The history of couture: from couture to haute couture

Between fashion, fashion shows, beautiful dresses and the most sophisticated clothes, everything started in France towards the end of the 19th century. Charles Frederick Worth is recognized as the inventor of couture. The Briton had founded his own company located in the heart of Paris (rue de la Paix). He is in a way the first great couturier or fashion designer. In 1868, it was a turning point in the world of textile manufacture since the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture et de la Confection was created in Paris. The latter then became the capital of fashion and many foreigners began to settle there to make their creations. Several people jumped into the breach and founded fashion houses. They include Jacques Doucet (1880), Mme Paquin (1891), the Callot sisters (1888) and Paul Poiret (1904). The number of seamstresses exploded with 1636 workers listed in the Bottin in 1895 whereas this figure was only 158 in 1850!

The history of haute couture began with Charles Worth's workshop, created in 1858 in Paris, rue de la Paix. The creation of fashion shows with "live" models is attributed to another British woman, Lady Duff Gordon, who began to set up fixed-date presentations of her collections. Notably, the Gordons are survivors of the sinking of the Titanic. Their reputation has been damaged by their failure to return to rescue other passengers from the ship when their lifeboat was far from full. But let's go back to the history of sewing and fashion. The idea of fashion shows was taken up by several fashion houses so that the Chambre syndicale de la couture set up a calendar of presentations on mannequins. The fashion industry was born and quickly became professional. Today there is a Federation of Haute Couture and Fashion, with about a hundred members in which there are three union chambers (Haute Couture, Prêt-à-Porter des Couturiers et des Créateurs de Mode, Mode Masculine).

Haute couture, a protected designation In France, haute couture is a legally protected appellation. Haute couture houses such as Christian Dior, Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier or Balmain must meet a certain number of criteria before receiving this "label":

-The work must be 100% manual in the company's sewing workshop

-The team of seamstresses and patternmakers must have a minimum of 20 people

-The designer's creations must include at least 25 outfits per collection.

Emma Weinachter