Paris Haute Couture Week

In France, haute couture is a protected designation rather than a general word for expensive fashion. The Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM) describes its Haute Couture Committee as bringing together houses that hold Haute Couture accreditation and meet criteria on craftsmanship expertise, personalisation, collection schedules and the know-how of their ateliers. The committee continues the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, established in 1911, which built on the first chamber initiated by Charles Frederick Worth in 1868.

Speaking to AFP in January 2026, FHCM executive president Pascal Morand said the designation has been legally protected since 1945 under the French Ministry of Industry, and is granted by ministerial decision on the advice of a commission within the FHCM, for one year at a time. Pieces must be original, made to measure and made by hand in the house’s workshops in France, which must include separate tailleur and flou ateliers and at least 20 staff. Houses show in Paris each January and July, with a minimum of 25 looks, although Morand said the rules allow some tolerance for smaller houses.

The FHCM’s official Haute Couture Week calendar combines members of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture with corresponding members and guest members selected each season by the Haute Couture Committee. Morand told AFP that 13 houses held the accreditation and seven corresponding members, based outside Paris, also showed.

The FHCM traces its Haute Couture Committee to the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture of 1911, itself built on the first chamber initiated by Charles Frederick Worth in 1868. The federation also has womenswear and menswear committees, descended from chambers founded on 8 October 1973, and today coordinates both Paris Fashion Week® and Haute Couture Week.

Haute Couture Week takes place twice a year, with spring/summer collections in January and autumn/winter in July. During the week the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture also organises the Haute Joaillerie calendar for fine-jewellery houses, and since 2020 the official calendar has had a digital as well as a physical dimension, according to the FHCM.

The Autumn/Winter 2026 couture calendar, published by the FHCM, ran 6–9 July 2026. The July edition traditionally follows the January couture season and precedes the autumn ready-to-wear shows, giving houses such as Schiaparelli, Chanel, Balenciaga and Jean Paul Gaultier a dedicated platform for their most elaborate, made-to-measure work of the year, distinct from the larger-scale collections shown at Paris Fashion Week proper.