Every Haute Couture Week, the same question resurfaces: does couture still matter? In an era dominated by fast fashion, artificial intelligence and trends that disappear within days, handcrafted gowns costing hundreds of thousands of dirhams can seem increasingly disconnected from everyday life. Yet perhaps we are asking the wrong question.
Couture has never been about practicality. One of the most common criticisms I hear is, “Nobody would actually wear that.” But that argument misunderstands the purpose of couture entirely. Consider Formula One: nobody expects to see an F1 car on a Monday morning commute. Its purpose isn’t practicality, but innovation — pushing engineering to its limits and demonstrating what’s possible when creativity is unconstrained. Couture serves the same purpose for fashion. And just as innovations developed on the racetrack eventually shape the cars we drive, the craftsmanship seen on the couture runway often filters down into the ready-to-wear collections that reach our wardrobes.
Couture is also one of the last strongholds of disappearing craftsmanship. It remains one of the few areas of fashion where techniques like hand embroidery, featherwork, lace-making, pleating and beadwork continue to thrive — skills that require years of training and are often passed down through generations of artisans. As the industry increasingly prioritises speed and mass production, these techniques grow rarer. Couture safeguards them, reminding us of the value of time, patience and human hands in a world where garments can now be produced in seconds.
Finally, couture’s influence extends far beyond the handful of clients who commission bespoke garments. Millions now experience Haute Couture Week through livestreams and social media, from children discovering fashion for the first time to students and designers seeking inspiration. In an age when artificial intelligence is reshaping creative industries, couture is a reminder of the irreplaceable value of human imagination — proof that fashion’s greatest creations still begin with human hands.
Couture was never created to be ordinary. It exists to challenge, inspire and preserve the artistry that defines fashion at its highest level. In 2026, its relevance isn’t measured by how many people wear it, but by how profoundly it continues to shape the future of fashion.
By Sayhrah Noor Asif-Ali
