Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week: Fall/Winter 2014
Haute Couture Fashion Week is back in Paris, and it is bigger, better, and longer than previous years!
Those who forecasted the death of couture week were proven wrong, as the show was extended by two days this year. One of the factors leading to the revival of couture was the return of big fashion houses, such as Giorgio Armani and Versace, and their linkage with big celebrities, like Charlize Theron, Emma Watson, and Kate Hudson. Also, designers are increasingly giving their couture collections a modern makeover to make them more appropriate for younger audiences, who are the new customers of haute couture.
The neon colored skirts at Giabattista Valli, the wild “80’s boy band” hairstyles at Chanel, Armani’s shorter hemlines, and the athletic-inspired pieces at Bouchra Jarrar are evident instances of this modernization trend in couture collections. This was not only apparent in the designs, but also in the way the shows were conducted. For example, a pregnant model wearing a bridal gown closed the Chanel show the Chanel show was closed by pregnant model Ashleigh Good in a wedding gown., while at Jean Paul Gualtier, fresh off her Eurovision success, Conchita Wurst, walked down the runway accompanying the French designer.
Couture Fashion Week is a platform for big name designers to showcase their lavish and expensive experimentations with sophisticated fabrics and materials. It is the reflection of the designers’ unique creativity and artistic capabilities. It requires intricate sewing skills, labor-intensive hours, and rare materials to design these astronomically priced gowns. The shocking fact however, is the low financial return of the couture shows compared to the skyrocketed expenses required for both the outfits, and the production of these events. The reason why designers go through all this trouble for haute couture week is to create buzz regarding their brand, and to convey their prestigious status in the world of high fashion.
As one would expect, the clientele who can normally afford these unreasonably priced pieces is extremely limited and exclusive, however recently there has been a shift in the demographics of these buyers. Previously, the majority of couture clientele consisted primarily of Middle-aged European royalty and socialites. Now, the consumers are younger, faring mostly from Asia, Russia, and the Middle East. Due to the growth in the economic performance of these countries, a new category of target market for haute couture is born.
Couture is the manifestation of high fashion at its best, and by recognizing and meeting the needs of its target market designers can keep this 150-years old Parisian tradition alive and lucrative.
Written by Yasmin Ebrahimi