Actress, influencer, vlogger, and, very recently Paris Fashion Week runway model Heart Evangelista has a schedule too hectic for the word “busy” these days. She will, on the other hand, take the time to teach both fans and followers about fashion week terminology.
Heart Evangelista’s Instagram Reply Differentiates Terms “Cohort” and “House Friend”
According to these terms, not all Fashion Week guests are the same.
On Instagram, Heart posted a photo of her invitation from Dior. She wrote “Truly honored merci @dior and to everybody who took care of me a lovely sketch of me to immortalize a very special moment of my journey with fashion”
In January, Heart attended the Dior Haute Couture presentation in Paris.
One netizen left a comment below the post—a question that is probably on a lot of people’s minds: “since I’m not really familiar with the fashion terms, can someone help me understand what it means “cohort” and “house friend”? I always see posts of fashion houses referring to @iamhearte as one of the house friends”
Heart responded, “means plus one if I’m not mistaken :) but I was not invited as that I was invited as me”
Fashion Lingo 101: What is the difference between "Cohort" and "Brand Friend"?
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “cohort” as “companion” and colleague”, verifying Heart’s statement that it is used to identify the plus one of a person invited to fashion week.
Don’t get confused, though! “Cohort” can also mean a "group" or "band", according to Merriam-Webster. As an example, “Heart Evangelista and her stylish cohort attended Fashion Week” is different from "a cohort of fashion influencers attended Fashion Week”. The former refers to Heart’s plus one, while the latter refers to a group that share the same characteristics.
“House Friend” can be deduced as a blanket term for any invitee to a fashion show. There are several ways one can be invited to fashion week, as this Preview.ph article covers. Usually, a “House Friend” refers to a fashion industry professional like a stylist, designer, or editor who was formally invited by the brand.
Celebrities and personalities who are official representatives of the brand are often called “Ambassadors”. Their role and attendance are often tied to a specific campaign or entail a contract with the brand.
What Does "Haute Couture" Really Mean?
Heart noted how her invite to the Haute Couture show is “a very special moment.” Haute Couture shows are done every January and July. Only very specific fashion houses that follow the standards of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture are allowed to present during Haute Couture Week. This means that all haute couture brands are designer brands, but not all designer brands qualify as haute couture.
Haute couture houses include Christian Dior, Chanel, Elie Saab, Fendi, Giambattista Valli, Maison Margiela, Viktor & Rolf, and Valentino.
Business of Fashion further clarifies, “To qualify as an official Haute Couture house, members must design made-to-order clothes for private clients, with more than one fitting, using an atelier (workshop) that employs at least fifteen fulltime staff. They must also have twenty fulltime technical workers in one of their workshops.” Haute Couture Week is when these houses present their 50 original designs, for day and night, as part of the qualifications set by Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture.
Fashion Week shows that happen in February and September are for the ready-to-wear collections for all designer brands.
