Is Haute Couture in Danger of Losing its Feathers?

(I'm on a roll with this subject, stay with me...) Haute couture begins with an extraordinary design, but it is nothing without the skilled artisans who employ their centuries-old techniques to create an object of spectacular beauty. And as the number of couture houses have shrunk over the decades, so have the rarified talents on whom the designers rely so heavily to bring their grand ideas to life. In 1946 there were 277 plumassiers, or feather makers, in Paris. Today, there is only one in all of France.

If this sounds depressing to you, imagine how it sat with the people at Chanel. To suffer in a world with fewer and fewer superbly crafted and fantastically embellished and gloriously feather-trained dresses? NEV-AIR! So, several years ago they did what a good couture house would and they bought Lemarie, the last remaining Paris plumassier, and four other struggling couture ateliers in order to preserve and nurture these endangered arts. (The other four are Michel for millinery, Desrues for costume jewellery, Massaro for shoemaking, and Lesage for embroidery.) Keep in mind, Chanel needs them just as much to survive as a brand as they need the backing to continue. Chanel without haute couture is like Anna Wintour with a mullet: it's just not right.

However, Chanel does allow the ateliers to supply other fashion houses - the artisans are not chained to their work tables with only baguettes and wine to sustain them.

Lemarie, founded over a century ago, also makes Chanel's camellias - the beautiful silk or feather flowers that adorn their hats and clothing. The first were ordered by Coco Chanel in 1960, and since  then over 40,000 have been made for the fashion house. That's a lot of tired hands and sore eyes.

There's a great article at The Guardian if you want to get a glimpse inside the ateliers.