What is Haute Couture? 

Haute couture is a French word meaning high-end, high sewing, high dressmaking, custom-made clothing designed for exclusive elite clients. It is the process for custom-fitted clothes made from high-quality, expensive fabric and materials that are sewn with extreme attention to details and finish and produced primarily in Paris and other fashion capitals such as New York, London, and Milan. 

Haute couture are unique, stylish, original, exclusive handmade garments that are custom fit for specific clients; each piece is designed, tailored, and crafted by skilled artisans using high-quality fabrics, embroidery, and embellishments. Limited productions are one-of-a-kind pieces and designs that are not bound by seasonal trends or commercial constraints. The fashion house or fashion designers create exclusive trend-setting fashions for celebrity, wealthy, and high-status clients. 

History: Haute couture originated in the early 17th-19th century in Paris by designers Charles Frederick Worth and Jean Phillipe Worth exclusively for the French monarch and the rise of Parisian fashion as the hub of fashion. The golden age from 1850s-1900s, where Charles Frederick was considered the father of haute couture and established the first fashion house in Paris, dominating the storyline of fashion, European royalty, and aristocracy. 

Paul Poiret, Coco Chanel, Jean Philippe Worth, and Elsa Schiaparelli introduced and revolutionised fashion into exotic, luxurious designs, simplicity, comfort, and modernity, influencing the Art Deco movement and introducing surrealism to fashion. Designers like Christian Dior and Hubert De Givenchy launched the New Look collection, revitalising haute couture dressing. Audrey Hepburn and Jacqueline Kennedy, Yves Saint Laurent, Karl Lagerfeld, and Alexander McQueen introduced modern and contemporary couture by updating the classic brands to new heights with dramatic, theatrical, edgy, avant-garde style. 

Haute Couture Houses:

Chanel, Christian Dior, Louis Vitton, Givenchy, Jean Paul Gaultier, Versace Atelier, Valentino, Schiaparelli, Dolce & Gabbana are the renowned couture designers.

Source: house of Worths Atelier in Paris

JD Institute of Fashion Technology, a design education hub, trains scholars for haute couture projects and believes in moulding the scholars with live sessions, workshops, and talk sessions from industry experts to shape their careers with the right skills and knowledge, empowering them to adapt networking as a strong skill to become successful leaders and entrepreneurs.

Conclusion: Haute Couture, a surreal approach to fashion, creates exclusive premium designs and styles as per the needs and wants of their clients; celebrities, politicians, and the wealthy are the main clientele; it is for the selected few who honour the guise custom fitted garments.