The Couture Industry

While investigating this topic I intend to inform myself of the historical aspects of couture; such as how couture came about and the different houses or designers that impacted it. I would also like to find out how the couture industry has changed and developed through history. Furthermore, I would also like to inform myself of the hand embellishment techniques, past and present. Throughout my research I discovered numerous videos portraying the processes of dressmaking and hand embellishment in the Haute Couture industry, including fashion houses, such as Dior and Chanel. It was interesting to see the all the small steps that are necessary in creating a couture item and it encouraged me to explore further.
History of Haute Couture Paris

The price can dramatically increase up into the hundreds of thousands depending on the material used and the hours involved. However, even though the dresses are extremely expensive there is not a lot of profit in producing these couture pieces and sometimes a profit is lost, not gained. This could be attributed to the dwindling number of clients or simple the sheer amount of time and labour that it takes to produce couture garments. The lack of prophet meant design houses needed to find alternative means to fund their Haute Couture production by selling items including perfume, makeup, and leather goods such as handbags and shoes. So, with such large price tags who buys these extravagant garments? In more recent times new clientele have come from the Middle East, Russia, China, Korea, and Brazil. Jeffry Aronsson, Chief Executive of Emanuel Ungaro, (2011) told Reuters “Women from the Middle East are our top buyers and they are likely to remain so”. In order to avoid numerous trips to Paris for fittings, many of Haute Couture’s clients have a mannequin made of their measurements so that it is not necessary for them to be present. This is a service that would be of great convince for the growing number of Middle Eastern

At the House of Lesage (Oldest embroider in France), Montmartre, forty-five seamstresses have been working on designs for the Chanel spring haute couture show. They use wooden frames to stitch on sequins, beads, and rhinestones onto delicate fabric as well as using specialist tools to curl the edges of silk flowers. These seamstresses are some of the few “petites mains” artisans (definition)who remain and the numbers of which are dwindling. In particular, are the “fournisseurs” who specialise in crafts such as the making of ornamental flower or the intricate embroidery that is such an important part of so many couture dresses. The numbers have fallen dramatically over the last century. From around ten thousand French embroiderers in the 1920s to around two hundred at present. There are multiple reasons for the fall of artisans, the main being cheaper labour available overseas. However, there are people who are taking action in order to prevent this from happening. Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel’s Chief Director has bought six of the oldest workshops left in France. These included workshops such as Lesage, Michel, Lemarié and Goosens, so it is likely that these traditional methods of embellishment will continue to