What Is Haute Couture?

“Haute couture should be fun, foolish and almost unwearable.” - Christian Lacroix

By Rebeca Rodriguez Published: Feb 20th 2023

Let’s start with what Haute Couture is. To put it simply, Haute Couture is French for high sewing or high dressmaking and is synonymous with high fashion. It is always handmade from start to finish, it is high end and custom-made primarily in Paris, but also in other fashion capitals such as New York, London and Milan. Today the most iconic Haute Couture houses include Dior, Chanel, Givenchy, Armani, Alexander McQueen, Valentino and more. Chances are you’ve heard most, if not all of these names- but the truth is that Haute Couture is anything but simple. These household names came to be through innovation and a respect for long established rules for Haute Couture.  

History

Haute Couture began with Charles Frederick Worth who was born in Lincolnshire, England, on October 13, 1825. Worth worked as an apprentice and clerk for two textile merchants based in London. At 20 years old he relocated to Paris, where he used his expertise learned in London to find himself a job at a firm that sold textile goods and ready-made garments. He quickly worked his way up, earning top salesman and leading his own dressmaking department within the firm. After winning several design awards, Worth would go on to open his own firm. He quickly became known for his use of lavish fabrics and trimmings, his incorporation of elements from historic dresses, and his attention to fit. His key focus was on creating one-of-a-kind pieces, but a variety of his designs were shown on live models at the House of Worth and clients had the privilege of choosing tailor-made garments in Worth’s workshop. He was not the only designer at the time to organize his business in this way, but he earned the titles “father of haute couture” and “the first couturier.”

Charles Worth would also become known for coining the word “Fashion Designer” which further elevated what Haute Couture was becoming- in contrast to the more commonly used title “dressmaker”. While Worth laid the foundation for Haute Couture, it would be another fashion designer who would become famous for reviving it. 

Post World War Ⅱ, Christian Dior debuted his ‘New Look' collection inspired by botanical gardens. The collection featured a new-found glamor in the shape of tight waists, stiff petticoats and billowing skirts. To date these iconic designs are synonymous with Christian Dior. The following years, namely the 60’s, saw the rise of other couturiers-Yves Saint Laurent launched ‘Saint Laurent Rive Gauche’ in 1966, the first freestanding couture boutique. Pierre Cardin, Andre Courreges, Ted Lapidus and Emanuel Ungaro soon followed the trend and opened their own boutiques. 

The 70’s saw a stark decline in the number of Couture Houses, dropping to just 19. (There were 106 in 1946). This decline was attributed to the strict rules set forth by La Chambre Syndicale de La Haute Couture, which demanded difficult-to-meet conditions after the war. Another attributing factor is that, during this time, mass-production became more popular and the demand for couture was diminishing.

How It Works

Ways to safeguard designs to prevent piracy were established as early as 1868 with Le Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. Designers were required to earn the right to call themselves a couture house according to certain specifications such as:

• Designs must be made-to-order for private clients, with one or more fittings

• Each atelier must have at least 20 members of staff 

• Each season, the couture house must present a collection of at least 35 runs with both daytime and evening wear to the Paris press.

In addition to La Chambre Syndicale, in 1921 the French press created PAIS (L'Association de Protection des Industries Artistiques Saisonnières), with the goal to protect Haute Couture designs from piracy. Designs were photographed on a mannequin, front, back and side, and registered as evidence.

Haute Couture Today

Haute Couture is still around today, and continues to follow a version of the requirements established by Le Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. Some of the first couture houses such as Chanel, Balenciaga, Dior, and Yves Saint Laurent still have a strong presence today, however custom clothing is no longer a key source of income. In fact other luxury products such as shoes, bags, perfumes, and licensing deals earn greater returns for these companies. Haute Couture for these infamous Maisons today is more about the image of the brand, the value they create, and their contributions to innovation in use of materials and design techniques.

Each year, Haute Couture exhibitions and events are held at some of the world’s most famous museums and iconic locations. One example is Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi and the show he organized at the Fontana di Trevi in Rome. In this sense, Haute Couture today is not only about exquisite clothing, but also about creating beautiful and luxurious shows. For the latest Dior show, for example, the creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri commissioned the French textile artist Eva Jospin to cover the walls in landscape hand-embroideries. The wall embroideries measured 350 meters and took three months to create. 

Whether we notice or not, Haute Couture heavily influences pop culture. One of the biggest events where we see Haute Couture today is The MET Gala. The theme for the gala changes on an annual basis and the event celebrates the specific theme of that year's Costume Institute exhibition. Guests are expected to curate their fashion looks to match the theme of the exhibit, which is generally haute couture. Other moments for Haute Couture to shine occur twice a year in Paris. We recently had the first Haute Couture show of the year in January 2023, from the 23rd to the 26th.

During this show 30 Maisons presented their collections. The event was organized by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode or the Federation of Haute Couture and Fashion.

A well known name in Haute Couture today is Giambattista Valli. He is famous for his over the top tulle designs worn by the likes of Kendall Jenner. To give you an idea of what it takes to create some of his pieces- just one Giambattista Valli couture gown can take over 240 hours to craft and needs an excess of 6,000 meters of fabric to create. When we speak about price ranges for such a dress, we are talking about a price tag upwards of $100,000 USD. The craftsmanship and rich culture of Haute Couture is exciting to say the least, but what is the most interesting is Haute Couture’s transcendence into art, pop culture, and some would say, even technology. With the rise of the Metaverse and some brands investing heavily into the space, it will be interesting to see how Haute Couture continues to develop in the future.

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