Fashion
The History of Haute Couture - 10 Points You Should Have Heard of
From the beginnings of haute couture to the present day: interesting facts about the world's most luxurious fashion.
Countless hours of handwork, thousands of pearls, the finest fabrics - haute couture is the supreme discipline of fashion. The following 10 facts about haute couture are part of common fashion knowledge!
The beginnings of haute couture
- The birthplace of haute couture? Paris! The term itself is French and means something like " elevated tailoring". Indeed, this term is very accurate, because what defines haute couture is the unique art of tailoring with which each piece is made - by dedicated and flawless handwork.
- The Englishman Charles Frederick Worth is considered the founder of haute couture. He founded his own fashion house in Paris in the 19th century. His creations were extremely expensive and reserved for a small, elite group of customers. This laid the foundation for haute couture as we know it today. Haute couture is still the epitome of exclusivity and luxury when it comes to fashion.
- In 1868, the Parisian couturiers founded a joint association under the name Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Française, which was then renamed several times over the years. The aim of the association was to define the interests, goals and standards of French haute couture and to have them represented.
- Famous names and important fashion designers who had a decisive influence on 20th century Parisian haute couture included Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior and Coco Chanel.
- The term haute couture has been legally protected in France since 1945. Only fashion houses that are members of today's Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode are allowed to present haute couture collections and call them as such.
„Haute couture consists of secrets whispered from generation to generation.”
Haute couture in the present day
- In order to obtain the membership at the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode or to be able to remain a member, the fashion houses still have to fulfil strict requirements. Criteria include: The fashion house must have an haute couture atelier with a certain number of full-time employees and present at least 35 handmade pieces at each of the haute couture shows, which take place every six months in Paris.
- Haute couture is no longer necessarily primarily about selling fashion, it is rather an important part of the brand identity. Luxury, prestige, exclusivity - this is what haute couture stands for and thus also shapes the name and image of a brand. An haute couture collection can therefore also be seen as a marketing investment. Only a very small number of customers still invest in the extremely expensive and custom-made fashion pieces.
- The couture price range is wide: the lowest prices are around €10,000, but some pieces can cost up to €250,000.
- The true protagonists of haute couture are still the extremely talented and experienced tailors. They operate in the background, but they are the ones who make haute couture what it is: the highest art of tailoring.
