Haute Couture: Fashion's Exclusive Club
In the fashion industry today, many terms are overused. One in particular is the word “couture”, or “haute couture”. Translated to English, “haute couture” means high dressmaking, with haute being French for high, and “couture” being French for dressmaking. Worldwide, this style of fashion only has around 4,000 clients, due to its exclusivity, and high prices. In the industry, this is one of the highest levels of fashion, and is difficult to attain. In order to be considered ““couture”,” companies have to apply to the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, which is essentially the governing body of “couture”. While this seems simple, applications are invite only, and undergo a strict vetting process. So how can a company be considered “couture”? Well, in order to be awarded the status by the Ministry of Industry, there are strict rules. The first rule of “haute couture” is a company must create made-to-order garments. In each of these collections, a company must presen...