The Future of Haute Couture
Haute Couture has an extensive yet fluctuating past, and following the significant changes to the fashion industry in 2020 it was possible to go many ways. We take a look below at the future of this art form.
Haute Couture is the culmination of the latest innovative trends, textures and techniques, which at the disposal of couturiers in their ateliers are combined to create some of the most expensive and time consuming garments in the world. However, the cultural void of the COVID-19 pandemic has stripped many high-end practises of their social significance, one of them being fashion and more specifically, haute couture.
However, that hasn’t stopped Chanel from releasing their SS21 haute couture range, brimming with colour, elegantly tailored suits, and two-piece sets with embellished trousers and pencil skirts above the knee. Virginie Viard’s collection for one of haute couture’s most distinguished houses, Chanel, welcomes looser fits with relaxed, yet impeccable tailoring.
Credit: Chanel’s latest Creative Director, Virginie Viard, executes a dazzling display at the Haute Couture SS21 show.
Accompanying the collection were elegant, cropped blazers, embroidered trousers and two buttoned, tweed vests in an endearingly youthful pink and zesty green. The rising demand for versatile pieces that commandeer attention, both for through the day and as striking evening wear, points toward the preferences of the new haute couture market. Surprisingly, none other than the millennial generation has emerged as couture’s biggest client.
The number of millennials on the planet today range in the millions to billions, suggesting the industry of haute couture is very far from being forgotten. Their spending habits and preferences will influence everything that is available to buy, and potentially affect what is considered worth buying at all. Filling the jobs of some of the most lucrative professions available of any generation to date, they seek luxury, indulgence, and bespoke articles that encapsulate the phrase ‘fits like a glove’.
For rival haute couture house Dior, their September silhouettes reflected evening wear glamour in their SS21 collection, designed in tribute to Christian Dior’s interest in mysticism. Two dresses required goldsmith work for exquisite detailing – the iconic silhouette of the Miss Dior dress, and the La Protagonista dress.
Miss Dior was created by Christian Dior in 1949; it was reimagined by Maria Grazia Chiuri in 2020. Created in lamé mat gold, it took six people a total of 800 hours - producing an antique appearance by precisely interlacing embroidered flowers covering the entire dress, which were individually hand stitched and attached manually. The La Protagonista dress was created through employing the 18th century technique ‘lacca povera’ - a technique of administering complex engravings by applying up to ten coats of varnish over paper prints. Again, 800 hours of work achieved a white lace, virginal garment that recalls leisurely strolls through country gardens and afternoon tea with fine members of society.
As the world prepares to re-emerge from 2020, hope begins to spring as we leave behind bleak horizons, and look ahead to a future shimmering with cautious optimism. This future is encouraging for new techniques, such as 3D printing by Iris Van Herpen, that can be used instead of traditionally laborious hand sewing. In an industry that has always been crafted by hand since the original haute couture house opened in 1858, the introduction of mechanised practices may appear to threaten the artisanal process. However, as industry monoliths have shown before, adapting to modernised processes don’t necessarily guarantee the industry will wither away. Van Herpen’s SS21 collection was titled ‘Roots of Rebirth’ and it features items that recall the planetary minutiae making life possible, creating a discourse between the overlooked parallels of fungal ecology and our own symbiotic relationship with the natural world.
Millennials and younger generations are also growing increasingly concerned with the fashion industry’s gastronomically high carbon footprint. It is one of the most polluting global industries: materials and chemicals used in most clothing makes them unable to decompose, and inevitably run into the water supply leading to contaminated ecological systems. The amount of waste and landfill produced from throwing away materials could instead be upcycled and refashioned into ‘new’ garments.
Sustainable brands like Gabriela Hearst among others are championing efforts to ensure well-made clothing lasts for a long time to reduce consumer consumption. She used around 30% of deadstock fabrics to construct clothes on her first runway show, materials that would otherwise have been thrown away into landfill sites. Hearst also uses TIPA flexible packaging, which is biodegradable and completely decomposes within six months, while meeting the longevity and stamina of average plastic. By the end of six months, TIPA’s essence is no more than organic matter and has no detrimental effects on the environment. In 2019, the brand achieved the impressive goal of being plastic-free, using biodegradable packaging and cardboard coat hangers. What more could you ask for?
The Black Lives Matter movement has been instrumental in bringing to the surface entrenched racism and monocentric ideals within the fashion industry. For example pacing white women on a glorified pedestal, be it designers, models or photographers. Fashion designer and member of the MATCHESFASHION Innovators programme, Thebe Magugu addresses these systemic issues and believes it inspired more cultural awareness around the fashion industry’s toxic characteristics. The Innovators programme was established by MATCHESFASHION to cultivate the discourse of fashion, and concurrently give wider opportunity for a more diverse population of leading fashion figures.
In his most recent collection for Paris Fashion Week, Magugu’s AW21 pieces explored the changing face of South African spirituality. This original and niche idea, shown through a digital show, is just the snapshot of the way the fashion world is changing. And one thing which appears certain for the future of haute couture, is that we will see much more diversity and designers such as Magugu continuing to raise important issues within the industry.
Credit: Magugu’s SS20 Matiego Pleated Skirt, featuring an ID photograph of his late grandmother Matiego Magugu, who inspired him with tales of female human rights activists.
Haute couture may follow the lead of ethnically diverse voices in the future if the millennial generation does indeed have the power to shape the established industry; their morals align with social progression, inclusivity and diverse backgrounds. Allowing a range of talented artists who have been shaped by a variety of cultural norms and life experiences enables the dialogue around the future of haute couture to reform itself, reflecting how traditional artisans can develop, stay relevant to the consumer, and always consistently embody the essence of artistic ideals.
It seems that what once appeared to be a dying art form, is now making a bold comeback. With changes for the better, such as increased inclusivity, sustainability and diversity, the revival of Haute Couture looks bright and we can’t wait to see what the future holds.