The reasons why haute couture for men is thriving today

Customers declare they are lured to the occasion, originality, and craftsmanship that haute couture can give one through style.

A plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills - Dr. Gabriel Chiu - is also a celebrity on the Netflix reality show - “Bling Empire.” He attended a Chanel couture exhibition in Paris with his wife and one particular coat on the show captured his attention. When he asked about this coat, he was told that only the show model was available and that other sizes will not be produced. In 2016, a year after attending his first Dolce & Gabbana men’s show, Chiu risque and requested a three-piece suit in ivory Mikado silk with rose cutouts. It was at this point that he began to think more seriously about couture fashion.

Just last year, haute couture for men started to grow even more. Valentino introduced couture looks for men in its most recent spring collection, and Balenciaga presented high fashion for men after a 53-year absence in Paris. Luckily, couture for men got huge popularity during the recent Super Bowl half-time show. In 2021, The Weeknd stepped out in an outfit made by Givenchy, and it was a pièce de résistance: the red jacket that took 250 hours to hand-embroider. Some say that Givenchy’s Matthew Williams - the new creative director - plans to make high fashions for men once the house rejoins fashion week in Paris.

But what is it with the fascination with expensive clothing? According to a professor of fashion at Westminster, Andrew Groves, the growth of couture for men mirrors a development of luxury experiential fashion. And it grows very fast. However, automation - although very valuable today - can't replace the handcraft of creating clothes. Also, it's about the intimacy between the fashion designer and their customer. In the last century, the most famous creators have been typically richer than their customers, but today, you can experience an era where the client is richer. So, the fashion creator's position is returned to an ancient role, one of a servant of the king at a court, in medieval times. Sure, it's just an analogy but you get it.

Fashion houses protect customer confidentiality and they also don't give you prices. Nevertheless, men’s high fashion articles begin at around 20,000 euros and climax at six figures. Nowadays, the famous Jean Paul Gaultier is thought to be the pioneer of male high fashion items. He created plenty of looks for men since his first show in 1997, so he might as well be called a pioneer. In January 2020, he had his final runway show with the muse Tanel Bedrossiantz wearing theatrical coats with a bouquet of cock feathers and not only the feathers but the whole bird on her shoulders.

There are a lot of men who are looking for high quality attire that was also created with the most qualitative materials and the utmost craftsmanship. What's more, Jean aul Gaultier has been striving to break the taboos and cliches of traditional houses and gender norms. After all, he always challenges the so-called gender standards and roles in the fashion world, asking the right questions.