Is Valentino Redefining Couture?

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Discrimination in the fashion industry is no hidden secret. From size to age to skin color- the industry tailors clothing and jobs to the youngest, tallest, skinniest, whitest women and models. One corner of the industry that is particularly targeted towards size 0 women is couture. 

For something to be couture, it must be high-end hand-crafted custom-fitted, and very exclusive. For it to be Haute couture, well that is a little bit more specific because “Haute” couture is regulated by the government and fashion houses must meet very specific guidelines, like having a Paris-based atelier with at least fifteen full-time staff members. 

Couture clothing is made-to-order for high-profile clients. Everything from the designs to the stitching is all done by hand which means couture pieces take a very long time to make. The two most common places you will see couture pieces are the red carpet and the runway. The Golden Globes, Oscars, and Emmys are couture central. Designers make pieces specifically tailored to the measurements of red carpet goers because they know the pieces will be the center of discussion for weeks to come, bringing more attention and business to their labels. The other place where couture can be located is, of course, on the motherfucking runway. 

Most often when you watch big fashion houses produce couture runway shows, you see the most elegant, yet outlandish, sumptuous pieces…being worn by a 5’10 size 0 Kendall Jenner. Many fashion designers use a house model or specific measurements to make their pieces, and historically these models and measurements are not an accurate representation of the average woman. This means that couture is made for a very specific type of person, but could this soon be changing? 

Let us all take a moment to admire the work of Pierpaolo Piccioli, the creative director of Valentino. The fashion house recently released its Spring 2022 Couture Collection and we have some thoughts. As you watch the array of models gliding down the runway, something is different: could it be… diversity? The dynamic and sensational clothes were made for different size bodies of various ages and proportions, not only breaking the skinny stigma but also changing the signature designs of the Valentino label. 

When couture clothing is designed using a signature silhouette in mind, scaling up or down for clients can be a Hit or a Bitch. The pieces were designed to accentuate specific bodies and these designs do not always adapt well to all body types. Piccioli used ten house models (instead of the standard one) to create a line that highlights the beauty of various body types. 

“We got to create new silhouettes,” said the designer. In doing this, the traditional regal look of Valentino designs changed to be more glamorous, sexier. 

Haute couture pays homage to the ways of the past, to tradition. Couture is already created for such a niche group of people when it comes to cost; to adapt designs and change with society is to create a more diverse and inclusive industry. Designers create clothing that sets the tone of the coming seasons. Many trends are pulled from the looks of Haute lines. When designers use an assortment of models, designs will change because what compliments one body will not always complement another, which means trends will also change. The diversification of couture means expanding the fashion industry and changing what we have always known.