More than 50 workers worked together for three months, and the error between the final product and the initial design should not exceed 5mm. So rigorous, only for a rare piece that can be handed down for a hundred years - this is the high-end customization from France.

Haute couture is an exclusive term. It originally refers to the high-end women's clothing store and the high-end handmade women's clothing designed and produced by the lady of the upper class society founded by designer Charles Frederick worth in the mid-19th century in Paris. In French, couture refers to sewing, embroidery and other handicrafts, Haute stands for the top. Haute couture is a name protected by law. It can be called haute couture only if it is recognized by La chambre syndicalede La couture.

To obtain the title of advanced customization, several conditions must be met:

1. Mainly made by hand.

2. The designer and brand are certified by the French High Fashion Association.

3. Employ at least 20 full-time employees; clothes must be tailor-made; there are two Paris press conferences in summer and winter, which are not counted in other countries.

4. No less than 65 sets of new models per season.

5. At least 45 times of internal new style display every year.

Different from the phenomenon that domestic people always call themselves fashion designers and senior designers, in France, high-end fashion, high-end fashion stores and high-end fashion designers are not self appointed, but are protected by law and recognized by the industry. Advanced customization can be divided into different categories according to the scale, such as moyenne Couture (medium customization) and petite Couture (small customization). Some haute couture brands launch semi Couture with luxurious craftsmanship, but this can't be named haute.

Dior high definition picture book, collected in the Museum of American Business School of fashion design

Strictly speaking, only a brand with 100% Parisian pedigree is a "membres haute couture". Brands that are listed with regular members but are not local to Paris can only get the title of "membres corrspondants". Of course, this part of the brand is also a full member, but the difference is regional. For example: Versace, Valentino, Giorgio Armani and other brands.

After World War II, the French economy has been weak. In order to save the rapidly declining high-end fashion industry in Paris, the Fashion Council launched the special invitation membership system. This system means that the special members who participate in the launch of haute couture show under the support of full members can apply for full membership if they participate in the launch for two consecutive years. For example, Jean Paul Gaultier became the first special member in 1997.

High quality customization was born out of the palace and was first served for the royal family. With the development of economy, the clients of advanced customization include business tycoons, celebrities and politicians, movie stars, etc. Due to the relatively fixed customer base, almost every regular customer has his own body model, and often adjust according to his body changes.

In any case, the number of advanced customization customers is far from the peak - from 20000 in 1943 to 15000 in 1960, 2000 in 1970, and 200 in 1990. However, since 2000, the number of advanced customization customers has increased to 1500, and the actual number of customers who purchase advanced customization is about 500 each year. This is because, although the European and North American economies have been declining, purchasing power in places such as the Middle East, South Africa and Russia is very strong. Therefore, Gaoding is also expanding its services to these areas.

Although the most important customers of advanced customization are the old VIP, they will not block the business for new customers. 

There are two ways to help you start your journey:

The first is the easiest way. As long as you log on to any official website of a highly customized brand, you can find contact information to contact relevant personnel, such as the address, telephone number, fax number and email address of salons haute couture. Or you need to leave your information and needs on a special form, and then someone will contact you to arrange a time and place for you to go to Gaoding salon. People in the advanced customization department will arrange English reception for you, and orders are usually placed in the salons haute couture, not the shops.

The second way is to turn to the physical stores of Gaoding brand. If you are a long-term customer of Chanel and Dior's high-end ready-made clothes, when you express interest in the high-level ordered uniform in their Chinese stores, the staff will also help you contact Paris, so that you can arrange your own trip to Paris.

Haute Couture designers like customers who appreciate and understand their designs. If you can talk to him about the advantages of each season's works, maybe he will give you a 15% discount. This unique service mode makes the relationship between famous customers and designers go beyond the scope of service and being served, and Huawei has become a close friend. Karl Lagerfeld said, "black and white is classic, but I can color my valued customers. "

Yiqing Yin  2013

The completion of a senior set of uniform should go through the following basic processes:

First of all, it is to arrange the tailor-made, choose the style of clothes, make modifications and communication; then, according to the customer's information, the craftsman will concentrate on cutting and sewing and other detailed processes; about three weeks later, you will be arranged to go to the workshop, and the tailor will first use the cloth to cut the roughly prototype of the garment on the special wooden platform. If you are a new customer, Paris studio will first customize a wooden platform for you; 3 to 6 Six months later, the first try-on will be carried out to complete the finishing work of the custom-made clothes. This time, various modifications will be made according to the customer's posture (the craftsman will carefully examine every detail, such as the softness of the cloth, the hem of the waistcoat, or the cutting of the neckline, etc.); then the first trial version is carried out. If the complex clothing must be tried on twice, the second trial fitting time must be ensured Another month should be separated; the products that do not need hand embroidery can be delivered after 1 to 2 months. If there are more complicated hand embroidery, different time will be required according to the complexity.

During this period, the production complexity of high-end customized clothing is unimaginable. Because all stitches and stitches are handmade by the masters, the production of a high-end custom-made dress and evening dress usually needs about 50 people to work together to complete by hand, and an ordinary high-definition dress generally takes 100 to 400 hours to complete. The precise three-dimensional cutting and exquisite handicraft make every sewing thread closely related to the theme. In Chanel, for example, there are seven of the most famous handicraft workshops behind the scenes for those luxurious details: desrues button shop, lemari é feather workshop, Michel hat making workshop, Lesage embroidery workshop, Massaro shoes shop, Goossens jewelry shop, Guillet flower shop.

Maurizio Galante  1993

Take Dior as an example. In the Christian Dior advanced customization studio at 30 Montaigne street, there are two studios making high-end products at the same time: atelier tailleur is good at coats, and atelier flou is good at making big skirts. The experts of these two studios have a meticulous division of labor, which will finally implement the designer's ideas for each season.

All the trials are in Paris. Because the production cycle is often too long, you'd better keep in shape during this period. The last try-on is at the time of delivery. If you really can't go to Paris at that time, you can pay the travel expenses of the relevant staff and tailors of the senior customized clothes department in Paris during the time period that can be coordinated by the senior customization Department of Paris, and let them go to the place you specify to do the final fitting and modification work. After all, people who can afford high-end clothes should have the taste of enjoying this kind of consumption.

Finally, it should be pointed out that the price of high-end customized clothing is not low. Generally, the price of a full-length dress is more than $100000. Sometimes, because of the special requirements of customers, the price can even exceed $1 million. However, the top-level customized clothing has a certain function of value preservation and value-added, which can also be sold in the auction house for the second time. For example, a work by Charles Frederick sold for $101500 at the William Doyle Gallery in May 2001, while a Chanel cocktail dress with beads in 1925 sold for 11000 pounds, several times the original price.

Givenchy  2002

List of advanced customized brands:

regular affiliated federations

Adeline André

Anne Valérie Hash

Atelier Gustavolins

Chanel

Christian Dior

Christophe Josse

Franck Sorbier

Givenchy

Jean Paul Gaultier

Maurizio Galante

Stéphane Rolland

Giambattista Valli

Overseas members

Azzedine Ala a

Elie Saab

Giorgio Armani

Valentino

Versace

Sir Jason Twist

Invited members

Alexis Mabille

Alexandre Vauthier

Bouchra Jarrar

Iris Van Herpen

Julien Fournié

Maxime Simoens

Yiqing Yin■