Like politics facing the economy, health care and red tape; bootleg fashion, knock off designs and faux frocks isn’t anything new…..Charles Worth. If you don’t know anything about him and call yourself a “Fashionista”, do yourself a favor and wiki him. He gets credit for quite a bit on the fine apparel front.
Worth is credited for being the first designer to put his name on a garment. A signature. What do people sign other than bad checks? Art perhaps?
Hmmmmm… let’s think on that for a bit?
OK, in 1968 Worth started The Chambre Syndicale De La Confection Et De La Couture Pour Dames Et Fillettes. Rough translation: “The Association of the garment and sewing for women and girls.” It’s pure purpose was to stop designs from being copied. Can you imagine! 150 years ago, a designer gets pissed that cheaper more affordable clothiers were using his designs and calling it their own. Could this be the first time we start to see fashion as art?
Now we have Fédération Française De La Couture Du Prêt-à-Porter, or simply: Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture.
A few things they are responsible for:
- Deciding who’s in and whose out.
- Promote, Educate and, Defend its members.
- Deal with PIRACY of styles and designs.
To even be considered for membership there are strict guidelines a designer must meet:
- House must produce 50 new and ORIGINAL designs of day wear AND evening for EACH collection
- They must show 2 collections a year. (That’s 200 new and original designs A YEAR)
- They must employ at least 20 full time people and maintain a workshop.
While once upon a time this list was long…. now here are the members:
- ADELINE ANDRÉ
- ANNE VALÉRIE HASH
- House of CHANEL
- House of CHRISTIAN DIOR
- DOMINIQUE SIROP
- FRANCK SORBIER
- GIVENCHY
- JEAN PAUL GAULTIER
- MAURIZIO GALANTE
- STÉPHANE ROLLAND
Meeting the credentials to call yourself Haute Couture by the laws in France means more than a catch phrase. Houses work hard for that title so get a glass of Champagne and cheers to France!
