Luxury Craft

Passementerie in Haute Couture: How an Ancient Luxury Craft Became Integral to Fashion's First Great House

Passementerie, a traditional luxury craft of decorative trimmings, was intrinsically linked to the foundational principles of haute couture established by Charles Frederick Worth in 19th-century Paris. The article explores the symbiotic relationship between the craft's artisanal skill, luxurious materials, and status signaling, and the bespoke, exclusive nature of early high fashion.