How Alexandre Vauthier Became the Couture Go-to for Your Favorite Celebs

Working with Rihanna was the kickoff to a star-studded chapter of his career, which would include a myriad of celebrity partnerships with some of the biggest names on the planet: Kendall Jenner, Cara Delevingne, Bella Hadid, Kerry Washington, Ciara, Beyoncé, and Dua Lipa are all fans.

But Vauthier doesn’t necessarily think about influence or star power when he thinks about his brand’s “woman": "I think about all the strong personalities, and I dress them for that," he says, under the lights of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, right before his latest couture show. "Dressing them in this way, you eventually find the sensibility of each kind of person. You start to recognize something inside and you can express it."

Vauthier is shy when talking about his famous clients—even his publicist says he prefers to respect their privacy rather than count how many times Rihanna has worn his designs. But he has an undeniable influence in those circles. In fact, he’s become one of the go-to couturiers for some of the most high-power and influential figures in fashion and entertainment.

Instagram content

This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.

He stands out in the couture space as one of the few still independently owned houses showing as part of the calendar (his company has investors, but isn’t owned by a luxury conglomerate) and keeping his operation relatively small, even a decade in.

Within the fashion industry, couture occupies its own very special niche: It has its own Fashion Week, but shows are often more intimate than those for ready-to-wear collections and feature garments that take hundreds of hours of labor to complete—embroidery, stitching, and embellishment done in specialized ateliers. In order to even use the “Haute Couture” designation, designers must be approved by the governing body of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode in Paris, since the term has legal implications in France. So it's particularly difficult to break into, especially if you're a new name.