Haute Couture

What is it? What can we learn from it?

When I was searching for a name for my business: Couture Arts Fashion Academy, I knew wanted something that captured the originality of the famous French haute couture houses. But most of all, I wanted to teach aspiring sewists about the importance of fit and attention to detail.  

Haute couture literally means high sewing or high dressmaking. It refers to clothes that are made to fit an individual, using the finest of fabrics and sewn with precise and time-consuming techniques.

The term, haute couture, is regulated by law in France. Surprisingly, it is the English-born designer, Charles Worth who is widely credited as the father of haute couture. He opened his Paris atelier in 1858 and made many changes to the way clothes were designed, made and sold.

Fashion is a major industry in France and their legal framework is designed to preserve their standing as the fashion arts capital of the world. The Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Paris (CCIP or Paris chamber of commerce) appoints the Chambre syndicale de la haute couture who annually reviews membership of the organisation and determine who will show at Paris Fashion Week. Members are divided into a hierarchy: official members are the French houses such as Chanel and Dior, correspondent members include foreign fashion houses such as Armani and Valentino and guest members that include new upcoming talent as well as designers of jewellery and accessories. 

Haute couture houses design made-to-order clothes that require more than one fitting and they must operate an atelier or workshop that employs at least fifty full-time staff, including twenty technical workers. Every January and July, each haute couture house must present a collection of no less than 50 original designs — including day and evening.

Because of the design time involved in a one-off garment — including hand work, fitting procedures and the fabrics used — haute couture designs are very expensive and very few people can afford them. In fact there are only 4,000 haute couture customers in the world. The Fashion Law have crunched the numbers on haute couture and it makes for a fascinating read.

So where does that leave that rest of us who can’t access hand-made, one-of-a-kind garments? Many of the elements of haute couture can be emulated by professional designers and home sewists. Couture principles are embedded in everything we teach at CAFA — starting with our beginner’s classes. Even if you’re making the simplest of A-line skirts, there are fitting and sewing techniques that can elevate your garment from home-made to fabulous.

Happy sewing.

Gaylene