The Couture Club

The hush hush world of Paris Haute Couture is now opening its doors to the world, and the Middle East is making a strong entrance, with Dubai's very own Rami Al Ali leading the way.

As always, in the world of fashion, the year starts with Paris Couture Week, which takes place at the end of January annually. This event really is the pinnacle of fashion. Literally translated, 'haute couture' means 'high sewing' or 'high dressmaking'. In France, it is such a revered term that it's protected by the law.
To call yourself a haute couturier, you must fulfill the specifications of the Cham-bre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. This includes presenting a collection in Paris that has at least 35 looks, and is a mix of both day and evening wear. There are rig-id rules behind this world of handcrafted fashion, where clothes are made espe-cially for each person. It requires multiple fittings, and couture is not so much about clothes, as it is about an experience. The clothes on the ramp can cost as much as buying an apartment in one of Downtown Dubai's plush residential complexes. One of Dubai's best-loved couturiers, Rami Al Ali, explains, "Couture is an art form: a lot of creativity, special techniques, time and effort goes into a couture collection. It's a way of expressing all your inspiration and craftsmanship via designing and produc-ing a couture collection."
The hush hush world of haute couture is truly an exclusive club. And the women who are lucky enough to be part of it can experience fashion as its very best. As the legend-ary designer Yves Saint Laurent once said, "Haute couture consists of secrets whis-pered from generation to generation. If, in ready-to-wear, a garment is manufactured according to standard sizes, the haute couture garment adapts to any imperfection in order to eliminate it."
It's not surprising to hear that many women who are couture consumers come from the Middle East. The front row of Paris Couture Week is traditionally re-served for Europeans and a few rich Ameri-cans. These days, you also see women from China, India, Russia as well as the Middle East occupying those all-important front row seats. These are the ladies who have the spending power. Most fashion houses treat couture with reverence. For one, haute couture is not expected to make a return on investment. When Versace nearly went un-der in early 2004, all couture production stopped. They did make a comeback at the Paris Couture Week eight years later in 2012, and it was this return to couture that reaffirmed that Versace was, once again, one of the world's great fashion houses.
Several fashion houses, including Versace, Chanel and Valentino have seen couture sales grow in the last couple of years - and a large part of this is thanks to the Middle East's love for couture. Couture's importance in showcasing the creative power of a brand has also become stronger. So while it may not seem relevant to an everyday consumer, couture represents the apex of fashion.
French houses such as Stéphane Rol-land, Christian Dior and Givenchy are considered to be the real guardians of couture. Both Armani Prive and Atelier Versace only became members of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in the last decade. Joining them are foreign mem-bers: Elie Saab, and soon-to-be members China's Guo Pei and our own Rami Al Ali. Pei showed at an offsite for the first time, and Ali has been showing at Paris Couture Week for four years now.
Ali says, "Paris Couture Week was a natural organic progression for the brand towards more global reach and recogni-tion." Ali is already one of the most influen-tial designers in this region, having set up his fashion house in Dubai in 2000. With a celebrity client list that includes Beyonce, Ivana Trump and Sonam Kapoor, Ali is poised take the 'Made in Dubai' fashion story international. This city has always been known for its love of glamour and penchant for dressing up. Red carpet events are par for the course for Dubai's high soci-ety, so it's only natural that designers from this region are slowly becoming known for their creations.
Dubai's Michael Cinco may not have shown at Paris, but has dressed Jenni-fer Lopez, Naomi Campbell and Malaika Arora Khan. Accessory designer Nathalie Trad's handbags have been spotted on the red carpet at both the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards recently. As Ali points out, "I believe the designers here are extremely talented and have an exceptional eye for detail; we offer designs that haven't necessarily been seen before, and really venture into new red carpet moments. The region is a very glamorous place itself; the designers are very familiar with how to cater to the clientele here."
Couture is all about artisanal fashion, with beautiful beading, exquisite hand embroidery, feminine feathers, fine fabrics, fabulous fur, and other decadently divine details, all shown in theatrical style catwalk shows. It really is the stuff fashion girls' dreams are made of. Of course, the imag-ery from Paris Couture Week is something no other fashion event can compete with - so it is literally made for social media.
Ali has often spoken about how social media has helped make his fashion house into a power brand. With an Instagram fol-lowing of almost 140,000, he says, "Social media in this day and age is how you receive the most audience engagement. Social media allows me to converse with my cus-tomers and people who like my work. It allows me to see their opinions and take those into consideration for my next collection. Social media is also the fastest way to get publicity and spread word of my designs." The houses that produce the cou-ture need to have real savoir-faire.
The new international flavour has given Paris Couture Week a new energy. Couture influences have a very global feel. The Syrian-born Ali is very proud of his roots and his chosen home Dubai, and this shows in his designs. "One of our major DNA elements is blending Eastern and Western cultures. I always enjoy mixing the Western silhou-ette, volume and structure, with Eastern detailing, ornamentation and craftsmanship. And this season's theme was the per-fect canvas to practise such techniques."
Couture may still be a privileged world that seems far removed from the harsh realities on the ground. While principles of couture are sheltered in ideologies that belong to days gone by, it is still very rele-vant today, and perhaps even more so for this region. As Valentino Garavani himself said, "I love the 2000s because everyone started to love haute couture." And as this millennium progresses, fashion's love for couture seems to become stronger.
sujata@khaleejtimes.com  

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