Although it seems as if the Fall/Winter 2015 collections just wrapped, we’re already looking forward to the next event on the fashion calendar: Paris Couture Week. Couture collections are some of the most impressive on the calendar, and act as a showcase of many major design houses’ skilled ateliers. However, the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture – the very official body that oversees the specialized fashion universe dedicated to the art and skill of haute couture – injects new life into the calendar every season by inviting “guest members” to show. For the forthcoming Paris Couture Week, which starts on January 24, there are three guest members who are responsible for groundbreaking designs, and Savoir Flair introduces you to them in the list below.
Paris Couture Week’s Spring 2016 season is set to run from January 24 to 29.
Iris Van Herpen
While the rest of the fashion world is just now catching on to the wonders and possibilities of designing with 3D-printing technology, Iris Van Herpen has been perfecting the art since 2007. To say she’s ahead of her time would be something of an understatement. Van Herpen, a Dutch designer, interned at Alexander McQueen before launching her eponymous label, and has been a guest member of the Haute Couture calendar in seasons past. Her collections evoke powerful imagery and always include a strong philosophical or sociological perspective.
Guo Pei
If you recognize Guo Pei’s name, it’s likely because of the insane yellow dress he created for Rihanna‘s dramatic appearance at the Met Gala. Pei is one of the top emerging couturiers from China, and her fanciful, voluminous creations are as breathtaking in design skill as they are in scope. Although she opened her first atelier in Paris this year, this is her first time to officially appear on the Haute Couture calendar.
Aouadi
After Cate Blanchett appeared at the New York Film Festival in a “tattooed” look, everyone was clamoring to know the name behind the bold design. Yacine Aouadi is a young designer from Marseille who learned his craft first at  Studio Berçot, and then at Balmain under Christophe Decarnin and Olivier Rousteing, respectively. Aouadi debuted his first couture collection off-calendar last season, but his talent was enough to gain the attention of the Chambre de Syndicale de la Haute Couture, who invited him to show as a guest member for the forthcoming season.
