HAUTE COUTURE – FITZGABRIELS

CHANEL

Coco Chanel began to ply her trade as a milliner of note when she opened her hat boutique in Paris in 1910. She soon expanded to include ready-to-wear tailored coats and sporting pieces to ensure the fashionable ladies of Parisian society were appropriately attired for their various sporting and leisure pursuits. Her designs featured elegant yet defined silhouettes and luxurious but practical materials which quickly came to define her house style and remain iconic and distinct today. The Chanel house would continue to grow, offering all manner of luxury goods, leather goods, perfumes and, eventually, couture designs. The brand is widely regarded as one of the world’s pre-eminent high-end luxury fashion brands.

ALAÏA

When Tunisian-born designer, Azzedine Alaïa arrived in Paris in 1956 at the age of 21, he was already an experienced and accomplished seamster, having apprenticed for an acclaimed dressmaker in Tunis. He was a capable dressmaker who was accustomed to meeting the needs of the women of high society. He was often sought out by wealthy Tunisians and visiting French tourists alike. In Paris he first interned with Christian Dior before moving to Guy Laroche shortly thereafter. In 1964 he began to produce couture to his established client base under his own label, finally opening his own atelier in 1979, by which stage he had become the doyen of Parisian society. A student of female form, his designs would accentuate and flatter, elegant and understated and always with a nod to his Tunisian heritage and the traditional attire of his homeland. Today, Alaïa is a brand within the Richemont luxury brands stable and continues to show annual couture collections alongside an extensive women’s ready-to-wear range. Alaïa also produces beautiful ladies’ shoes, accessories, bags & handbags and occasional jewellery pieces.

MAX MARA

Few items of apparel are as iconic as Max Mara’s camel coat, a cashmere wrap coat that is, arguably, one of the most in-demand pieces of womenswear ever produced. It has been the mainstay of the Max Mara house, founded in 1951 as a Ready-to-Wear high fashion designer. Initially focussed on the Italian marker, the Reggio Emilia outfitters offer a full range of fashions, accessories, fragrances and jewellery to an international customer base. The label has also ventured into couture and has an acclaimed bridalwear range.

DIOR: A PRE-EMINENT COUTURE GRAND MAISON

Christian Dior’s eponymous fashion house has had a profound impact on the world of fashion and luxury goods since its foundation in 1946. The designer label has come to epitomise what is signature French style, both through the long association with high fashion and Couture as well as ready-to-wear and off-the-rack pieces.

LOUIS VUITTON: FROM ILLUSTRIOUS TRUNKMAKER TO GRAND FASHION HOUSE

Louis Vuitton Malletier, commonly known as Louis Vuitton or LV, is a French luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton. The label’s LV monogram appears on most of its products, ranging from luxury bags and leather goods to ready-to-wear, shoes, perfumes, watches, jewellery, accessories, sunglasses and books. Louis Vuitton is one of the world’s leading international fashion houses. It sells its products through standalone boutiques, lease departments in high-end departmental stores, and through the e-commerce section of its website.

GIVENCHY: THE MASTER COUTURE DESIGNER AND FASHION HOUSE

Givenchy is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1952 by Hubert de Givenchy. The brand is known for its elegant and sophisticated designs, as well as its high-quality craftsmanship. Givenchy produces a wide range of products, including clothing, handbags, accessories, fragrances, and cosmetics.

AKRIS: WHY DO THOSE IN THE KNOW FLOCK TO THIS SWISS COUTURIER THAT IS MORE THAN A CENTURY OLD?

Akris is a Swiss premium luxury womenswear brand that has been catering to high fashion clientele since the 1940s. The company, founded in 1922, began life as a textiles and apron manufacturing concern under the helm of founder Alice Kriemler-Schoch (with the brand’s name being an abbreviation of her own name), before slowly evolving into the haute couture powerhouse that it is recognised as today.