The Creative Entrepreneur -Charles Frederick Worth - January 2025

The Creative Entrepreneur -Charles Frederick Worth - January 2025

Jan, 1 2025


Fashion is a highly disciplined craft. It takes real skill and precision to create clothes that look and appear captivating to the outgoing public. Two centuries ago fashion designer Charles Frederick Worth took the fashion world by storm.

Please watch this 9 minute 42 second film to discover how he did it-

‘A Closer Look – Who Was Charles Frederick Worth? -

He is probably best remembered in appearance for wearing a hat, fur trimmed cape and cravat. This look had been adopted from the 1870s. Onlookers perceived Worth as a man unique to the English stereotype with a medium height, strongly but not stoutly built with a dark moustache and a temperate lifestyle.

As a successful fashion designer he tailored his dresses to incorporate lavish fabrics and trimmings blended in with a touch of period costume. Worth would put higher emphasis on his most important customers yet also specialised a variety of designs, showcased by live models which would address the need of the client’s requirements in his workshop. One element which stood out throughout his career was his ability to appeal to the needs of women’s fashion when it came to the line of garments and their length.

Twenty years before he died his sons Gaston and Jean joined the business to help with management, finance and design. It was a natural decision to pass the business to the young generation especially with the decline in his health by 1895.

Despite Charles’ untimely death, ‘The House of Worth’ was now an established entity with it’s most successful years around 1900. It was at the peak of it’s powers with women ordering 20-30 gowns at a time.  By 1897, clients could order a garment by phone, by mail, or by visiting one of Worth's branch stores in London, Cannes, or Biarritz.

 In-fact London is home to the Victoria and Albert Museum which has an archive of Charles Worth designs, including both sketches and garments. For more information simply visit the following website link – https://www.vam.ac.uk/

Charles Frederick Worth (13 October 1825 – 10 March 1895) was an English fashion designer who founded the House of Worth, one of the foremost fashion houses of the 19th and early 20th centuries. He is considered by many fashion historians to be the father of haute couture. Worth is also credited with revolutionising the business of fashion.

130 years since his death and the modern fashion world will no doubt give a nod of accreditation to Worth highlighted on the clothes they have created. From humble beginnings he soon found his feet and changed the overall the look and appearance of the fashion business forever.

^Alex Ashworth CCG UK Blogger