Above Abraham Pelham Haute Couture, Paris, 1999 by Jean-Marie PĂ©rier and below Didier Grumbach, president of the Chambre Syndicale In 2011, only 11 couture houses remain in Paris. This is the smallest number since the founding of the French federation. Couture is fashion as art. It is an original work with a great investment of time and resources in order to express values of beauty. Because the fashion industry treats all the creations as commodities, it is also a product. The clients, from fourth generation Chanel wearers to Middle East nouveau riche, are just a tiny percentage of the world. Custom clothing will always be made, but the point of the French system is to raise the bar of the custom clothing to the highest standard, to encourage integrity of design and aesthetic value. Left original Chanel couture presentation and in 2010, below Chanel couture As impressive as the designs, the couture shows are also an enormous investment of time and re...