Fashion Colleges and Haute Couture
In the world of fashion design and fashion colleges, one of the most interesting terms thrown around is the phrase "haute couture." Most people understand it in one particular way, and don't realize that its original and more legal meaning is something rather different. The general understanding among many of those with a career in fashion design is that the phrase simply refers to high fashion. This would usually be applied to the most influential and expensive fashions, and to the designers or houses who create them.
But historically and legally, "haute couture" refers to an even more specific type of fashion, and it's associated only with very few fashion design schools and careers. The term is legally protected in France, and can only be applied to designers who make a list created by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture based in Paris. The criteria for being allowed to use the term involve such things as private clients and the number of people in the workshop, as well as requirements for presenting collections in Paris twice a year. So legally speaking, "haute couture" doesn't properly apply to just any career fashion designer.
The Academy of Couture Art (ACA), however, has the privilege of describing itself with this term, and was granted that right by the Chambre Syndicale in Paris itself. No other fashion colleges in the United States are couture schools, so this is quite a distinction for this West Hollywood, California academy. Their reasoning for setting up this sort of school is that they want to bring the couture style into American fashion, and each designer on the teaching faculty is a career fashion designer who presents collections regularly in Paris. This, among several other requirements, is one of the elements of the couture style.
However worthy the goal of the Chambre Syndicale, the ACA, and other couture fashion colleges, the "haute couture" genie may have escaped the bottle and might not be forced back in at this point. The phrase has now been used so often to describe fashion programs and designs catering to the wealthy that it's likely not possible to return it to its original legal meaning. The work of the ACA will undoubtedly be viewed as haute couture in the minds of the public, but so will the work of other designers and schools that aren't strictly entitled to the designation.
Related topics about fashion colleges
Design School: More Than Fashion
There are many instances of this sort of design school. For example, take Parsons The New School for Design, in New York. This institution is a venerable academy, having been established in 1906.
The Best Fashion Colleges: Know the Criteria
A better way to find the best fashion schools is to examine the many academies on your list on the basis of criteria that are more pertinent to your actual situation and needs. For example, is it absolutely necessary to attend the most expensive school? Is it expensive because it's the best in the world, or just because it's famous? You might discover that the faculty in other schools have just as good a reputation, but can help lead you to a career in fashion for a lot less money. The quality of your teachers is much more important than the name of the institution.
Can You Learn Fashion Designing Online?
It might take a bit of tweaking to launch your fashion design career through online programs. You will undoubtedly still need to arrange some in-person internships at a studio somewhere, since that simply can't be done online. You might also have the added expense of getting your own industrial sewing machine, which would otherwise have been provided on campus.