Couture
Conscientious
When Fashion Was Art
Check out this fashion newsreel from the Parisian catwalks in 1954- when it was all about tailoring and detail.
Handmade Clothing
Then check out this newsreel from the Fab 60s- when plastic and lycra clothing were about to sweep the world. Oh, so wrong in so many ways! (watch it and you'll understand).
While we at CONSCIENTIOUS FASHION study the problems of fast fashion, disposable fashion, sweatshops and assembly lines in the third world, we should also look at the other end of the scale; slow fashion, meticulous fashion, collectable fashion and fashion with passion.
Clothing doesn't just appear in the shop but has a history and travelled thousands of miles through severeal countries; someone made the fabric, someone cut the clothe, some sewed...
If you like the principles of couture, it is not a far stretch to learn to sew or find a seamstress (try your local drycleaners or sewing store notice board).
10 Points About Haute Couture (8 Good and 2 Bad)
1)Hand made by well trained, well respected and well paid artisans
2)Made to keep
3)Individual
4)Detailed and finished with care
5)Fabrics are chosen for quality and suitability (not price)
6)Fitted on real people
7)Low carbon foot print
8)Traceable back to source and artisan
9)Price
10)Pretentious marketing of brand (which detracts from the work the actual piece)
The Dedication of Parisian Ateliers (featuring words and pictures from US Vogues October 2008 feature).
“In the couture ateliers, the atmosphere is one of single-minded focus and industry. Mobile phones are forbidden, and the garments in progress are shrouded in white cotton capes to protect them from dust, light, and prying eyes. Battalions of headless tailor's mannequins are padded in the exact measurements of clients to facilitate the fitting process. In most houses, the seamstresses and tailors wear clinical white lab coats and pochettes as pendants containing the little scissors, thimbles, and skeins of thread that are the tools of their trade. At Lacroix a map of the world is stabbed with pink-ribboned pushpins to indicate where the fitters have traveled for their clients (Lacroix is planning to take the collection to Russia later this year; Chanel took theirs to China in 2006). On the atelier walls are thank-you letters from clients and photographs of weddings and balls. Among the many bridal portraits at Lacroix is one of Catherine Zeta-Jones, inscribed, "To my dear ones at the House of Lacroix. I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
Hamish Bowles for Vogue 2008
http://www.style.com/vogue/feature/2008_Oct_Handmades_Tale/
Facts About French Haute Couture
1) It must be based in Paris.
2)It must be handmade by artisans.
3)Designers must present collections twice a year.
Only 14 houses (Chanel, Christian Dior, and Valentino etc.) are recognized as creators of Haute Couture. Each spring up to 20 aspiring designers are invited to present their own collections during summer Haute Couture week in Paris.
Most fashion houses still in the couture business must subsidize it with their ready-to-wear collections. Many legendary houses such as Balenciaga and Yves St. Laurent have gotten out of couture altogether.
Fakes... you are what you wear!
A lot has been said about fakes from China and some European Designers brands even cry victim! My answer is simple.
The Designer European brands need to remove the logo from the exterior of their bags and clothing. Let the design, materials and workmanship say “I’ve earned this bag.”
In addition, those European brands that do make in Chinese assembly lines, slap on a logo and charge designer prices will have to up their quality to justify their price and branding. This would mean treating workers better so that they actually care.
hip couture resources
100% Australian made organic cotton try Standard Knit Fabrics
http://www.standardknitfabrics.com.au/
