So what Happens to those Haute Couture Creations?

[ultramarine]

I recently read somewhere here on the forums that the most an HC house wud sell its like 10% of the collection (was it Chanel) and they were elated they managed to get to sell that much

Does anyone has more data on it?

 

[LoraV]

I think designers today want to make simple clothes, cuz of the economy and people (Lacroix). We are in different and bad times right now and i think fashion industry suffers too. They are more focused on one collection and try to gave best to it, from materials to making the clothes. I really love houte couture and i love to watch creations, but now only celebs for special events or concerts wear those. But still they let us dream, as somebody above already wrote. I guess Valentino was the last one who really did true houte couture!

 

[EmmiCamille]

I'm very intrigued by the 30% discount for fitting into the runway sample. That could easily be at least 25k or more saved.
I now have a slight glimmer of hope for a Givenchy wedding gown someday.

 

[inwhiterooms]

I recently read somewhere here on the forums that the most an HC house wud sell its like 10% of the collection (was it Chanel) and they were elated they managed to get to sell that much

Does anyone has more data on it?

Wow that's such a small amount. But then again it makes sense, stylists usually just borrow everything and only very wealthy people actually buy the pieces for their own collections

 

[Marjon]

Wow that's such a small amount. But then again it makes sense, stylists usually just borrow everything and only very wealthy people actually buy the pieces for their own collections

Very very small amount. It's like a lost treasure

 

[Squizree]

Haute Couture pieces become stored after the shows I thought, and aren't given to anyone.

 

[TianSoFine]

Wow that's such a small amount. But then again it makes sense, stylists usually just borrow everything and only very wealthy people actually buy the pieces for their own collections

But if a piece brings in $100,000, it's still quite a bit. If you sell even 10 pieces, it's already $1,000,000, and pieces can be even more expensive than that. I read somewhere that extremely rich ladies sometimes single-handedly buy 10 pieces from one collection.

 

[WidowOfCulloden]

Well, just because most of the haute couture pieces are not wearable doesn't mean that people don't buy them. There are collectors all around the world that battle over these one of a kind masterpieces! I think that the pieces which don't get sold are very few.

 

[Squizree]

^ Um that's probably wrong. Chanel and Elie Saab, who probably make the most wearable Haute Couture, only sell something like 40% of their collection, in a good season. That figure isn't very accurate but I know it's definitely less than half.

 

[WidowOfCulloden]

^ I can't be 100% sure, so i don't insist on my opinion but if you're right, it's a true shame.

BTW, since Chanel was mentioned, i've read somewhere on the web that Chanel is burning the unsold products at the end of every season, as an attempt to reduce counterfeiters. It sounds silly, i know, but look it up. It's true.
Plus, H&M are destroying the leftovers too. Actually there was quite a buzz in New York in the beginning of the year about it.
So, i suppose most of the houses might do something similar?!

 

[Squizree]

^ Wow, that sounds pretty drastic. What a waste.

 

[chloehandbags]

the 30% discount that they mention in "The Secret World of HC" is only if you can fit into that dress the model wore, if not a new one is made from scratch.

Quite.

I'd have thought offering only a 30% discount, on what is essentially a worn designer sample(!), would be pretty fruitless, TBH?

After all, the main thing that differentiates HC from good R-T-W is that it's made-to-measure.

So, paying 70% of a huge price (a price that is, primarily, based on the item being made to fit one perfectly) seems very high?

Even if it did fit me, I think I'd want at least 70% off, not the other way around!

 

[EmmiCamille]

^ I can't be 100% sure, so i don't insist on my opinion but if you're right, it's a true shame.

BTW, since Chanel was mentioned, i've read somewhere on the web that Chanel is burning the unsold products at the end of every season, as an attempt to reduce counterfeiters. It sounds silly, i know, but look it up. It's true.
Plus, H&M are destroying the leftovers too. Actually there was quite a buzz in New York in the beginning of the year about it.
So, i suppose most of the houses might do something similar?!

If that's true than it's probably the unsold RTW sent back from the stores at the end of the season and not the couture.

 

[WidowOfCulloden]

^ Possibly. The article i read didn't make that clear.

 

[cygnenoir]

There's a woman in my town who buys couture.

She rarely/never wears it (she mostly wears stuff like J. Crew) and keeps her collection in a temperature controlled warehouse with her art collection. She has display cases in her home and switches them out periodically. She only started buying fairly recently and once told me that she would like to start buying vintage couture as well. I don't really know her at all but I love her.

I don't think she ever attends shows. I suppose she could buy the 30% off samples if she's not wearing them but if the samples have been worn/photographed a lot they get a bit rough.

 

[eternitygoddess]

Any chance you could ransack her closet?

 

[Squizree]

cygnenoir, you should ask if you could take a lot at them sometime.....and take photos and post them right here

 

[cygnenoir]

I know! I don't really know her but I've run into her at fashion events. As you can imagine, she's older and erm, not really in my social circle!

She is really nice. I asked if she ever wore any of her collection and she did say that every once in awhile she'll wear a gown to an event but then worries that she'll spill wine on it! So maybe she does buy to fit her? She is slim but I don't know if she's quite model sample size.

OH! I just thought of my new dream job: her couture curator! I know she and her husband have a few employees that just catalog their art collection. Hmmm.

 

[eternitygoddess]

Do ya know what designer she prefers?

 

[Dkammern]

your neighbor deserves a tFS thread of her own!!!
tell us more about her