What is Haute Couture?

What is Haute Couture ?

Haute Couture is the French term that designates the exclusivity of Haute Couture , those garments made in a totally exclusive way, by hand and tailor-made for the client . technologyies

But, despite the fact that many times we consider certain high-quality firms, renowned in the fashion sector, Haute Couture, it is important to know how to identify which ones belong to this very exclusive group and which others are “simply” luxury brands. techiescity

Next, we are going to take a short tour of the beginnings and current events of Haute Couture, so that you can easily determine which ones are part of this important fashion union. themarketingpilot

Origins of Haute Couture

Although many sources claim that the forerunner and responsible for coining the term Haute Couture was the British designer Charles Frederick Worth in the 19th century, its beginnings actually date back to the previous century, in the 18th, when Rose Bertin, also known in The world as the "fashion minister" of the queen consort Maria Antonieta, began to make exclusive costumes for her main client. At that time, the concept of Haute Couture was introduced into French culture , later extended to the rest of Europe. technologywebdesign

From then on, those European ladies who could afford it traveled to Paris to get the best suits of the moment, made by the most coveted designers. technologytimesnow

Yes, it is true that, years later, the figure of the aforementioned Charles Frederick Worth became a staple in the fashion sector, beginning to develop seasonal collections and being one of the pioneers in testing his designs on real models, uploaded to catwalks.

At that time, luxury creations were signed as if they were a work of art.

These two great names in Haute Couture paved the way for other designers who came later, including the famous Cristóbal Balenciaga , Coco Chanel, Christian Dior, Jeanne Lanvin or Paul Poiret and, later, some of his pupils, such as Yves Saint Laurent. .

 

Current requirements for a firm to be considered Haute Couture

At present, it is the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture , known in Spanish as the Haute Couture Commission of the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry, it is the institution in charge of regulating which fashion houses meet the essential requirements to be considered Haute Couture .

The conditions that a firm must follow to be considered by the commission as a Haute Couture brand are the following:

Collections : the firm must present a minimum of 30 models for both day and evening wear in each of the two annual seasons, one in January and the other in June, at Paris Fashion Week.

Designs by hand : the elaborations must be made, practically in their entirety, by hand, according to the client, using the sewing machine as little as possible. At least three costume tests are carried out on the client to ensure, throughout the process, that the piece adapts perfectly to the body and posture of the person in question.

Hours of work : one of these very exclusive pieces takes between 100 and 1000 hours of work to make.

Couturier in charge : another of the main requirements for the piece to be perfect is based on the person who makes it. This must be, throughout the process, the same, from the first sketch, to the end.

Paris : a Haute Couture firm must have at least one atelier in the French capital where at least 20 permanent full-time workers work.

Unique pieces : to belong to the exclusive Haute Couture group, each of the pieces made must be practically exclusive. Actually, there are three copies of each garment, one custom-made for the client, another sewn with more humble fabrics to be presented on the catwalk and a third to be kept within the private collection of the fashion house.

High prices : the minimum price that is usually around a Haute Couture garment is nothing more and nothing less than € 10,000.

 

What are the current firms belonging to this exclusive group?

The fashion houses belonging to Haute Couture present, each season, their exclusive designs during the Haute Couture Week held in Paris . The last one took place between January 25 and 28 of this year.

Currently, the following fashion firms are part of the Chambre Syndicale de Haute Couture: Adeline André, Alexandre Vauthier, Alexis Mabille, Bouchra Jarrar, Chanel, Dior, Franck Sorbier, Giambattista Valli, Givenchy, Jean Paul Gaultier, Julien Fournié, Maison Margiela, Maison Rabih Kayrouz, Maurizio Galante, Schiaparelli and Stéphane Rolland; in addition to others considered as corresponding members, who meet all the previously defined requirements, except the possession of an atelier in the world capital of fashion, Paris. Within this second group we can find the following luxury fashion brands: Azzedine Alaïa, Elie Saab, Fendi Couture, Giorgio Armani , Valentino, Versace and Viktor & Rolf.

In spite of everything, it should be noted that Haute Couture does not really bring any kind of profit to these firms, it only offers great publicity. In other words, these brands manage to attract the attention of customers through their exclusive pieces, who will then buy their ready-to-wear designs.