High-end fashion lovers of sophistication and exclusivity know that haute couture means a fashion sense beyond the usual go-to fabric choice. Haute Couture designers create high-end fashion styles for fabrics that often serve as generational heirloom pieces.
Haute Couture is a general term encompassing high-end fashion houses and fashion designers making exclusive clothing fashions.
Haute Couture includes the clothing created, the designers, and fashion houses creating the fashion.
What are Haute Couture Fabrics?
Haute Couture is the French word for high-end sewing or high-class dressmaking, while Haute couture fabrics are fabrics used to create luxurious and exclusive fashions.
Haute couture also applies to fabrics and are heavily associated with custom-fitted clothes in many fashion capitals, from Paris and Milan to New York and London.
In addition, haute couture fabrics are expensive and high-quality and sewn using hands-on and time-intensive techniques. These fabrics are sewn with high precision and have exquisite finishes.
Haute Couture was originally used to qualify only French fashion because it symbolized luxury to the French. Over the years, it’s been used to qualify elegant, stylish, and unique clothes customized explicitly for high-status customers.
Haute couture fabrics are one of a kind, and everything about these fabrics is stylish. Many Haute couture designers and brands like Chanel, Dior and Valentino handle them like a dream to make beautiful creations.
The top-quality raw materials, delicate and precise patterns, and high levels of artistry that are involved in their production are unrivaled in the haute couture industry.
Items of haute couture clothing are sewn entirely by hand, customized for the wearer, and usually undergo more than one fitting before they are deemed ready to be presented to the customer.
Dresses from the haute couture industry typically cost big bucks because of the astronomical expense of making a single outfit.
How are Haute Couture Fabrics Produced?
Haute couture fabrics are produced with luxurious and most delicate fibers. The steps involved in haute couture fabric production include:
Obtaining raw materials from fabric sources is usually the first step for haute couture fabric production.
Some of these raw materials are from plants, animals, or are artificial. Silk material is obtained from harvesting silk worms and obtaining silk fibers. Quality cashmere is obtained from goats, while lace material is obtained from faux plants’ fibers.
The next step involves the production of yarns and threads from the raw materials obtained in the first step.
This production process involves spinning fibers, which in the past used to be done by hand, and today, it is produced using a spinning wheel.
After spinning the yarns and threads, they are woven with a loom to make fabrics.
Some knit or crochet with some types of fabrics, while other designers may use a needle, thread, and a pair of scissors for certain handmade items. For sequined fabrics, sequins are woven, hand stitched, or glued into the sequinned type of haute couture fabrics at regular intervals.
The fabric from the initial step typically contains several impurities that must be removed before any clothing designers can use it. A wide range of chemical products is often used for this purpose. After that, a mercerizing machine is used to color the fabric.
Haute Couture Fabric Types
Haute couture refers to the clothing design, its designers, and the style of fashion incorporated into it. The fabrics produced are for creating high-end fashion clothing and are mostly embellished versions of popular textiles like silk, wool, lace, linen, and the like.
Some of the types of fabrics usually seen in Haute Couture include:
- Heavily Sequined Fabrics
Sequined fabrics are haute couture fabrics that are among the most expensive textiles. These elegant and impressive fabrics catch light and sparkle beautifully, which is why they are used in making evening gowns.
- Exclusive Silk Fabrics
Silk dates far back, and this forever in-vogue fabric is loved by haute couture designers not only because of its glamorous feel but also because there’s a wide variety to select from.
Haute couture fabric types available include silk chiffon, silk satin, silk georgette, mulberry silk, and many others, allowing designers to create innovative fashion styles.
- Lace Embroidered Fabrics
Lace embroidered fabric is one haute couture fabric that’s luxurious, glamorous, and expensive—the fabric results from the skill, precision, time, and dedication it requires.
Certain exclusive laces are still handmade today. Exclusive lace fabrics include corded laces, luxurious Chantilly laces, and laces embroidered with floral appliques.
- Swarovski Embellished Fabrics
This haute couture fabric type is embroidered with gold standard tiny Swarovski crystals to add sparkle and luxury to the fabric.
These haute couture fabrics, like wedding dresses and evening gowns, are used on special occasions as they reflect light more than any other type of crystal embellished fabric.
- Metallic Fabrics
Gold and silver are fine metals that represent luxury. So, nothing screams wealth and status than these metallic colors applied to fabrics.
Gold or silver are applied on silk, lace, and tulle fabrics to create high-end designs for wealthy customers. These metallic fabrics have a unique specialty and brightness that gives you, the owner, the exact glamour you desire.
- Cashmere
Cashmere has a soft feel, is very light, and provides warmth. That’s why Haute couturiers adopt it in the production of winter wear.
It comes in different designs and blends to emanate luxury grandeur and is used to create luxury coats, suits, and jackets.
- Crepe Fabric
Crepe fabric is a highly stretchy material that allows for a lot of creativity in the design process and has a soft, luxurious feel.
Crepe fabric is primarily utilized in the realm of haute couture and various forms of adornment for clothing.
Its unusual light, textured appearance makes it particularly effective in draping, breezy clothing; therefore, it’s often combined with various fabric types and weaves.
What’s The Average Cost of Haute Couture Fabric Per Yard?
Haute couture fabrics are pretty much expensive because they are designed for high-end clients that prefer exquisite and glamorous clothing pieces. Exclusive silk fabrics, on average, cost around $80 to $100 per yard, while luxury cashmere can be obtained for an average cost of $1,500 per yard, although fabric types cost up to $2,400 per yard. Swarovski embellished fabrics cost $900 per yard, while lace embroidered fabrics cost $50 per yard on average.
Haute Couture Fabric Usage And Applications
Fashion designers use Haute couture fabrics in the fashion industry to create high-end pieces. Outlined below are haute couture fabrics and their uses.
- Luxury cashmere is lighter, softer, and more delicate than other wool. This natural and expensive textile is used to create coats, jackets, pants, scarves, and blankets.
- Sequined fabrics vary greatly and are majorly used in making dresses. Apart from making dresses, they produce jackets, skirts, and tops. Sequin tulle fabrics also make fashionable cover-ups.
- Lace embroidered fabrics are used to make bridal dresses and skirts with tops for festive occasions. Lace fabrics are also used in making exquisite and refined lingeries.
- Exclusive silk fabrics are natural fabrics used to create different fashion items because of their unique characteristics and feel. Silk fabric’s drapability makes it perfect for making dresses and evening gowns. It’s also used to make ties and fashionable scarves. Silk fabrics’ soft and luster feel makes it a good bed sheet fabric.
- Metallic silver, bronze, and gold fabrics were used as royal attire. Today, because of their luxurious appearance, they are used to make dresses, jackets, tops, and pants worn by high-end fashion lovers.
Haute Couture Fabric Care And Maintenance Tips
Haute couture fabrics are luxurious and should be cared for and maintained well to serve you well.
I’ll advise you to read on to learn some tips to care for your haute couture fabrics.
- You should know that each Haute fabric type is unique and different from another, so care for it accordingly and treat it with respect.
- Give haute couture fabrics to professional and competent couturiers to make your dream dress, evening gowns, and anything you want to make. Don’t give your fabrics to any dressmaker who hasn’t ever handled these expensive fabrics.
- Haute couture fabrics should be dry cleaned by professionals. You should avoid washing these delicate fabrics to prevent any form of permanent damage.
- You should store these high-end fabrics properly as this will lengthen their lifespan. Store them in a cool, dry, and spacious space to safeguard them from moisture, sunlight, and heat, which can damage these fabrics.