Since Charles Frederick Worth put his first stich to textile in 1858, the Haute Couture tradition has been the hallmark of the French fashion machine. Save for a few couturiers that call Italy home base, the balance of the houses that practice fashion at its highest levels can only be found in France. Make that Paris to be exact. In fact, it’s by French law that only fashion houses that meet some very stringent criteria can use the name “Haute Couture”, with location within the city limits of Paris proper being one of the main statutes of the practice.

However, many of the other practices of the Haute Couture are alive & well all over the world, including right here in our American back yard. There is a whole roster of companies that incorporate hand-made, custom, one-of-a-kind elements into their design process. Many of them have found that doing so has given them the competitive edge needed to thrive in today’s challenging marketplace. Not only are they finding commercial success, but they are also being celebrated by the industry & fashion flock alike.

Vivian Kelly, vintage fashion impresario & fashion writer, shares her thoughts on this subject:

“Good fashion by definition is a near mirror image reflection of the times in which we live or once lived. The Haute Couture has been the highly protected, ultimate expression of this reflection in the French tradition. However, there many aspects of the Haute Couture that can be borrowed to inspire the fashions found on runways around the world in a more broadly available marketplace. There are many designers here in the U.S. who are borrowing as such & providing a their fresh, far more accessible take on this ultimate expression of fashion tradition for their particular fashion audience.”

-Vivian Kelly @thefashionhistorian

Four such companies are highlighted below.

Thalé Blanc:

Los Angeles based designer Deborah Sawaf founded this luxury collection of handbags & sportswear that stand tall next to some of the heaviest hitting names in our industry. Deborah founded the Thalé Blanc collection after spending years learning her craft in the couture divisions of legendary European houses Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano & Valentino. She brought many of the same techniques employed by these iconic houses to her own collection that is sold exclusively in the US on the company website: www.thaleblanc.com. Her sportswear collection is made on an as ordered basis in Los Angeles to allow her to watch each piece as it is assembled to the specific measurements she took at the time of order. Additionally, the majority of her sales are done literally in her back yard in the veranda between her home & her studio which sits on her property. When you order from this fashion house, you are literally doing just that.

Rory Worby:

Rory Worby is an a textile artist that personally paints each of her designs onto fabric she pretreated, stretched & prepared by her own hand. Once painted, she steams, washes & finishes each textile using ancient, organic techniques to achieve the finish that meets her liking. Once finished, she works with her seamstress to create her scarves, kimonos, caftans & pillows, many of which are completed via handstitched needle & thread. The final pieces are then sold on her website, www.roryworby.com or in a select list of boutiques around the US. Many of her works are commissions made specifically for the client to their specific measurements, or are based on inspiration suggestions of the client, or to marry aesthetically with an ensemble for an occasion. “Like the muses of the ancient couture houses, many of Rory’s creations are inspired by the final wearer who then feels an integral connection to the overall process, making the garment all the more special,” says Vivian Kelly, a major fan of Rory’s work. Fashion Group International, one of the fashion industry’s premier professional support organizations, agrees as well… in December, Rory Worby was named the FGI Rising Star for Accessories.

EPPERSON:

Another Fashion Group International Rising Star winner, this time in the category of women’s sportswear, is EPPERSON. EPPERSON works in a variety of ways, both “up & down” the supply cycle. He builds his garments both “down” from his own pure creative vision when he makes pieces for his namesake collection as new & also “up” from found pieces that he customizes into one-of-a-kind “up-cycled” masterpieces. His up-cycled pieces have grown to define his overall collection in many ways, as his collections have an overall, hand-hewn quality where he utilizes patches, lattice detailing, raw edges & mixed fabrics to create his original runway pieces. When his one-of-a-kind up-cycled pieces are layered in the result can only be described as EPPERSON. The current selection of EPPERSON’s up-cycled, one-of-a-kind creations are on his company website: www.eppersonstudio.com

Remo Tulliani:

Finally, enter Remo Tulliani. Remo is passionate about belts in ways that are almost unnatural! He personally selects the leathers for his collection in Italy, save for a few from Horween leathers, America’s pre-eminent leather resource. He goes on to custom design the bulk of the hardware he plans to use. The “couture” magic, however, happens when he assembles his final creations together from the finest materials in the world. Remo himself assembles every belt from his raw materials. When you visit www.tulliani.com & select a belt (or sunglasses (made in Italy) or sock (100% recyclable)), your personal “couture” experience begins. First, Remo cuts your belt to size. He then assembles it, stitching every item one-by-one, before sending it to be packed. Each belt is rolled just so & placed in a black velvet logo emblazoned bag before being placed into a box that is fit like a glove to the exact size of the belt bag. Add in some tissue & a really novel branding piece & off the package goes. When the final customer gets the box, the unboxing is rivaled only by the experience of opening an Apple product. A Remo Tulliani accessory is an experience from creation to customer.

There are many lessons learned from the experience of the Haute Couture that can be found alive & well in the fashion business on the shores of America. Above are but a few, however, if you truly want to experience fashion that is not mass produced, but rather created in a purposeful, tradition-based, artistic expression of the designer his or herself, we encourage you to look at these four or any of the countless others that are defining a new tradition of fashion, wherever they may be creating. You won’t be disappointed & you’ll never shop off the rack the same way again. Trust us.