With as many as four major show weeks per year, Paris claims the status of the capital of fashion. In Paris, the fashion design industry is booming. From June 28 - July 5, Paris is whipped into a fashion frenzy for the S/S 08 Menswear and Haute couture collections. While runway shows may appear to be mere theatrical performances, they are also formidable money-spinners.
The use of the term haute couture is strictly controlled, and the list of fashion establishments allowed to call their lines "haute couture" is regulated annually by a special ministerial decree. While there were several hundred haute couture establishments in France in the 1950s, today just 10 fashion houses in the country meet the criteria, which include hand-tailoring and personalized measurements. These elite establishments are members of a professional haute couture society that organises two annual fashion events, in January and July. Haute couture is only for women.
The haute couture club may be restricted, but is not entirely closed, says Charlotte Cabaton at France24.com. Four non-French fashion houses, including Elie Saab and Giorgio Armani, share a similar status, as they fulfill all required criteria except for nationality. The fashion industry also desires to create opportunities for young talent and lesser known designers. This season, 17 designers have been adopted by the haute couture club, and given the status of “guest designer”.
The prestige attached to the title stems from fashion tradition and history. Even though haute couture is nearly 140 years old, the phenomenon has learned to adapt to the times. The key to haute couture’s eternal youth lies in its capacity to be resolutely meticulous, while being respectful to contemporary trends. In the words of Christian Dior, it allows “audacity amidst tradition”.
However, this audacity counts for no more than 200 regular woman clients in the world. Not that there is a paucity of rich women, of course – it’s just that most rich women have changed their lifestyles. They are more impatient and busier. Few are ready to wait for three months before wearing the dress they chose. Furthermore, the number of grand social occasions - the kind of event where an opulent haute couture gown is appropriate - is declining.
Haute couture sales represent not more than 2% of sales of the big designers. Why all the effort, one may ask?
The answer: To allow designers to practice their art, thus providing a fresh breath of air to the fashion industry. Haute couture is a laboratory of future trends – a type of investment in research and development, if you will. The designs worn on the catwalk influence future ready-to-wear collections.
Haute couture is also a powerful emissary of image. It creates dreams; thus, it sells. It gives rise to perfumes, cosmetics, and accessories, affordable to the public at large; it gives life to brand names, and also to the couture houses themselves.
For haute couture creates a thriving living for many artists. For every outfit a designer puts on the catwalk, many hands have gone into its creation – workers, designers, tailors, seamstresses, feather-workers, milliners and bootmakers.
Haute couture is a savoir-faire, a heritage that France has protected and preserved, notably at its Museum of Fashion and Textiles in Paris. For fashion tells a story. To be à la mode is to bear witness to one’s era. C'est vrais.
