Haute couture week: over 10 billion euros generated every year

It was another standing ovation for the Armani Privé collection, inspired by the 1930s in black, white and beige tones, which brightened up the salons of the Palais de Tokyo. Admired by Cate Blanchett and Eva Green, the 89-silhouette show was one of the key moments of the haute couture week held in Paris from June 24 to 27.

As a creative fashion laboratory, twice a year - and only in Paris - Haute Couture Fashion Week features the artisanal and technological achievements of fashion houses, as well as the latest innovations in materials and fabrication.

While French luxury fashion generates sales of around 150 billion euros and accounts for almost 2.5% of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), thanks mainly to major groups such as LVMH, Chanel, Kering and Hermès, it is more difficult to quantify the revenues of the haute couture segment.

But if you add up the sales of all the brands accredited by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM, an organization created in 1868 to promote the culture and excellence of French fashion worldwide), the total comes to over 30 billion euros. And yet, according to several estimates, haute couture's clientele numbers barely 5,000 worldwide, but its influence remains very powerful.

Haute-couture symbolizes strong craftsmanship: while it takes around 150 hours to make a couture suit or a simple dress, it takes around a thousand to create an haute-couture dress decorated with embroidery and various ornamental elements. Worldwide, there are very few dressmakers with the criteria and qualifications to work in haute couture: just over 2,000.

In Paris, historic sites opened their doors to these exceptional creations. For example: Armani Privé has chosen the Palais de Tokyo; Italian designer Maria Grazia Chiuri shows her Dior collections every year in the sumptuous setting of the Musée Rodin, while Chanel has been closely linked to the Grand Palais for almost 20 years (before it enters a major renovation phase in 2021).

Haute couture helps to reinforce Paris's image around the world, contributing to the city's economic health. The capital stands out from its competitors thanks to its legal monopoly on the "haute couture" label since 1945. According to a study by the Institut Français de La Mode, the week dedicated to haute couture generates some 10 billion in annual commercial transactions and 1.2 billion in indirect spin-offs, related to communications spending. 

This particular edition, considering the imminent arrival of the 2024 Olympic Games in the French capital, was exceptionally postponed by a week to allow sufficient time for preparations for the global sporting event. The famous fashion magazine Vogue took the opportunity to open the week with a giant fashion show on Place Vendôme, the "Vogue World" celebrating 100 years of fashion and sport, in which the top French designers and world celebrities were involved.