High-quality fashion has different names: high fashion, alta moda or haute couture. When do clothes deserve the title Haute Couture?
Chanel, Gucci, Armani, Dior – they all belonged and still are among the greatest fashion designers of all time. The clothes from their studios are considered to be the highest that tailoring has to offer. The high fashion shows in London, Milan, Paris and New York speak for themselves, even if many of them could only take place digitally in the Corona year. What very few people know: not every elaborate and expensive creation is haute couture.
Unlike the prêt-à-porter fashion established in the late 1950s, haute couture (French for "upscale tailoring") is characterized by two things for many: luxurious materials and high prices. That is partly true, but in order to be able to call its fashion haute couture, a fashion house has to meet far more criteria.
Welcome to the Club "Maison de Couture"
Strictly speaking, only those who have been awarded this title by the Parisian fashion association "Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture" are allowed to call themselves "Maison de Couture". To receive this award, a fashion house must offer bespoke, handcrafted one-offs. The designers must also have a studio in Paris with at least 15 employees. Anyone who thinks that's it, is wrong.
Every year anew
For the haute couture shows with spring / summer and autumn / winter collections, the "Grand Couturies" have to design and present 35 new models every season. So that not every designer applies for admission to the elite association, there is another obstacle: newcomers must be suggested by a full member. But even the old hands have to reapply every year. So being creative and using expensive fabrics and accessories is nowhere near enough.
There are also legal restrictions. The term "Haute Couture" has been legally protected in France since 1945 and that is unlikely to change anytime soon.