Couture sales to remain buoyant

The French couture houses are expected to not be significantly affected the global economic crics, at the start of the couture shows in Paris this week.

"The growth will be lower in 2009, but we are expecting growth," Bruno Pavlovsky, Chanel's president of fashion, told WWD. The company posted a double-digit sales rise in couture last year, selling more units of its summer and winter collections. "We are quite confident; we aren't specifically anxious about the business.

"If (clients) are coming, they want to continue to be part of the dream," he said in an interview. "I believe a lot in couture because of the creativity and because of the very special service we can give to the customer."

Couture has seen growth in recent years as the luxury boom has brought an interest from younger clients from emerging countries, such as Russia, the Middle East and Korea. While many observers have suggested conspicuous consumption will plunge during this economic crisis, and that luxury is becoming a dirty word, others suggest couture should be seen as a beacon of human capacity that should be celebrated, not maligned.

The couture show schedule can be found at www.modeaparis.com

Source: WWD