From Runway to Rack

Paul Poiret, a French designer, set a new standard by becoming the first haute couture designer to sell his designs in a boutique. Located on the ground floor of couture houses, these small shops with off the rack garments became increasingly popular.

The ready-to-wear system pioneered by Poiret was not his only innovation. He showed incredible business acumen when he made a perfume under his design label. Both the boutiques and perfume lines grew in importance. Financially, firms ran on the money earned from perfumes and readymade clothing when haute couture lines were not selling enough to make a profit.