The Traditions of Couture

As fashion houses like Chanel, Dior and Fendi showcase their Spring/Summer Coutour collections in their mesmerising shows we did a bit of digging into the history of couture and what it means.

Couture has been the forefront of fashion for over a century now, and of course, like any other history, it has its traditions. There are strict rules on who can be a couturier. The Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode has certain criteria that designers must meet. Traditional rules regarding the number of looks and methods of production are still stuck in place.

An important factor of couture is its exclusivity. Only the most exquisite materials can be used to make a single dress and each dress ordered by a client will be a variation of the original. The traditions of couture provide a sense of consistency, comfort and continuity. However, they also provide an opportunity for designers to rebel against them (within limits) and explore their imagination.

Today, a huge variety of materials are used to create garments, as shown in Viktor& Rolf’s Spring 2021 collection made up of all sorts of objects combined to create something extraordinary. That being said, exclusivity does still hold a firm place in the industry.

Nowadays, a mix-matched approach is taken to made-to-measure dressings. The scope for imagination is much wider current day designers, and the recent collections certainly show it. Much of this is a result of new fashion trends including upcycle/recycling materials in the effort to become more sustainable. Not to mention the impacts the pandemic has had on creating new collections with some designers using achieved materials as fabric mills were closed.

Sustainability has also become a huge part of couture. And even though traditions are often set in stone, sustainable materials could become a new tradition. As said by Iris Van Herpen, “basically, there’s not a lot of reason not to use sustainable materials anymore, other than changing your mindset”.