Time of crisis and change

With the development of the industrialization of society has become difficult to maintain the high quality of haute couture, which demanded many hours of manual work. Number of houses of haute couture with a hundred and six in 1946 fell to nineteen in 1970. Strict regulation has led to the export of products of high fashion has decreased, which contributed to the commercialization of the sale of rights and the development of license agreements. In 1954, Pierre Cardin created the first collection of prêt-à-porter, for which the department appeared in the fashion house in 1963. In 1966, Yves Saint Laurent opened Saint Laurent Rive Gauche - the first private boutique.

Social and cultural changes (underscore youth fashion instead of the previous focus on clothes for adult women) have led to the fact that fashion has become more uniform, and the haute couture industry has ceased to be the only legislator of international fashion. More profitable market of readymade garments became so attractive that houses high fashion began to create new affordable collections under their own brands.

The seventies and eighties were a time of crisis and the changes in high fashion, when the United States ceased to be the main market for the sale. In 1973, a syndicate of Paris haute couture has teamed up with the Federation of ready-to-wear and they formed the French fashion federation.

The new rise

A consortium of French luxury brands LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) has bought up many of the leading houses of haute couture. In the early eighties revived Christian Lacroix fashion house Jean Patou, where he was creative director from 1981 to 1987, and the Paris haute couture was again to determine the fashion industry, both in the fifties. Karl Lagerfeld has created a model for Chloé and revived the house Chanel, again using all recognizable parts - logos, chains, tweed jackets and so on, updating them for a younger audience.

The logo has become incredibly fashionable and decorated everything - from clothing to furniture. High fashion again began to wear and promote international celebrities and high-paid supermodel. In 1987, the owner of LVMH, Bernard Arnault has invested millions in a new fashion house Christian Lacroix, the opening of which had the same effect as the opening of the Christian Dior after the war.

In the nineties, LVMH bought Dior, Lacroix, Givenchy, Celine, Kenzo, who again become the leaders of the world of fashion, in which the lead time to grab fashion brands in Italy and Japan.

Create a collection for Parisian haute couture steel star designers. Claude Montana worked Jeanne Lanvin from 1990 to 1992, young and radical British John Galliano and Alexander McQueen created the design for Givenchy. In 1996, Galliano became the head of the fashion house Christian Dior, replacing Gianfranco Ferre.

The new millennium

Several fashion houses have retained their independence in the globalizing economy. House of Pierre Cardin, André Courrèges, Patou and Phillipe Venet ceased production of haute couture, and in 1996 left for eighteen fashion houses. In 2002 he resigned Yves Saint Laurent and closed his eponymous fashion house, but Jean-Paul Gaultier from a successful designer readymade garments became the creator of high fashion.

In the twenty-first century high fashion continues to exist - as a laboratory style, inspiration and guarantee the status of France as a trendsetter. And even if the actual collection of haute couture does not bring great benefits, fashion houses thrive on selling ready-to-wear, perfumes, accessories and the like.

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