French for sewing or dressmaking; in fashion, often used for specially made, carefully constructed clothing.
Couture comes from the French word for sewing and also refers to dressmaking. In English fashion usage it commonly concerns specially made, carefully constructed clothing and the work involved in producing it. The surrounding words matter when interpreting an employer’s requirements. A reference to couture experience may concern practical garment skills, while a description of a house’s collections may identify a product category. Pattern cutting, draping and construction give more specific information about the work expected. The word couture alone does not explain the production process or establish that a garment belongs to a haute couture collection.
In job listings
Check the sense when you see this word in a listing. It may mean a specific atelier, a tailoring or alteration skill, or a house’s general account of its craft, and these describe very different jobs. Search local jobs for “couture”.
