Haute Couture (high fashion) is the most magic side of fashion, being a synonym of beauty, elegance, custom made, details, handmade, extravagant, unique and multiple zeros.

Despite many luxury fashion houses having expensive – and in a certain way exclusive – prêt-à-porter (ready-to-wear) collections, haute couture is what makes a fashion enthusiast dream. Even if it is not the main source of income of a fashion house anymore, haute couture shows and pieces are important for marketing and brand establishment purposes.

But how was the evolution of haute couture until today?

It was born in Paris in 1858 with the establishment of Charles Worth’s house (an english couturier) who created pieces for specific clients and in 1868 was created the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture which qualified which houses could name themselves as a couture house.

Later, in 1945, were established strict requirements for getting haute couture status: designs had to be made-to-order for private clients, with one or more fittings, each atelier had to have at least 20 members of staff and couture houses had to present a collection of at least 35 runs with both daytime and evening wear to the Paris press. In the same year, the designation Haute Couture became a legally registered designation of origin.

Now known as Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, it still is the institution that establishes which are the haute couture houses.

Below are the 15 fashion houses who have the haute couture status:

• Chanel
• Maurizio Galante
• Alexis Mabille
• Alexandre Vauthier
• Frank Sorbier
• Christian Dior
• Jean Paul Gaultier
• Stéphane Rolland
• Givenchy
• Adeline André
• Giambattista Valli
• Maison Margiela
• Masion Rabih Kayrouz
• Schiaparelli
• Julien Fournié

There are also correspondent members:

• Fendi Couture
• Valentino
• Elie Saab
• Azzedine Alaïa
• Versace
• Viktor & Rolf
• Giorgio Armani

Plus, some guests:

• Aelis
• Antonio Grimaldi
• Azzaro
• Aganovich
• Zuhair Murad
• Xuan
• Yuima Nakazato
• Ronald van der Kemp
• Ulyana Sergeenko
• Ralph & Russo
• RR331
• Georges Hobeika
• Guo Pei
• Christophe Josse
• Iris Van Herpen