What is Haute Couture + How to get a job at Dior
plus the updated list of fashion jobs and internships
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What is Haute Couture?
Haute Couture is taking place in 3 days in Paris on January 23-26. Schiaparelli will open the event, and some other 30 Maisons will present their collections. So, I thought it would be interesting to share with you some key things to understand more about haute couture, how it works, and its purpose in fashion.
Twice a year in Paris, fashion has its most exclusive, expensive, and extraordinary moment: haute couture. You can think of couture as the highest of high fashion.
Let’s begin with the significance of this word. “Haute Couture” translates literally from French “high dressmaking”, which is basically the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing. Haute couture in fact means that all the pieces are constructed by hand from start to finish and they are made from high-quality fabrics and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable sewers. In the couture sales salons, you can find designs made to order, and clients are able to choose things such as the weight of the yarns used in garments according to where they live. Which, as you can probably say, is not possible in any other ready-to-wear collection in fashion where you just pick the clothes ready for you in stores.
Haute couture garments are made entirely by hand by the industry’s most skilled artisans and craftsmen and represent the best quality fashion money can buy. And yes, this comes at a price even though at that level, the price tag or budget is not even considered. Certain pieces are valued at upwards of $100,000.
Each outfit takes between two and three months of work. One Giambattista Valli couture gown can take approximately 240 hours and 6,000 meters of fabric to create.
You might not know that the term “Haute Couture” is legally protected and so it can only be used by brands approved by the French Ministry of Industry. So yep, you can’t wake up one day and decide to become an haute couture fashion brand, it doesn’t matter how amazing your dresses are or how luxurious the fabrics are.
So what are the rules to becoming part of this elite group of couturiers?
The fashion houses that are part of this elite group must adhere to strict rules decided by Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture which includes:
having an atelier in Paris that employs at least 20 technical workers
making custom garments for private clients with one or more fittings
using an atelier (workshop) that employs at least 15 full-time staff.
Haute Couture houses must present a collection of no less than 50 original designs — both day and evening garments — to the public every season during a fashion show in January and July.
Approved fashion houses can be supported in strategic, communication, marketing, and economic, technological, cultural, and even political possibilities.
Charles Frederick Worth (1825–1895), is widely considered the father of haute couture. Inside a salon couturiers presented their looks to clients live on models. Clients selected one model, specified colors and fabrics, and had a duplicate garment tailor-made.
Some of the first couture houses such as Balenciaga, Chanel, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent… still exist today, under the leadership of modern designers but custom clothing is no longer the main source of income. Haute Couture for these Maisons today is more about the image of the brand and the value and perception of it so that other luxury products such as shoes, bags but also perfumes, and licensing ventures earn greater returns for the company.
Every year Haute Couture exhibitions or events are held at some of the most famous and extravagant museums and exquisite locations across the world and the fashion capitals. You might remember the Fendi show at the Fontana di Trevi in Rome. So it’s not only about the clothes but also about creating beautiful and luxurious shows. For the latest Dior show, for example, the creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri commissioned the French textile artist Eva Jospin to cover the walls in landscape hand-embroideries. The wall embroideries measured 350 meters and took three months to create.
Typically haute couture shows end with bridal looks.
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What's happening in the industry this week?💚
Condé Nast Britain is leaving the historic Vogue House
Condé Nast Britain unveiled it will relocate from the historic Vogue House to the Adelphi Building in London sometime around January 2024, as the company is expanding. Yes, I was there in December!
Condé Nast Britain is home to famous fashion editors like Anna Wintour, and publications such as British Vogue, GQ, Wired, Tatler, and Condé Nast Traveler. It has been part of the Vogue House for more than 65 years, so this is a major moment in the fashion industry this week.
Milan Men’s Fashion Week: Jan 13-17, 2023
Like every year, Women's fashion week are preceded by the men's ones (although recently many brands have included men in the women's fashion shows). Some things to note about Milan Men’s FW? Gucci’s show on January 13 was the first one since Alessandro Michele’s departure. As the house hasn’t chosen a new creative director yet, the collection was designed by the company's in-house design team.
Among other highlights, it was Marco de Vincenzo’s debut menswear show for the house Etro.
Paris Fashion week men’s: Jan 17-22, 2023
Paris Fashion Week is still in on today. What to know about this season so far?
On January 19, Colm Dillane, the designer of the LVMH prize winner in 2021, KidSuper, co-created the Louis Vuitton A/W 2023 collection. Louis Vuitton has not announced yet who will be the late Virgil Abloh’s successor as the menswear artistic director, and it is actually the first time that a guest designer is working on a collection with the French luxury brand this way.
Among other highlights, the event marked the return of Yves Saint Laurent to the city after past shows in Marocco and Los Angeles. It was also Wales Bonner’s debut collection in Paris.
Vivienne Westwood’s foundation launched this week
The late designer has created the foundation, a non-profit company, back in 2019, and it launched this week with the goal to continue the legacy of her renowned activism. It is meant to continue Vivienne Westwood’s work under 4 pillars: control climate change, stop war, defend human rights and protest capitalism. The Foundation will be working with other NGOs and partners to raise awareness and work for a better society together.
Fashion Career Tip of the Week
Is Christian Dior on your list of dream companies to work at, but you think it's impossible to get in?
In our recent article, we explain how to get a job or an internship at Dior even if you don’t have any experience. You will learn about:
What are the different careers at Dior
Where you can find job opportunities and when is the best time to apply
What Dior recruiters expect from you in terms of experience and skills
How to prepare a stellar application to boost your chances of getting a job at a competitive luxury brand like Dior
Read the article here and get ready to apply and land your dream job at Dior.
Nice things 💖
Dior unveiled its pop-up ski shop in China, at the Lake Songhua Seibu Prince Hotel location in Jilin Province. It is made entirely of ice and replicates the flagship Dior store on 30 Avenue Montaigne in Paris.
What to listen to this week 🎙️
If you want to listen to a podcast episode about haute couture, here is a good one.
On the Glam Observer podcast, I share with you everything you need to know about haute couture in less than 10 minutes.
You can listen to it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Enjoy!
Fashion Profiles to follow this week
Gloria Bertuzzi, art and casting director
Colm Dillane, founder of KidSuper
Your Fashion Jobs Date 🔍
LONDON
Internships
Press Office Intern - Jimmy Choo
12-month Intern Opportunity - Buying - HUSH, Clapham
12-month Intern Opportunity – Garment Tech - HUSH, Clapham
Wholesale Intern - Womenswear - HUGO BOSS
Entry-level jobs
Visual Merchandising Assistant - UGG Deckers Brands
Systems and IT Assistant - Manolo Blahnik
Sourcing Assistant- Womenswear - Burberry
Assistant Merchandiser - River Island
Retail Operations Manager (12mth FTC) - Free People
Social Media Coordinator - Stella McCartney
NEW YORK
Internships
Sales And Marketing Intern - Badgley Mischka
2023 APPRENTICE - DESIGN - Coach
Alterations Intern - David's Bridal
Demand Planning Intern - Rimowa
Entry-level jobs
Fashion Design Assistant Capelli - New York
Coordinator - Social Media AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS
Stylist- PT- Bloomingdale's White Plains 6 AllSaints
Ecommerce Assistant - Retrofête
MILAN
Internships
Product Training Internship - Loro Piana
Global PR & Communication Intern - Bally
Digital Analytics Internship - Moncler
Assistant (Internship) - DOLCE&GABBANA
Leather Goods Design Assistant - Maison Alaïa
BOTTEGA VENETA WW Alternative Channel Merchandise Planning Intern
Entry-level jobs
Showroom Coordinator - Maternity Cover - Michael Kors
PARIS
Internships
DIOR Assistant Gestion de Collection Œuvres d’Art F/H - Stage
Stagiaire E-Retail - Balenciaga
BOTTEGA VENETA ASSISTANT(E) PRESSE | Kering
SAINT LAURENT Stagiaire Assistant Marketing Opérationnel
Assistant(e) Studio - The Frankie Shop
Operation Business Analyst Intern (F/M/D) - Vestiaire Collective
CELINE Stage - Assistant.e Développement Broderies H/F - Janvier 2023/ Février 2023
MAJE Assistant Achats - stage H/F
LOUIS VUITTON Assistant/Assistante Chef de projet Visuel Merchandising Uniformes
Entry-level jobs
Product Development Coordinator (part-time) - Ganni
Wholesale Assistant - Michael Kors
That’s all for this week.
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Giada Graziano, Inside Fashion Editor in Chief and Glam Observer Founder
Margarita Skacenko, Fashion Editorial Assistant
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