Chambre Syndicale elects Christophe Josse and Noureddine Amir as new guest members

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Nov 23, 2017

The membership committee of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture – the governing body of high fashion in France – has elected two  couture houses, Christophe Josse and Noureddine Amir, to be guest members of its official calendar.

The invitation is a much sought-after approval by fashion houses and guarantees the two couturiers a slot on the official catwalk schedule during Paris couture week. The next season will take place over four days from Monday, January 22 to Thursday, January 25, 2018.

Amir is a Moroccan-born designer, noted for making film costumes in the 1990s and known for creating “wearable sculptures", who received the distinct honor of an exhibition in the Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent in March 2016.

For Josse, the annoucement is a something of a comeback.  French-born Josse is an experienced designer, who, after studying art history, joined the house of Torrente, where he eventually became the creative director of its couture collection. After leaving that house, Josse presented his first couture collection under his own name in 2005. The following year he became a guest member of the Chambre Syndicale, and in 2011 he was promoted to permanent member status, before a hiatus of several seasons as he reorganized his financial backing.
 
Josse and Amir join an already large number of membres invités, or invited guests, of 17 houses comprised of a highly international cast of A.F. Vandevorst, Antonio Grimaldi, Azzaro Couture, Galia Lahav, Georges Hobeika, Guo Pei, Hyun Mi Nielsen, Iris Van Herpen, Maison Rabih Kayrouz, Proenza Schouler, Ralph&Russo, Rodarte, RVDK/Ronald Van Der Kemp, Ulyana Sergeenko, Xuan, Yuima Nakazato and Zuhair Murad.
 
The entrance of Josse and Amir was approved by the Chambre Syndicale membership committee which is composed of established French couture houses such as Chanel, Christian Dior and Jean-Paul Gaultier.
 
The Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture is one of three divisions alongside women’s ready-to-wear and menswear within the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode. Its membership committee actually voted on this decision on Tuesday. But in time-honored French tradition only announced the news 48 hours later.