Haute Couture: A Sustainable Approach?
2/11/13
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Haute Couture: A Sustainable Approach?
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30.01.13 Fashion We explore its similarities with ethical fashion Haute Couture is the tour de force of the luxury fashion industry. With a focus on skilled craftsmanship, the finest materials and impeccable design, Haute Couture is a labour of love. Behind every beaded bodice and every hand stitched embellishment on the haute couture catwalks this season is a dedicated team who have worked ridiculously long hours to bring the designers’ visions to life. These seamstresses, or petites mains as they are lovingly referred to in France, have spent an intensive few weeks applying painstaking attention to detail, making sure that no bead is left unstitched. Their skills have been honed through years of practise; some of them have worked behind the scenes of haute couture for decades. Their craft – embroidery – is technical artistry, a traditional approach which the couturiers are fiercely devoted to preserving.
Haute Couture: A Sustainable Approach?
30.01.13
Berlin Fashion Week
21.01.13
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Last Chance To See ‐ 'Everything Was Moving'
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Tim Walker, Story Teller
Twitter RT @francasozzani: #EditorsBlog: Fashion & News http://t.co/v0KRW3Ow @AlexanderWangNY #london #education #respect #ethic @liviafirth ... 3 hours ago Twitter RT @WilliamVintage: “@eco_age: Helen McCrory in @WilliamVintage for #GCC2013 makes the Telegraph's hit list http://t.co/Vh39ypHT @liviaf ... 3 hours ago Twitter Read carefully + help us support! It is shocking + need to say "NOT in our names!" http://t.co/NYDfIaJ7 4 hours ago Twitter Helen McCrory in @WilliamVintage for #GCC2013 makes the Telegraph's hit list http://t.co/hSbcb2RZ @liviafirth #EEBaftas 14 hours ago
07.01.13
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Eco Age - Haute Couture: A Sustainable Approach?
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Haute Couture on the Paris Runway 2013 (clockwise from top left: Dior, Armani, Dior, Armani) A world away from the Parisian ateliers which host the petites mains, Madagascan artisans employed by ethical brand Mar Y Sol are using traditional techniques to make hats and bags for the label’s latest collection. Most are women, and the nurturing of their skills has helped them lift themselves and their families out of a life of poverty. It is an approach which provides job security and the hope of a better future to many disadvantaged communities across the developing world. While the similarities between couture and the innovative ethical fashion industry might not be immediately obvious, they certainly are there. The working practices of haute couture houses and ethical fashion designers bear interesting parallels – both are dedicated to preserving and nurturing traditional techniques and both share a vision to create something unique. Just as the ateliers strive to protect embroidery and the other crafts integral to couture fashion, ethical fashion designers have favoured traditional techniques. Often they work side by side with artisans in their native country, preserving their craft and thus creating a sustainable industry, through fashion, in some of the world’s most impoverished areas.
Haute couture from Dolce & Gabbana The label of ‘haute couture’ is not one that is awarded lightly in France. The term is protected by law – only fashion houses who meet specific criteria can adopt it. Showing twice a year in Paris, employing at least 15 full‐ time members of staff and running an atelier are the key stipulations. It is a matter that is taken very seriously, much like the many requirements in place which determine a fashion brand’s ethical status. There is a shared desire to use only the highest quality materials, to maintain the highest standards of working conditions and to,
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2/11/13
Eco Age - Haute Couture: A Sustainable Approach? ultimately, create a bespoke and beautiful product. Just as ethical fashion faces the challenge of converting a customer base addicted to fast fashion, so too are the traditional couture techniques at risk of being forgotten; replaced by easier manufacturing processes. The need to protect and nurture embroidery inspired the late Francois Lesage, master of Paris’ oldest embroidery atelier, to open a school there in 1992. Students travel from all over the world to learn the craft at the Ecole Lesage, and similar courses are taught at establishments across the globe, including London’s Central Saint Martins. But for Lesage, who passed away last year, preserving couture was not simply about sticking to ancient techniques; it was about moving with the times, and eventually merging with mainstream, ready‐to‐wear fashion. Such an overlap has been seen to occur between couture and ethical fashion, exemplified by Green Carpet Challenge events such as The Green Cut, which celebrated fashion’s importance in the film industry. Imaginative, high end design combined with ethically sourced materials to produce bespoke dresses by prominent fashion designers including Tom Ford and Stella McCartney. Each dress was a unique and beautiful interpretation of a classic British film, created entirely from sustainable materials. Ethical couture in practice, if you will.
One of the talented seamstresses from Dolce & Gabbana This approach is common for ethical fashion designers. Atelier Tammam, established in London in 2007, epitomises ethically produced couture. Creating bespoke bridal and evening wear, they use only natural, organic materials and operate under completely Fairtrade conditions. For founder Lucy Tammam, the traditional skills of the couturier pair perfectly with the technical abilities of seamstresses and embroiderers in India and Nepal. As such, Atelier Tammam’s combination of high end design and ethical production has helped talented individuals build futures for themselves and their families. Another example is Paris‐based designer Bruno Pieters, founder of Honest By., who was disappointed by the compromise on aesthetics that some ethical brands have adopted. Instead, Honest By. presents a fusion between sustainable production and high end fashion design. Pieters values quality and aesthetics as highly as brand transparency. Honest By. embodies the space between luxury and fast fashion, where independent brands are challenging the norms by combining a forward thinking, ethical approach with the traditional, often best, artisanal techniques. As couture fashion week drew to a close on Wednesday these similarities are worth considering. It is easy to remember fashion’s failures with regard to sustainability, but the only way these mistakes can be rectified is to look at the ways in which mainstream fashion is working towards an ethical future.
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Eco Age - Haute Couture: A Sustainable Approach? HOME
GREEN CARPET CHALLENGE
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Find
Cart [ 0 ] Total: £0.00
Stories
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Nadia Henderson Contributor and freelance writer
Haute Couture: A Sustainable Approach?
Latest stories
30.01.13 Fashion We explore its similarities with ethical fashion Haute Couture is the tour de force of the luxury fashion industry. With a focus on skilled craftsmanship, the finest materials and impeccable design, Haute Couture is a labour of love. Behind every beaded bodice and every hand stitched embellishment on the haute couture catwalks this season is a dedicated team who have worked ridiculously long hours to bring the designers’ visions to life. These seamstresses, or petites mains as they are lovingly referred to in France, have spent an intensive few weeks applying painstaking attention to detail, making sure that no bead is left unstitched. Their skills have been honed through years of practise; some of them have worked behind the scenes of haute couture for decades. Their craft – embroidery – is technical artistry, a traditional approach which the couturiers are fiercely devoted to preserving.
Haute Couture: A Sustainable Approach?
30.01.13
Berlin Fashion Week
21.01.13
Aduna: Feel Vibrant, Feel Good
14.01.13
Last Chance To See ‐ 'Everything Was Moving'
10.01.13
Tim Walker, Story Teller
Twitter RT @francasozzani: #EditorsBlog: Fashion & News http://t.co/v0KRW3Ow @AlexanderWangNY #london #education #respect #ethic @liviafirth ... 3 hours ago Twitter RT @WilliamVintage: “@eco_age: Helen McCrory in @WilliamVintage for #GCC2013 makes the Telegraph's hit list http://t.co/Vh39ypHT @liviaf ... 3 hours ago Twitter Read carefully + help us support! It is shocking + need to say "NOT in our names!" http://t.co/NYDfIaJ7 4 hours ago Twitter Helen McCrory in @WilliamVintage for #GCC2013 makes the Telegraph's hit list http://t.co/hSbcb2RZ @liviafirth #EEBaftas 14 hours ago
07.01.13
Most viewed
Contributors
The FruGal Challenge 2013 22.01.13 The Fru‐Gal Challenge 2
www.eco-age.com/item/4668-Haute_Couture%3A_A_Sustainable_Approach%3F_
Fashion
1/3
2/11/13
Eco Age - Haute Couture: A Sustainable Approach?
Berlin Fashion Week
CATEGORIES
ARCHIVE
21.01.13 All Fashion
Nadia Henderson
Fashion
Beauty Life & Style Culture Competitions Travel Fru‐Gal Challenge
Haute Couture on the Paris Runway 2013 (clockwise from top left: Dior, Armani, Dior, Armani) A world away from the Parisian ateliers which host the petites mains, Madagascan artisans employed by ethical brand Mar Y Sol are using traditional techniques to make hats and bags for the label’s latest collection. Most are women, and the nurturing of their skills has helped them lift themselves and their families out of a life of poverty. It is an approach which provides job security and the hope of a better future to many disadvantaged communities across the developing world. While the similarities between couture and the innovative ethical fashion industry might not be immediately obvious, they certainly are there. The working practices of haute couture houses and ethical fashion designers bear interesting parallels – both are dedicated to preserving and nurturing traditional techniques and both share a vision to create something unique. Just as the ateliers strive to protect embroidery and the other crafts integral to couture fashion, ethical fashion designers have favoured traditional techniques. Often they work side by side with artisans in their native country, preserving their craft and thus creating a sustainable industry, through fashion, in some of the world’s most impoverished areas.
Haute couture from Dolce & Gabbana The label of ‘haute couture’ is not one that is awarded lightly in France. The term is protected by law – only fashion houses who meet specific criteria can adopt it. Showing twice a year in Paris, employing at least 15 full‐ time members of staff and running an atelier are the key stipulations. It is a matter that is taken very seriously, much like the many requirements in place which determine a fashion brand’s ethical status. There is a shared desire to use only the highest quality materials, to maintain the highest standards of working conditions and to,
www.eco-age.com/item/4668-Haute_Couture%3A_A_Sustainable_Approach%3F_
2/3
2/11/13
Eco Age - Haute Couture: A Sustainable Approach? ultimately, create a bespoke and beautiful product. Just as ethical fashion faces the challenge of converting a customer base addicted to fast fashion, so too are the traditional couture techniques at risk of being forgotten; replaced by easier manufacturing processes. The need to protect and nurture embroidery inspired the late Francois Lesage, master of Paris’ oldest embroidery atelier, to open a school there in 1992. Students travel from all over the world to learn the craft at the Ecole Lesage, and similar courses are taught at establishments across the globe, including London’s Central Saint Martins. But for Lesage, who passed away last year, preserving couture was not simply about sticking to ancient techniques; it was about moving with the times, and eventually merging with mainstream, ready‐to‐wear fashion. Such an overlap has been seen to occur between couture and ethical fashion, exemplified by Green Carpet Challenge events such as The Green Cut, which celebrated fashion’s importance in the film industry. Imaginative, high end design combined with ethically sourced materials to produce bespoke dresses by prominent fashion designers including Tom Ford and Stella McCartney. Each dress was a unique and beautiful interpretation of a classic British film, created entirely from sustainable materials. Ethical couture in practice, if you will.
One of the talented seamstresses from Dolce & Gabbana This approach is common for ethical fashion designers. Atelier Tammam, established in London in 2007, epitomises ethically produced couture. Creating bespoke bridal and evening wear, they use only natural, organic materials and operate under completely Fairtrade conditions. For founder Lucy Tammam, the traditional skills of the couturier pair perfectly with the technical abilities of seamstresses and embroiderers in India and Nepal. As such, Atelier Tammam’s combination of high end design and ethical production has helped talented individuals build futures for themselves and their families. Another example is Paris‐based designer Bruno Pieters, founder of Honest By., who was disappointed by the compromise on aesthetics that some ethical brands have adopted. Instead, Honest By. presents a fusion between sustainable production and high end fashion design. Pieters values quality and aesthetics as highly as brand transparency. Honest By. embodies the space between luxury and fast fashion, where independent brands are challenging the norms by combining a forward thinking, ethical approach with the traditional, often best, artisanal techniques. As couture fashion week drew to a close on Wednesday these similarities are worth considering. It is easy to remember fashion’s failures with regard to sustainability, but the only way these mistakes can be rectified is to look at the ways in which mainstream fashion is working towards an ethical future.
Comments No comment yet, be the first! Login or Sign up to add a comment. Tweet
13
Home EcoAge Green Carpet Challenge EcoDiary Shop Press Contacts
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Submit
©2011 Eco Age® All rights reserved | Eco Age Ltd 213 Chiswick High Road Chiswick London W4 2DW | Privacy Registered in England: 5855157. Registered Office: 10 Orange St London WC2H 7DQ. VAT Number: 917 1422 42.
www.eco-age.com/item/4668-Haute_Couture%3A_A_Sustainable_Approach%3F_
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