Haute Couture's Role in Modern High Fashion Today

Introduction: Fashion as Business and Art

High fashion today is the fusion of business and art, and the role that couture plays is that it represents the artistic side of high fashion. The phrase haute couture is literally French for "high fashion," which illustrates how strongly the two concepts are linked. A simplistic understanding of haute couture is that it is the apex of the industry — clothing made to the highest level of artistry, entirely by hand. Couture items are made specifically for the wearer and are thus perfectly fitted (Thomas, 2014). Haute couture's role in fashion as the pinnacle of the field is undisputed, though this understanding leaves room for nuance.

Couture is a protected term, and as such it can only be produced by an haute couture house. The production of couture is specifically delineated by rules established by the Parisian Chamber of Commerce, and only certain ateliers are allowed to work on couture garments (Wang, 2013). There is therefore an element of exclusivity in haute couture that cannot be found even in other high-fashion garments. That said, high-fashion garments can be of equal quality to couture — they simply will not carry the designation of haute couture if they do not meet all of the strict criteria. It is important to examine the role of haute couture in fashion today, particularly with respect to its relationship with contemporary high fashion.

The Role of Fashion and Couture Within the Industry

The fashion industry markets luxury on a sliding scale. Everybody buys clothes, and those clothes form one of the most significant outward expressions of personality. Even if someone purchases clothes purely for pragmatic reasons, that is itself an expression of the dominant pragmatic traits of their personality. People who purchase fashion do so deliberately, as an expression of their own personality. The fashion industry is structured precisely in this way — to encourage people to visualize a version of themselves at their best. In that sense, the fashion industry is inherently aspirational in nature. Customers want to look their best within their budget, because when one's fashion aligns with one's personality, it has a positive impact on self-perception.

People in modern society aspire to upward mobility, and this aspiration is reflected in their fashion choices. High fashion in general, and haute couture in particular, represent the pinnacle of this aspiration at the top of the industry pyramid. The higher up the fashion pyramid, the more differentiated the product becomes. At the lowest levels are generic, barely-designed products made en masse, with cost as their defining attribute. Brands often appear at different stages of the pyramid, reflecting a branding strategy designed to leverage aspirational buying. Some designers who operate mainly in high fashion will place products in lower categories as an enticement to consumers, to begin those consumers thinking about "trading up." Haute couture, however, plays a different role because it sits at the very top of the pyramid.

Historical Origins and the Fashion Pyramid

In the mid-19th century, the modern class of luxury goods arose from an expanding middle class and a growing desire to express social stratification. The more layers that existed in society, the more the clothing industry needed to reflect them. Charles Frederick Worth was a major contributor to the development of haute couture. Previously, couturiers worked for royalty in their employ; Worth began a process of democratization within couture, allowing couturiers to express themselves more fully as artists, provided there was a market for such luxurious clothing — which of course there was. Society in the mid-19th century was becoming increasingly stratified, and the clothing industry was stratifying in parallel: mass production emerged at the low end, while haute couture defined the high end. The major shift was that the customer now came to the couturier, granting the couturier far greater power and prestige (Rosa, 2013). Worth's work essentially defined couture — formal, elegant, of high art and exquisite craftsmanship.

Consider the image in Appendix A, from the Chanel Spring 2015 couture show. Lagerfeld's work provides a useful frame for the role that haute couture plays in modern high fashion. His approach has been described as more democratic in nature, closing the gap between social classes in fashion (Rosa, 2013). While this democratizing tendency has been applied primarily to his ready-to-wear work, it is equally visible in the context of the Chanel spring couture. The works are approachable and youthful in their style, yet they maintain full adherence to the principles of couture.

First and foremost, the collection is the visionary work of an artist. This represents the highest pinnacle in fashion. At the bottom of the pyramid, fashion is strictly a business, without even a hint of artistry in mass-produced garments. At the top of the pyramid, fashion is entirely an art. In the middle are varying degrees of each, but the higher up the pyramid, the more art becomes the focus. Lagerfeld described his Chanel spring show as deriving from a single governing concept, from which both the set and the clothes were drawn. These are sumptuous garments, requiring heroic investment in labour hours and made from the finest materials (Blanks, 2015). They also reflect the luxury of today, which is less reflective of old money and status and more reflective of youthful freedom and the expression that comes with it. The collection carries an element of fun appropriate for spring, alongside unique detailing, and it coheres around a theme of playfulness that runs throughout.

It should be remembered that couture arose as an exploration by the artist, defined by the relationship the artist could form with clientele when the two were nearly equals — the artist an entrepreneur rather than hired help. Today's couture has shifted in tone from that of earlier eras, when the wealthy favoured sumptuousness as an expression of status. Formality is less a virtue among today's couture buyers. The role that haute couture plays in fashion should never be interpreted as clinging to the past at all costs; rather, it should be understood as the leading edge of the industry. Haute couture was never truly about the buyer — which is ironic given that the garments are designed for each specific customer — but the truth is that haute couture is entirely about being the pinnacle of design, the one part of the fashion industry that exists without purely commercial intent. Couture is of course very expensive, but its purpose is to transcend price and focus strictly on the highest art in fashion.

Conclusion: Couture's Enduring Relevance

Style, today, is sold to many, and it is done so by attracting the mainstream audience to the glamour and beauty of couture. Couture is the highest artistic form in fashion, but it is also where the innovations that will be incorporated into ready-to-wear collections originate. The Chanel Spring/Summer 2015 Couture collection is a good example of this. By merging classic Chanel elements that define the house with modern, youthful flair, Lagerfeld has poignantly illustrated the role that haute couture plays in modern high fashion.

Haute couture is a proving ground where artistry is the most important element. If, over time, haute couture became associated exclusively with wealth and opulence, that was a reflection of the times. The modern couture collection showcases today's values in terms of what artistry in fashion represents. It can be accessible, as long as the artist's vision is pure and the execution flawless. When these elements come together, the couture's dual purpose — as both creative showpiece and engine of the fashion industry's aspirational nature — becomes evident. This particular collection is approachable by nature; these are clothes anyone can imagine themselves wearing. That does not make them any less exclusive; it simply means that couture collections help sell products lower down the fashion pyramid and create positive associations that reverberate throughout the brand.

In that sense, couture retains its relevance as the place where current ideas and cultural influences converge with traditional technique and design. It remains the leading edge and sets the tone for upcoming ready-to-wear collections and trends. If each couturier takes a different approach to interpreting the meaning of couture, that is not only acceptable but desirable, for it is precisely in doing so that the true artistry of couture emerges.

References

Blanks, T. (2015). Chanel. Style. Retrieved April 29, 2015, from

Chanel 2015 Spring Couture. (2015). Retrieved April 29, 2015, from http://www.chanel.com/en_US/fashion/haute-couture.html

Rosa, A. (2013). The evolution and democratization of modern fashion: From Frederick Worth to Karl Lagerfeld's fast fashion. Communication and Society, 24, 79–94.

Thomas, P. (2014). Haute couture fashion industry. Fashion Era. Retrieved April 29, 2015, from

Wang, L. (2013). Fashion means business: Haute couture. Business of Fashion. Retrieved April 29, 2015, from http://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/opinion/fashion-means-business-haute-couture