Digital Paris Haute Couture Broadens Scope To Sustainability, Men’s And Ready To Wear

The Haute Couture returned to Paris in a digital-only format to comply with current health measures in place due to the Coronavirus. Regaining footing by expanding from the three-day shortened version this past July to four days, the season was ripe with creativity and enthusiasm for the genre. While mainstays Chanel, Dior, Valentino, Giambattista Valli, and Iris Van Herpen forged on this season, some independent designer from last season sat this season out, allowing for some new names to the calendar. Along with the glamour of exquisite Red Carpet-worthy gowns and ensembles, the Haute Couture has also come to represent a sustainable approach, offerings for men and even the launch of a new Ready-to-Wear collection from one of fashion’s most beloved designers, Alber Elbaz.

The State of Haute Couture

There’s nothing like a global pandemic to rethink fashion, let alone Haute Couture. Last year, ready-to-wear proved its place in a changing world. But Haute Couture, closely associated with social events, milestone parties, receptions and the Red Carpet, begs the question, is it still relevant? In an event kick-off speech on the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode or FHCM’s website, France’s Minister of Culture Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin staunchly defended and applauded the ‘oldest fashion week in existence.’ She proudly noted the persistence of the community that prevented any 2020 Paris Fashion Weeks from being canceled. Furthermore, she touted the French government’s support of young talents primarily through digital platforms. The country cherishes the creativity and craftsmanship envied the world over.

Couture may seem like a dated concept though many argue it’s never been more relevant. Luca Solca, Managing Direct of Luxury Goods at Sanford C. Bernstein Schweiz, weighed in at a Vogue Business digital panel on Haute Couture’s viability as a business. Paris correspondent Laure Guilbault commented that luxury brands are focused on ‘reaching Gen Z through sneakers, but Couture is the exact opposite.’ Solca proposed its part of a delicate balancing act on the brand’s position. “On one hand, brands have beauty, sneakers and T-shirts opening up a broader audience. In order not to fall prey to trivialization, they are moving very high price point products purchased by a few people,” he observed, adding, “This is balancing out the fact they are more popular to a larger audience and can create a better, more sustainable perceived value.”

A Sliver of The Pie

According to Bain’s Altagamma study from November 2020, the luxury apparel sector in 2020 was estimated at 45 billion Euros (comparatively, the value of the total personal luxury goods market in 2020 was 217 billion Euros down from 281 in 2019). Solca estimates that 2 to 5 billion is spent on Haute Couture, noting that the sector only boasts around 1,000 shoppers worldwide. Speaking of his father’s couture business, Elie Saab, Jr. concurred their Haute Couture clients’ number around 1,000. He added that the Middle East and Europe are the brand’s strongest Couture markets. 

Creative Highlights

But before one considers the cost, one needs to examine the creativity of the craft and fantasy of Haute Couture that sells those dreams. Again, this season didn’t disappoint with highlights, including a literal body-con surrealistic collection from Schiaparelli’s creative director Daniel Roseberry. This designer is now a household name thanks to Lady Gaga wearing one of his Schiaparelli couture looks to sing the national anthem at President Joe Biden’s inauguration. There were newcomers such as Fendi and Charles de Vilmorin. The former, led by newly appointed women’s creative director Kim Jones of Dior Homme, channeled the romantic beauty of Bloomsbury with a collection shown on icons such as Demi Moore, Kate Moss, and daughter Lily Rose-Depp, Naomi Campbell and Bella Hadid. De Vilmorin launched his first collection during the pandemic and got high marks for his creative display of hand-painted fabrics. 

Chanel artistic director Virginie Viard was also in a family mood by way of the wedding celebration. House muses Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard and Vanessa Paradis watched as models offered a mix of day-centric signature tweed event wear and frothy, sweet tulle dresses. The finale included a bride on a horse for some good old fashion drama. Dior’s fantasy of Tarot cards come to life in the form of models playing a part in bemusing ensembles made by creative director Maria Grazie Chiuri. Giambattista Valli gave his couture outing Spanish flair with bow accents; Toreador inspired tops and vests and pops of red tulle everywhere. Iris Van Herpen’s otherworldly creations with undulating ripples this season almost seemed grounded in reality compared to season’s past. 

Boys Club 

Speaking of drama, Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli plucked an Italian palazzo, the Galleria Colonna in Rome, to show his high fashion slash intellectual take on fashion. His modern looks gave the nod to Couture as daywear – apropos in today’s world. But he also proposed the idea of Couture for men. Thus far, Kim Jones, who has spent his career designing clothes for men, also gave his vision of men’s Couture on his Fendi runway debut. He will also head up the women’s RTW collection. It is not to be confused with bespoke suiting. Haute Couture for men follows a fashion blueprint and imagines something besides the traditional tuxedo when it comes to a black-tie Red-Carpet event. We’ve seen men adopting more traditionally female ensembles of late – in fact, Jones’s debut for Christian Dior men in the summer of 2018 was ripe full of pastel-colored draped suits for the Dior man. Call it the Harry Styles-effect the fashion gender rule eschewing celebrity of the moment paving the way for men to experiment more in their dress

Waste Not, Want Not

Two designers on the calendar – both with very different aesthetics – bring a philosophy to Haute Couture, not typically associated with made-to-order five-figure ensembles. But some of the practices adopted in RTW, such as upcycling dead stock and tighter production fulfillments – can find themselves at home in Haute Couture as, by its very essence, only making a small amount for those who specifically ordered that garment is Sustainable Fashion 101.

Julie de Libran: The French designer launched her eponymous made-to-order business after helming the creative reigns at Sonia Rykiel and the women’s collection at Louis Vuitton, among others. Her dresses sit in between Haute Couture and Ready-to-Wear in respect to wearability. But the approach involves a similar process with de Libran working directly with clients. “Normally, I work one on one with clients in my home where they can see and feel the garments up close. It’s very personal,” she said. Still, de Libran embraced the upshot of communicating digitally. “I worked with Sonia Sieff; we filmed Camille Rowe in my house in the collection that reflects the modern woman today,” said the designer noting the plusses of technology, which allow a wider audience and different angles of the clothes.

To that end, it meant less Red-Carpet dressing from previous seasons and a layered, lounge-y look in the form of chic house dresses. “I collaborated with Eres using some of their deadstock fabrics to create bodysuits and leggings on which you can layer shirt dresses and house gowns,” explained de Libran. She also expanded her responsible fashion line by working with Charvet’s existing shirting fabric. Additionally, she launched a 5-piece jewelry collection with Goossens Paris. “I live in Paris at the center of artistic talents and the Savoir Faire of these amazing houses. I decided to go local in terms of creative collaboration.”

Ronald van der Kemp: Demi-couture line RDVK Ronald van der Kemp had sustainability in mind from day one. After honing his craft at Guy Laroche, Celine and Bill Blass, the Dutch-born designer, launched his collection in 2014. The impetus was the waste he had seen in larger companies and a feeling that wasn’t sustainable or good for the planet. “I felt that fashion wasn’t doing anything,” he said, referring to a sustainable performance art he staged this past summer. Never ordering new reams of fabric, van der Kemp’s creations are made from his collection of materials, vintage fabrics and purchasing leftover fabrics from other couture houses. “I worked with what I had sort of became the mantra for my brand,” he noted. This season, for example, he created a felt embellished corset. “When you put things considered trash into a new context, it becomes a treasure.”

Furthermore, his MO is to change the view of being green. “Sustainability never had a high-fashion connotation, but I am trying to make it sexy, exciting, cool and exhilarating using couture techniques,” he said. Achieving this goal visually can prove easier than its economic counterpart. “As events were canceled over the summer, customer wise, it’s a difficult moment for couture,’ he offered, adding, “I didn’t think it was the moment for elaborate gowns made for big events.” Instead, he took an arty approach by making collages from Dutch painting prints and creating a film under the theme “Has the World Gone Mad?”.  Delving into filmmaking, he captured female characters behind the doors of a Amsterdam Hotel de L’ Europe. Though his designs are a presence at Hollywood awards shows, those clients dipped this year. However, he noticed an uptick in orders from China’s celebrities, such a Fan Bing Bing. 

Still, he embraced the challenges of working in this new environment. “I am used to restrictions in how I create, but this season there were even more restrictions, which was a challenge we welcomed,” said van der Kemp. With an approach he calls ‘Ethical Dada’, the designer explained that Couture is offering fantasy but also understanding the world we live in. “I am a firm believer in what is the role of couture for the future; it’s selling a dream made to last with a soul– not just a dress.”

Ready-To-Wear Crashes The Calendar

While typical RTW designers took a turn at Couture – namely Jones at Fendi, Area’s Beckett Fogg and Piotrek Panszczyk, and Olivier Theyskens’ who made a languidly beautiful Haute Couture start for his new role at Azzaro. One beloved designer, Alber Elbaz, returned to the fashion scene, an eagerly awaited event by his followers, with an RTW collection. Or as he is referring to them as ‘stories, not collections.’ Re-branded as AZ Factory and backed by Richemont, the Israeli-born Parisian designer introduced the new collection of available for purchase separates via an adorable video. In it, he broke down essential pieces women had asked him to create. For instance, a body-con dress made from a proprietary stretch fabric in XXS to XXXL complete with wet-suit style zipper pull; ‘Sneaky pumps’ aka pointy-toe sneakers; Couture-level all-weather microfiber technical nylon; streetwear ‘IN and OUT’ second-skin layering pieces to go from yoga to Zoom meeting in a flash and a line of silk pajama separates to be worn at home and outside. The designer also suggested dramatic new pearl and crystal jewelry reminiscent of the mood of his statement-making styles while at Lanvin.