Haute Couture: The Enduring Art Form Defying Predictions of Demise

“Alexander McQueen: the Artist,” Alex Chevalkov for Fine Art Globe. (Courtesy: Alex Chevalkov).

Prophecies about the death of Haute Couture—fashion that has always strived to position itself as art—have regularly appeared in the media. The trend seems counterintuitive—as if the fashion writers are eager to lose their primary source of income and bury themselves along with fashion. However, each subsequent Fashion Week confidently shows that, at least for now, Haute Couture is here to stay. After all, it is high fashion that has always provided the most exciting and “sellable” content, as it allows designers to fully unleash their creativity without thinking about markets and trends. Fashion designers, usually engaged in creating for the mass market, can only create unique one-of-a-kind outfits in the Haute Couture sector, assembling collections based on the laws of art rather than business.

On the other hand, the cost of Haute Couture outfits from well-known designers and fashion houses can easily compete with the art market: often, these are hundreds of thousands of dollars per item. This market proved to be very stable, not significantly “slumping” even during the pandemic years. Each new season sees the fashion world increasingly reflect on the art scene, using its methods of working with visual material and the audience—the potential client. Recent Paris Haute Couture weeks have shown that the performance genre has maximal potential for bringing the fashion world closer to the art scene. Importantly, this trajectory is the choice that belongs specifically to the star designers of high fashion.

About a hundred years ago, the Paris Haute Couture syndicate established clear criteria for haute couture collections: creative design ideas as the basis for creating a costume or dress, at least 75% handmade, the highest quality of natural materials, and execution. All attention is on maintaining a high level and uniqueness of any high fashion item—dress, costume, accessory, or jewelry. A level that justifies the maximum price in the segment. Only a few fashion houses could realistically meet these criteria, and gradually these rules became non-mandatory.

“Latest by Balenciaga,” Alex Chevalkov for Fine Art Globe. (Courtesy: Alex Chevalkov).

The modern fashion scene has turned 360 degrees. Fashion criticism doesn’t write about this, but today, it is not the collection models (dresses, costumes, etc.) that are not the main subject of discussion and evaluation. The material culture of nonorthodox cuts, perfect fits, and high-quality seam finishes has finally yielded its leading positions to the very act of presentation and persona of the artist-couturier. The modern Haute Couture client is more convinced by the runway show’s fantastic cost than by exclusive handmade silks and lace. Myth has become more valuable than material reality. The practical demonstration of clothing items has completely transformed into a multi-layered performance that engages and surprises the viewer, forcibly “inscribing” the Brand logo into the viewer’s consciousness and subconscious.

Stars of this genre have emerged and continue to shine—starting with Alexander McQueen, who was the first to work in fashion as a conceptual artist. His 1999 runway show with robotic manipulators that painted white dresses right on the runway during the show has become iconic for subsequent generations of fashion designers. He drew inspiration from the methods of the contemporary art scene and theater.

Since the late ’60s, the intimate and chamber works of performance classics like Marina Abramović, Yoko Ono, and Vito Acconci have explored in real-time the limits of the human body, perception, and socio-cultural phenomena, provoking the audience into emotional and mental reactions. Later, artists have tried many times to expand the boundaries of the genre. Pina Bausch integrated performance with theater and contemporary dance.

And even though high-budget performances by Thom Browne, Alessandro Michele (formerly of Gucci, now at Valentino), Iris van Herpen, and Demna Gvasalia, Balenciaga’s creative director, are driven by different goals, they all take the genre of performance to a new level. Visual provocation of the audience brings good brand feedback by increasing sales of any branded product, even for those that have yet to appear on the runway or in advertising images.

Unlike in high fashion, modern performance, in its pure form, continues to be the artist’s free expression, not constrained by commercial tasks. The artist pays no heed to the client, thereby staying true to creative motivation and elevating the value of work beyond costs in dollars or bitcoins. Whether contemporary art is ready to maintain its purity and not seek synergy with other areas of visual culture—time will tell.