Haute Couture

Couture in the digital age: art beyond the algorithm

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Is couture becoming a prop for the digital spectacle?


What does haute couture in the digital age represent: craftsmanship, complexity, and technical innovation—or pure spectacle? In an era where we judge everything from our phones, how can we possibly appreciate the hundreds of hours of handwork, the weight of a bespoke silk gown, the architecture of a hidden seam?

Platforms like 1Granary have sparked debates by placing designers like Blazy and Anderson at the centre of a modern couture dilemma. Anderson’s silhouettes were elaborate, with floral decorations, built for impact—a showstopper perfectly engineered for the digital gaze. This, in turn, ignited debate over Blazy’s Chanel: was it true couture, or elevated ready-to-wear? Dubbed “boring” by some, his collection was a quiet manifesto for wearability, for the tactile, a dreamy escape. What scrolled past as a simple suit may have taken weeks just to weave the fabric.
This is the ocean between a post and a piece of art: one is designed for reaction, the other for reality.

Let’s be clear: couture is the highest form of fashion, and it is elitist by definition. It exists for the few who can afford it. It’s a matter of wealth, not representation. Yet, its audience is now global, watching through a screen. Even if they can’t afford it, they judge it.

So what does haute couture in the digital age, in the age of content, represent? Why do houses continue? Because Haute Couture is the ultimate engine of the dream. It is high-stakes marketing, an artistic flag planted to validate the entire brand’s luxury status. The shows themselves are rarely profitable, but they generate the priceless cultural capital that sells perfumes, lipsticks, and handbags. 

It’s a brilliant, necessary paradox: they craft the unattainable to move the mass-produced.

This brings us to the core tension: spectacle versus substance. When a gown goes viral, are we admiring art—or just consuming content? 
Has couture become a prop for the digital circus, where the “wow” factor must be instantly legible in a thumbnail?

Perhaps the most radical act in today’s couture is not extravagance, but integrity. It is the insistence on existing beyond the scroll—in three dimensions, in time, in the human hand. The greatest luxury it offers now may not be the price tag, but its physical, tangible truth in a world of filters and facades.

So, does it matter if it keeps the ateliers alive? Absolutely. But let’s look closer, beyond the spectacle. The real dream isn’t just the dress on the runway; it’s the persistence of craft in a disposable age. It’s the hand that sews, the eye that fits, the art that refuses to be flattened.

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Spring-Summer 2025 Haute Couture Week

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When lightness meets the weight of Arnault’s words on Trump


One eye on the Spring-Summer 2025 Haute Couture Week, the other on Bernard Arnault’s praise for Trump. A season meant to celebrate lightness—now weighed down by heavy words.

From Monday, 27 January, to Thursday, 30 January 2025 in Paris, the world of haute couture unveils its splendour. So, a grand display of craftsmanship and imagination—one that ultimately serves a more practical purpose: selling perfumes and cosmetics.

However, we took some time to watch a few video clips, though Arnault’s praise for Trump felt like a cold shower. Bernard Arnault, founder, chairman, and CEO of the LVMH group—a conglomerate that owns Dior, Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, Fendi, Moët & Chandon, and Veuve Clicquot—made headlines with his recent statement:

“I see optimism in the United States after Trump’s inauguration,” he said, contrasting it with France, where rising corporate taxes and growing unemployment are weighing on the economy.

Meanwhile, LVMH reported a 17% drop in net profit, reflecting a broader luxury slowdown. Arnault now looks to the U.S. as a potential bright spot, hoping it will offset weakening demand in China.

A few Spring-Summer 2025 Haute Couture Highlights


Schiaparelli: Ribbons, bustier gowns, body-hugging dresses, and dramatic special effects. Roseberry looks to couture’s past, to its relentless pursuit of perfection. An unapologetic maximalist, he pushes haute couture to its limits, exploring just how far it can go.

Chanel: A logo-shaped catwalk featuring the iconic double C—white and minimal—set the stage for a collection that exuded lightness. The Chanel woman is fresh and carefree, dressed in soft pastel hues enhanced by accents of purple and red. Now, let’s see what Blazy will bring to the table.

Dior: The concept of a bird-woman made Chiuri less boring than usual. Models walked against a floral, vividly coloured backdrop, wearing punkish feathered headpieces reminiscent of bird crests—symbols of freedom. Ruffles, sheer fabrics, and cage-like crinolines completed the vision. Chiuri, for once, was not entirely dull.

Other shows are taking place, with only a handful streamed live—such as Jean Paul Gaultier. Most follow the “film revealed later” formula, perhaps in an attempt to maintain a sense of exclusivity. Real or not, by the following day, social media will be awash with clips and images.

What kind of world are global leaders shaping?


While we keep an eye on the Spring-Summer 2025 Haute Couture Week as a source of inspiration, we can’t help but ask: what kind of world are people like Arnault shaping? According to him, should France and Europe follow Trump’s vision? Is that really their recipe for a meaningful future?

And what about LVMH’s sustainability commitments? With Trump withdrawing from climate agreements, will LVMH follow suit—or take a stand?

It’s all quite concerning.

Ultimately, what about the end customers? So, what about you? Are you willing to support brands that embrace this worldview?


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Couture: The Future of Fashion

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Crafting tomorrow’s wardrobe through quality, customization, and conscious production


On our journey to trace the future of fashion, Paris Haute Couture Week SS24 offers a chance to reinforce our viewpoint on the industry. What becomes evident is the link between couture and the sustainable paradigm needed to shape the industry’s trajectory.

SS24 Haute couture


Haute Couture for luxury houses serves as a mere reaffirmation of brand power. With an endless array of outfits, it appears evident that luxury brands – and the fashion industry as a whole – fall short of comprehending the essence of sustainability and adopting a long-term perspective.

This season, collections managed to break away from monotony. Gaultier by Simone Rocha impressively redefined the designer’s DNA, while Chanel exuded loveliness. The Gallianification of Margiela seemed finally completed. Beautiful, but no trace of Margiela anymore, if not for some tabi or the logo. Yet, it’s Pierpaolo Piccioli for Valentino, who earns the title of a true couturier, always impeccable in his superfine tailoring and magnificent creativity.

However, among the most elaborated and creative silhouettes typical of Haute Couture, more clean and perfectly tailored pieces completed the collections. Which translates into timeless, meaningful garments for everyday style. In fact, beyond the glamour, Haute Couture provides an opportunity to reflect on the future of fashion.

Couture & sustainable fashion


In its essence, couture means made-to-order garments of impeccable quality produced in limited quantities. Therefore, it inherently embodies sustainability. In this tailoring realm, quality takes precedence over quantity, focusing on the meticulous creation of timeless pieces that embody the ethos of minimalism.

Specifically, this sustainable essence of couture is a pattern that represents the future of fashion.

At its core, couture’s commitment to made-to-order garments, crafted with unparalleled quality, shatters the notion of disposable fashion. The bespoke nature of these creations allows for customization, fostering a connection between the wearer and the garment that transcends the fleeting trends of fashion.

Indeed, by opting for fewer pieces produced in limited quantities, artisanal production aligns with conscious consumption. It’s a departure from the relentless pursuit of newness. And a testament to the idea that true luxury lies in the careful curation of one’s wardrobe. Less but better.

As we trace the steps and missteps of fashion brands, one aspect becomes apparent. The future of fashion lies not in the mass production and fleeting trends but in the intentional creation of timeless pieces that endure beyond seasons. Couture serves as the vanguard and back to the past, revealing tomorrow’s wardrobe through quality, customization, and conscious production.
A blueprint for a fashion industry where sustainability and style seamlessly coexist.

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Haute Couture, The Diversity and Inclusion Debate

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Is Haute Couture evolving to embrace all voices?


Between tradition and modernity, the latest haute couture shows have sparked a debate on diversity and inclusion.

Haute couture shows were back with physical events, and the chit-chat was all about stars and starlets attending this or that one. Well, not just being present, but also walking down the catwalk.

Therefore, the lens pointed to celebrities and not to design or style. Perhaps it is a successful strategy in terms of sales but has no significance for us. Instead of making the show more appealing, it makes us lose interest. Though it demonstrates that you can be rich and famous, it doesn’t mean you have style.

Haute couture and modernity


According to Business of Fashion, diversity and inclusion were missed in Paris. Also, “couture codes are out of sync with the times.” “Big hats, corsets, and taffeta represent a snap back to the old days” – so they say. “The only house that featured progress was Balenciaga.”

Finding Balenciaga’s vision both unsettling and nonsensical, we choose to leave modernism to the authority of its so-called experts. While the world is already distressing enough, this very reality makes it all the more meaningful to work toward something more positive.

Haute couture: art made by skilled hands

Haute couture is about beauty, top quality and perfection in execution–art made by skilled hands. Indeed the show that mastered this concept at its best was Valentino on the steps of Piazza di Spagna in Rome. “The beginning” – back to where everything started for the brand. With his stunning designs and marvellous silhouettes, Pierpaolo Piccioli’s show was an ode to beauty, colours and mastery. Furthermore, his focus on diversity and inclusion is a political message: people coming together for a better future.

We adored the maxi gowns with flat shoes or kitten heels. However, experimenting with the future while acknowledging the past is where a truly contemporary vision resides.

Haute couture, diversity and inclusion


Of course, diversity and inclusion are valuable elements, but haute couture can not be inclusive. Though we may sound boring in repeating this concept, haute couture will not be less elitist because they include plus sizes or different races in the show.

Haute couture is elitist by definition. The price makes it not accessible.

The truth is that you buy haute couture only if you can afford it, if you have a lot of money. Really a lot. Not because you feel represented.

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Paris Couture Week

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Sadness takes it all


Boring was the fil rouge of the Paris Couture Week, to the point of taking a nap. With very few exceptions.

The negative sentiment prevailed. Paris for couture has always meant creativity at its peak. Maybe clothes you wouldn’t wear every day – or not even once in a lifetime. But couture was the dream, the beauty of creativity skillfully made.
This time, brands told a flat story of bland uniformity. In order to sell in a difficult moment, they’d rather lose idiosyncrasy. What made them special. The reason we recognise them.

Infused with the fear of losing share, or determined to transform themselves into economic giants, they trampled on their own heritage.

Highlights from the Paris Couture Week


The tedious
Dior: perhaps wearable, but now it looks like many others. In fact, we still see Red Valentino in there more than Dior’s heritage.

Chanel: the DNA seemed watered down.

Gaultier: we understand the collaborations, but where’s the Gaultier spirit?

A partial exception
Schiapparelli: designs weren’t all his ideas, but, at least, the collection was impactful.

The exception
Valentino: this is Couture. Italian creativity. Suzy Menkes wrote that Piccioli had a strong statement to make: women are not all the same. Yes, definitely. But even more, whatever the body shape he represented, women were dressed with elegance. And now that elegance is not in fashion anymore, that stood out most.

However, the idea of showing diverse body shapes in couture is interesting. Yet you may wonder if all those women who bought couture so far had the same silhouette of the models. Of course not! But they bought it anyway. You don’t buy couture if you feel represented, you buy it if you can afford it.

Because that’s what couture is: made to measure – made to order for very few lucky ones.

In the end, we understand this is not a good time for creativity, and lowering the bar is a way to reach the masses. But transforming brands into a blob deprived of any identity makes no sense.

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