| FROM OUR EXPERIENCE |
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| HAUTE-COUTURE AND PRÊT-A-PORTER IN TRAINING |
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Definition:
• Prêt-a-porter = (adjective) referring to clothes; made for standard measurements and available in shops as stocks
• Haute couture = refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted fashions. In modern France, haute couture is a "protected name" that can be used only by firms that meet certain well-defined standards. Haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finish, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques.
In the middle of the 90's, in my hometown
of Galati, I was feeling "restrained"
by a paltry "prêt-a-porter"
offer of questionable origin. Passionate about
clothes, I couldn’t find the treasure in a
desert of Turkish clothing made out of poor
quality materials and badly tailored, Chinese
clothes that seemed to be especially tailored
to make you look even worse that mother-nature
had decided and other offers that, no matter
the price, weren’t convincing enough.
In an impulse of rebellion and creativity
I decided to create my own "haute couture"
scenario! Besides creating my own clothes
based on things I had seen in magazines with
self inspired adjustments (usually shortened
and tightened due to lack of fabric and a
need to make an effect on the potential viewer),
I also recruited a young dressmaker that,
although possessing moderate technical skills,
was always willing to listen and try and make
my fashion fantasies and experiments real.
We ended up mixing fabrics that shouldn’t
have gone together, making skirts of oriental
inspiration with satin housecoat fabrics and
wide belts made out of tapestry fabric. Coco
Channel would have turned in her grave but
we were in a custom pseudo-"haute-couture"
heaven of which nobody could have convinced
that it was profane!
Fast-forwarding a couple of years and changing
the work area to the prehistoric period of
Romanian training, their "prêt-a-porter"
looked a lot like the clothes on offer in
Galati. Not necessarily of Turkish or Chinese
origin but low in numbers and with very high
prices. I remember that in 2000 there were
just a few licensed products on the market,
ones that had been tested on a large scale.
Trainings based on solid and practical instruments
were something of a rarity those days and
most of the industry read books, the easiest
source for inspiration.
This is how pseudo-"haute-couture"
was born. In other words, a disgruntled client,
eager for personalized experiments, a trainer
of adequate competence and most of all willing
to try and substantiate every fantasy.
Time has passed and, as in fashion, "prêt-a-porter"
in training has developed and is accessible
on a large scale, tested and patented, with
options for customizing and a price tag that,
unlike the one for clothes, still has a discount
in Romania.
In this context a dilemma seems to have appeared:
perhaps I understand "prêt-a-porter"
better than I did at first but there is a
huge confusion when it comes to "haute-couture"!
What do custom product offers mean right now?
Why is "haute-couture" selling at
a lower price than "prêt-a-porter"?
Why do I see lower quality materials used
in "haute-couture" as opposed to
the ones used in "prêt-a-porter"?
And why do people still offer me "haute-couture"
at different prices and terms?
The answer is as simple as it is unsettling
for the realities of today’s market: what
is being sold today as "pręt-a-porter"
in training can be compared with the Adidas
and Adibas collection at the same price. One
is licensed the other is based on books. What
is being sold today as "haute-couture"
is a custom creation between the Armani House
and my dressmaker in Galati. One is in accordance
with the definition and the other is a night
gown from housecoat fabrics.
I think that we should learn to buy trainings
the same way (some of us) learned to buy clothes.
I now know why H&M is truly "pręt-a-porter"
and why, if I want an "haute-couture"
wedding dress I won’t go to my dressmaker
in Galati.
Alexandra Georgescu
Trainer
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Human Invest is a Premier League company in the arena of training and
organizational development consultancy services, present on the Romanian market since 1998.
We are recognized for conceiving and implementing programs which offer managers an authentic experience towards improving their leadership
performances, and thus we support companies in becoming more and more engaged in delivering excellent services for their clients.
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