Haute couture (French for "high sewing" or "high dressmaking";refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted fashions. It originally referred to French fashion and in France, is a "protected name" that can be used only by firms that meet certain well-defined standards. However, the term is also used loosely to describe all high-fashion custom-fitted clothing, whether it is produced in Pariz, in other fashion capitals such as New York, Tokyo, London, Milan
Haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finish, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques.
The term can refer to:
- the fashion houses or Fashion designers that create exclusive and often trend-setting Fashioons
- the fashions created
Legal status
In France, the term
haute couture is protected by law and is defined by the
Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Paris based in Paris, France. Their rules state that only "those companies mentioned on the list drawn up each year by a commission domiciled at the Ministry for Industry are entitled to avail themselves" of the label
haute couture. The criteria to which a fashion house must adhere in order to be categorized
haute couture were established in 1945 and updated in 1992.
To earn the right to call itself a couture house and to use the term
haute couture in its advertising and any other way, members of the
Chambre Syndicale must follow these rules:
- Design made-to-order for private clients that require one or more fittings.
- Have a workshop (atelier) in Paris that employs full-time a minimum of fifteen people.
- Present to the press in Paris each season (spring/summer and autumn/winter) a collection of at least thirty-five runs comprising outfits for both daytime wear and evening wear.
However, the term
haute couture has been misused by successive ready-to-wear brands and high street labels since the late 1980s so that its true meaning has become blurred with that of pret-a-porter (the French term for
ready-to-wear fashion) in the public perception. Every
haute couture house also markets
prêt-à-porter collections, which typically deliver a higher return on investment than their custom clothing. In fact, much of the
haute couture displayed at fashion shows today is rarely sold; it is created to enhance the good name of the house. Falling revenues have forced a few
couture houses to abandon their less profitable
couture division and concentrate solely on the less prestigious
prêt-à-porter. These houses, such as Italian designer Antonio Capucci, all of whom have their workshops in Italy, are no longer considered
haute couture.
Many top designer fashion houses also use the word for some of their collections.
Official haute couture houses
As of spring 2007, there are ten official
haute couture member houses: Adeline Andre, Chanel, Cristian Dior, Christian Lacroix, Dominique Sirop, Emanuel Ungaro, Frank Sorbier, Givenchy, Jean Paul Gaultier, Jean Luis Scherrer
As of spring 2007, there are three invited houses: Elie Saab, Giorgio Armani, Valentino!
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