We were pretty psyched when Schiaparelli returned to the couture calendar in 2014, almost 60 years after its founder Elsa Schiaparelli closed her brand in 1954. But despite the iconic fashion house’s high-profile relaunch and critically praised new collections (first under Marco Zanini and then Bertrand Guyon shortly afterwards) there was still something missing — Schiaparelli’s Haute Couture status. Now, as the brand celebrates its 90th birthday, Schiaparelli has officially been re-granted that label by the French Ministry of Industry and the French Couture Federation.
“Celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, the house of Schiaparelli — created in 1927 by Elsa Schiaparelli — recovers the official Haute Couture label that had disappeared when its namesake founder decided to close her couture house in 1954 in order to write her autobiography, Shocking Life,” reads a statement from the brand. “Today Schiaparelli’s unique spirit of Haute Couture merging art, innovation, craftsmanship, quality and audacity enters a new chapter of its story.”
Only 15 fashion houses currently own the coveted Haute Couture title. Schiaparelli will now join the ranks of Chanel, Christian Dior, Givenchy, Jean Paul Gaultier, Maison Margiela, Giambattista Valli, Franck Sorbier, Adeline Andre, Alexandre Vauthier, Alexis Mabille, Maurizio Galante, Stephane Rolland, and Yiqing Yin. “I feel honored to be part of Schiaparelli today and develop it further, respecting its heritage and tradition while adding a contemporary and modern take, something Elsa Schiaparelli always demonstrated,” Guyon said when he was named Schiaparelli’s new creative director last year. He will present his second couture collection for the brand at the end of this month.
Credits
Text Hannah Ongley