally from French “high dressmaking”, which is basically the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing. Haute couture in fact means the construction of all the pieces by hand from start to finish. They are made from high-quality fabrics and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable sewers. You can think of couture as the highest of high fashion.
The term “Haute Couture”, first set in 1945 is legally protected. It can only be used by brands approved by The Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode.
Who Founded Haute Couture?
Charles Frederick Worth (1825–1895) is widely considered to be the first fashion designer in the modern sense of the term. He is he father of haute couture. He founded the first true Couture House – the House of Worth – in 1858 at 7, rue de la Paix in Paris. This event marked the birth of the haute couture industry.
The couturier became the first to recognize and implement a business model based around a single collection. He staged “salon shows” dedicated to a sole collection. These salon showcases a series of garments and designs unique to one collection only. The main goal of these “salon shows” was not that much for art purposes, but mainly to find clients and sell the collection. In fact, Worth was the first designer to invite customers to his atelier, starting this new tradition.
Showing his designs live on models at the House of Worth was a first in fashion. His clients made their selections and had garments tailored according to their measurements. Up to this day, you can find designs made to order in the couture salons. The clients are able to choose things such as the weight of the yarns used in garments according to where they live. Which, as you can probably guess, is not possible in any other ready-to-wear collection in fashion where you just pick the clothes ready for you in stores.
Later, Charles Frederick Worth had the idea of organizing fashion events twice a year. During this time, all the clients could be in town at the exact same time to show their different collections. This laid the foundation of fashion week. In sum, Worth invented the way the industry runs today and how fashion designers work and build their collections.
Why Does It Take Place In Paris?
Following Charles Frederick Worth’s couture era in Paris, the 20th century saw the opening of the prestigious luxury houses in the fashion capital. These include Christian Dior, Chanel, Balenciaga, Schiaparelli, Saint Laurent, and Givenchy. They were among the first couture houses to emerge in the vibrant Parisian fashion scene. Also, they carried on Charles Frederick Worth’s ideation of Couture, fashion shows and the structure of fashion we know today. This is why couture shows always take place in Paris because it is the birthplace and heart of haute couture.
These first couture houses still exist today under the leadership of modern designers. However, custom clothing is no longer their main source of income. Haute Couture for these Maisons today is more about the image of the brand and the value and perception of it. So, other luxury products such as shoes, bags but also perfumes, and licensing ventures earn greater returns for the company.
Haute Couture Requirements
As we saw, the term “Haute Couture” is legally protected, and the fashion houses that are part of this elite group must adhere to strict rules decided by The Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode. So yep, you can’t wake up one day and decide to become an haute couture fashion brand. It doesn’t matter how amazing your dresses are or how luxurious the fabrics are. So what are the rules to becoming part of this elite group of couturiers?
- Having an atelier that employs at least 15 full-time staff and 20 technical workers
- Making custom garments for private clients with one or more fittings
- Haute Couture houses must present a collection of no less than 50 original designs — both day and evening looks — every season during haute couture shows in January and July.
Each season, they invite guest members. A fashion house are eligible to become members if they receive an invitation four times in a row.
Approved brands can be supported in strategic, communication, marketing, and economic, technological, cultural, and even political possibilities.
How Are Haute Couture Clothes Made?
Haute couture garments are made entirely by hand by the industry’s most skilled artisans and craftsmen. They take measurements, design new models, mend torn clothes, and resize clothes that are too large, among other duties.
Couture designs are always custom-made, made to the specific measurements of an individual client. Contrary to ready-to-wear, they are not mass-produced and available in standard measurements in brand’s stores.
Each couture outfit takes months of work. One Giambattista Valli couture gown can take approximately 240 hours and 6,000 meters of fabric to create! Other couture dresses that took the longest to make include Chanel’s SS18 feathered dress. It required 750 hours of work, and Dior’s “Miss Dior” dress from 2021, which took 800 hours to make.
Haute Couture represents the best quality fashion money can buy. And yes, this comes at a price even though at that level, they do not consider the price tag or budget. Certain pieces are valued at upwards of $100,000.
Shows
Every year Haute Couture exhibitions or events are held at some of the most famous and extravagant museums. It also ocuur in exquisite locations across the world and the fashion capitals. You might remember Dior’s SS98 couture show at the Palais Garnier opera house in Paris. Also, Fendi’s 90th anniversary FW16 show at the Fontana di Trevi in Rome. So haute couture is not only about the clothes but also about creating beautiful and luxurious shows. For Dior’s SS23 show, for example, the creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri commissioned the French textile artist Eva Jospin. He covered the walls in landscape hand-embroideries. The wall embroideries measured 350 meters and took three months to create.
Typically haute couture shows end with bridal looks.
Haute Couture Calendar
Haute Couture fashion shows are staged twice a year: typically at the end of January for the spring-summer season, and in early July for the fall-winter season.
This year, Haute Couture Spring Summer 2024 Fashion Week will be running in Paris between January 22 and 25, with Schiaparelli opening and Maison Margiela closing the season. You can find the full calendar of the shows in this link.
I also talk about haute couture on my podcast. Listen now on Apple Podcast and Spotify
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