High fashion syndicate periods of development. Haute Couture or Paris Fashion Syndicate

In 1868 Charles Worth created the High Fashion Syndicate / Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne - an organization that united salons in which the highest circles of society dressed.

"To this decision Charles Worth, apparently, two reasons prompted: on the one hand, the desire to protect famous tailors from copying their models (since the Syndicate protects the copyrights of its members); on the other hand, to offer customers exclusive models that would distinguish them from ordinary bourgeois.

In the 19th century, fashion arose in the upper classes, who, with the help of new fashionable designs, emphasized their difference from the lower classes.

But since all class restrictions have been abolished in bourgeois society, the middle, and then the lower classes, can imitate the fashion of the elite. In an effort to designate their high social status, the upper classes again adopted new models - the masses again copied the fashion of the elite. And so endlessly.

At the end of the 19th century, the German sociologist Georg Simmel explained these mechanisms of emergence and functioning of fashion in the "elitist theory" of fashion (called "the concept of the effect of leakage").

Charles Worth felt the need of the highest circles of society for exclusive fashion .

The idea of ​​high fashion just provided this need. Charles Worth began to put his name on models (as an artist signs his works) - the name of a couturier gained value as a guarantee of high quality, and then as a sign of high social status. In essence, the licensing system, which actively developed in the second half of the 20th century, was based precisely on this label with the name of the tailor or the name of the studio, which other couturiers and tailors of the highest class in all countries began to sew on their models after Worth.

The haute couture syndicate (which still exists) resembles a medieval workshop: only members of this organization can be called couturier.

To join the Syndicate, you must meet certain requirements - to make models on an individual order and with the use of handwork (which, according to Worth, ensured the highest quality and exclusivity against the backdrop of the spread of sewing machines). Subsequently, new requirements were added: to hold regular fashion shows for clients and the press, twice show new seasonal collections every year.

Currently, a couturier can call himself someone who is a member of the Haute Couture Syndicate, owns a haute couture house in Paris and complies with the following requirements: shows new collections twice a year at Paris haute couture week, and also arranges shows for clients (now they are often replace videos).

In addition, in the manufacture of models, manual work should prevail (now up to 30% machine lines). In the early 1990s collections must include at least 75 models per year, at the end of the decade 50 models were enough.

The number of employees also changed - if at the beginning there were to be at least 20 employees and three permanent fashion models in the workshops, then in the late 1990s these requirements were relaxed - the High Fashion Syndicate was accepted Jean Paul Gaultier And Thierry Mugler who did not have even half the required number of workers.

Ermilova D.Yu., History of fashion houses, M., "Academy", 2003, p. 14.

The Englishman Charles Frederick Worth (1825-1895), having felt attracted to modeling quite early, studied this art for seven years in London at the textile industry.

But fame could only be achieved in Paris, so a 20-year-old young man, full of ambitious plans and with 117 francs in his pocket, appears in the capital of fashion.

After Charles Frederick Worth becomes "the personal tailor and supplier of Her Majesty's court" in France, Worth's outfits become dizzyingly expensive: for less than 1,600 francs, you could hardly get anything.

The number of orders also grew: Worth's model house produced five thousand suits a year! Among his customers were nine crowned persons. Since then, Charles Worth has been called the king of fashion designers and the fashion designer of kings.

Charles Worth is rightfully called the father of haute couture. It was he who laid down the tradition of high sewing: the model is created as a work of art and almost by hand.

Worth was the first couturier who, in addition to individual orders, began to develop small creative collections, copies of which could be ordered by his clients.

He was also a pioneer in organizing the shows of these collections, and his wife usually acted as a fashion model.

It was Worth who came up with the mannequin of the familiar form (a stylized human torso). On it, the master demonstrated models and on similar mannequins he pricked the scheme of what was planned. Such work - without patterns, directly on the fabric, which is then cut along the lines of tattoos - is still a distinctive feature of haute couture today.

Charles Worth was the first to begin, like a painter, to “sign” his models, i.e. sew on a ribbon with a name woven on it.

Every year he presented a new collection, which contributed to the rapid change of fashion and, consequently, increased the income of the master.

The strength of Worth's talent - his ability as a decorator - was most clearly manifested in ballrooms: a dress with a crinoline turned into a luxurious flower bed, the best flower of which was a woman.

In addition to the costume itself, Worth also designed all the accessories, right down to the gloves. The fame of the maestro was enormous. He sewed for nine royal courts, the richest people in Europe, famous actresses.

For his beloved client, Empress Eugenia, Worth sewed 150 dresses just for the celebrations on the occasion of the opening of the Suez Canal.

Charles Worth was the first to create seasonal collections, thus setting a certain rhythm for fashion and laying the foundations for its management system. The regular renewal of styles and silhouettes was a powerful sales force and suited the needs of the market economy.

In 1868, Worth opened the Chaumbre Syndical de la Couture Francaise (High Fashion Syndicate), an organization that brought together salons where representatives of the highest circles of society dressed. He felt the need of the elite for exclusive clothing that would distinguish them from ordinary bourgeois. The idea of ​​haute couture provided this need. In addition, it was necessary to protect famous tailors from copying their models. The organization protected the copyrights of its members.

The High Fashion Syndicate still exists today, and only members of this organization have every right to call themselves couturier

To get there, you need:

- open a fashion house in the capital of France

- show new collections twice a year at Paris Fashion Week

- arrange showings for clients

- in the manufacture of models, manual work should prevail (up to 30% of machine stitches maximum is allowed)

After the death of Charles Worth, his sons Jean Philippe and Gaston continued his business. They inherited their father's talent, which was demonstrated by the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900: the Worth company received world recognition there.

And on June 26, 2001, at an auction in New York, the court dress of 1888, created by the incomparable Worth, set a world record for the high cost: this masterpiece of fashionable art cost the new owner $ 101,500.

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High fashion owes its appearance to the English fashion designer Charles Frederick Worth, who in 1858 opened his House of Worth fashion house on the Rue de la Paix in Paris in 1858 and was the first to divide clothing collections by season. In 1868 Worth created Haute Couture Syndicate(French: Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne) is a Parisian organization uniting fashion houses that still exists. She united the salons in which the upper circles of society dressed into a single organization. High fashion is born Haute couture.

While working in a tailoring studio in one of the Parisian manufactories, Worth married a colleague - fashion model Marie Vernet. The hats and dresses Worth created for his wife began to be in demand among clients who asked for copies to be made for them. Finding a wealthy Swedish companion, Worth organized his own business, which soon found itself in the sphere of interests of the French Empress Eugenie, a well-known trendsetter of that era. Many aristocrats and famous women of that time became clients of the first Haute Couture House, including Princess Pauline von Metternich and actress Sarah Bernhardt. Clients came to Worth in Paris even from Boston and New York.

This decision of Charles Worth, apparently, was prompted by two reasons: on the one hand, the desire to protect famous tailors from copying their

models by ordinary tailors (since the Syndicate protects the copyrights of its members); on the other hand, to offer customers exclusive models that would distinguish them from ordinary bourgeois.

In the 19th century, fashion arose in the upper classes, who, with the help of new fashionable designs, emphasized their difference from the lower classes. But since all class restrictions have been abolished in bourgeois society, the middle, and then the lower classes, can imitate the fashion of the elite. striving

designate their high social status, the upper classes again adopted new models - the masses again copied the fashion of the elite. And so endlessly.

At the end of the 19th century, the German sociologist Georg Simmel explained these mechanisms for the emergence and functioning of fashion in an “elitist theory” of fashion (called the “leakage effect concept”).

Charles Worth felt the need of the highest circles of society for exclusive fashion. The idea of ​​high fashion just provided this need. Charles Worth began to put his name

on models (how the artist signs his works) - the name of the couturier gained value as a guarantee of high quality, and then as a sign of high social status. In essence, the licensing system, which actively developed in the second half of the 20th century, was based precisely on this label with the name of the tailor or the name of the studio, which other couturiers and tailors of the highest class in all countries began to sew on their models after Worth.

Worth is known as a trendsetter of new female fashionable forms, the elimination of unnecessary ruffles and frills. He offered his clients a huge range of fabrics and careful, pedantic fit. Instead of letting the client dictate the design, Worth was the first to organize the collections of clothes according to the seasons, he staged fashion shows four times a year. Clients chose models, which were then sewn from fabrics of their own choice and taking into account the size and features of the figure. Worth is considered a revolutionary in the clothing business. He was the first to see an artist in a tailor, and not just a craftsman, and assigned him the rank of "couturier".

Worth was the first to sign models with his own name and made it a rule to present a new collection every year. He is considered the inventor of the defile, and his wife is the first fashion model. It was Worth who came up with the mannequin of the familiar shape. He, before anyone else, began to replicate fashion - he sold models so that they could be copied. Consciously introduced into fashion those fabrics, the release of which he considered necessary. In other words, he really began to use the mechanism of the origin and spread of fashion.

An important attribute of fashion is to follow the new and present it as a value. The principle of novelty and fashionability depends not so much on the objective time of the creation of an object, but on the moment it enters the system of chosen values. Fashion items of clothing - as a rule, have direct analogues in the past. Losing novelty, in the eyes of others, the object becomes old-fashioned.

It is generally accepted that fashion is supported by two main aspirations. The first is imitation in order to adopt experience or good taste. The second is the pressure of the social system: fear of being outside of society, fear of isolation, etc. According to another classification, imitation in itself is a form of biological protection.

The fashion industry is supported by magazines, blogs, specialized trend agencies.

Fashion history

Cloth

Fashion in clothing is a change in the forms and patterns of clothing that occurs over relatively short periods of time. This word usage (to be dressed “in fashion”, fr. à la mode) dates back to the 17th century, when French court fashion became a model for all European countries. Fashion implies a combination of various elements: hairstyle, clothing elements, cut, color, accessories that take part in creating a fashionable image.

Fashion in clothes is associated with the visual approximation of the body to accepted ideals and patterns. For example, in China, Japan, and European costume, various types of deformation have been adopted. In Japan, the structure of the foot was changed for girls, limiting its growth - this was considered a sign of aristocracy. In Europe, the corset corrected the outlines of the entire body. Crinoline emphasized dignity and social position. In part, a large consumption of fabric for a train or dress was an indicator of belonging to one or another class.

The understanding and identification of gender significantly influences fashion. At a certain period in some countries (for example, in India) there was and there is a strict regulation on the use of certain types of clothing or the use of clothing of the opposite sex.

Fashion industry

The fashion industry is a sector of the economy that includes the production and marketing of goods (including services as a commodity), related sectors. Throughout history, clothing fashion has been dictated by different countries; at the moment, Paris is considered the most “fashionable” city (and, therefore, the country is France), but earlier Italy, Spain, and later England set the fashion. Often, primacy in matters of fashion was associated with political primacy (for example, Italy dictated fashion during the Renaissance, the heyday of city-states like Venice and Florence; from the 13th century, velvet and silk were made here). Fashion was paid attention by the French rulers, starting with Louis XIV and ending with Napoleon III; in France, as a result, textile production was highly developed, there were many skilled seamstresses.

Haute Couture Syndicate

While working in a sewing studio in one of the Parisian manufactories, Worth married a colleague - fashion model Marie Vernet. The hats and dresses Worth created for his wife began to be in demand among clients who asked for copies to be made for them. Finding a wealthy Swedish companion, Worth organized his own business, which soon found itself in the sphere of interests of the French Empress Eugenie, a well-known trendsetter of that era. Many aristocrats and famous women of that time became clients of the first Haute Couture House, including Princess Paulina von Metternich and actress Sarah Bernard. Clients came to Worth in Paris even from Boston and New York.

Worth is known as a trendsetter of new female fashionable forms, the elimination of unnecessary ruffles and frills. He offered his clients a huge range of fabrics and careful, pedantic fit. Instead of letting the client dictate the design, Worth was the first to organize the collections of clothes according to the seasons, he staged fashion shows four times a year. Clients chose models, which were then sewn from fabrics of their own choice and taking into account the size and features of the figure. Worth is considered a revolutionary in the clothing business. He was the first to see an artist in a tailor, and not just a craftsman, and assigned him the rank of "couturier".

Prerequisites for the creation of the Syndicate (from the word syndic - executive) - an organization that resembled a medieval craft corporation or workshop in its functions, were as follows: protecting the copyright of couturier from copying their models and creating collections of single exclusive models for clients who wanted to emphasize their individuality and high position in society. The title of "couturier" had the right to wear only a member of the Syndicate. To join this organization in the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries, fashion houses had to meet certain standards: to carry out individual tailoring of clothes with a significant part of hand seams, which, according to Charles Worth, guaranteed the uniqueness of the model and high quality (as opposed to machine-made seams).

In the second half of the 20th century, the Syndicate became a kind of trade union couturier (English) Russian, which determines the status of fashion designers (members of the Syndicate, correspondent members, as well as invited members who may eventually be accepted into the Syndicate), organizes fashion shows for haute couture houses (in January and July), maintains relations with the press and the sales network through around the world. To get a title haute couture houses, it is necessary to have the main production and boutiques in Paris in order to be legally included in the department of the French Department of Industry. The number of employees in the Fashion House must be at least 15. By the autumn-winter and spring-summer seasons, collections must be created twice a year: for each defile, 35 daily and the same number of evening models. In the manufacture of outfits, the use of manual labor is mandatory. The number of machine seams should not exceed 30%. In 2001, the rules for admission to the Syndicate were slightly simplified, which allowed such fashion designers as Jean-Paul Gaultier and Thierry Mugler to receive the title of couturier.

Fashion and the phenomenon of the new

One of the central aspects of fashion is the phenomenon of the new. The peculiarity of this principle is in the constant activation of the unfamiliar, unknown, still non-existent. And also - in the establishment of a new chronological principle associated with a consistent preference for the future - a principle that can probably be considered one of the markers of the New Age. In fact, the principle of the new, the expectation of the future and the priority of the still non-existent are the barrier where the separation of the actual and the traditional takes place. It is believed that in this case we can talk about the formation of two different types of culture. Fashion forms the principle of the formation of the new as a central one. The structure of fashion and the traditional system differ in the formal principle underlying them. In traditional culture, the new is designated as a phenomenon, but is not a defining value and occupies a peripheral position in relation to other components of culture. Fashion implies a chronological sequence, focused on the formation of constantly new. Thus, it violates the closed sequence of traditional culture. Unlike the traditional form, which is focused on the renewal and improvement of the old, fashion comes from the superiority of the new, forming the concept of novelty.

Georg Simmel and his concept of fashion

Fashion and value system

In addition to reproducing a commercial mechanism, fashion functions as an ideological system. It implies a sequence of establishing values ​​and ensures the recognition of certain forms and concepts as ideological dominants. One of the important directions in the study of fashion as a system comes from the assumption that fashion is a form of power, and power is the ability to set values. Many authors, including Barthes, Baudrillard, Foucault, Deleuze, identify fashion as an axiological form focused on a model of value formation.

see also

Notes

in related projects

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8. Claire B Shaeffer (2001). Couture sewing techniques "Originating in mid-19th-century Paris with the designs of an Englishman named Charles Frederick Worth, haute couture represents an archaic tradition of creating garments by hand with painstaking care and precision". Taunton Press, 2001
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