The impact of fashions institutions on contemporaneity: an analysis of Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode

Abstract

The aim of the research is to investigate the impact of the actions of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM) in the global fashion field. The institution was created in 1868 in Paris, France, was chaired by couturiers and administrators of some maisons de couture and played a significant role in fostering and protecting the clothing industry in France, especially the sur mesure one. Existing to this day, its mission is to promote the "French fashion culture" and to reinforce the role of the city of Paris as the fashion capital of the world. The Fédération's actions will be thought of from the current structure of the space of production and circulation of fashion goods and agents. Such structure will be interpreted as a global dimension field, which is, in turn, formed by several national fields. Although there is an interdependence of these fields, the French field has a greater influence on the definitions and decision making of this global field. Once the FHCM is the most relevant fashion grouping in France today, the idea is to point out how the actions of this institution are an attempt to reproduce and maintain the structure of this field. The research methodology consists in analyzing documents and archives of the FHCM; consulting the media through which it communicates; and investigating from multidisciplinary bibliographies. The analysis of this material will be conducted based on a theoretical framework of sociology.