The Fédération française de la couture, du prêt-à-porter des couturiers et des créateurs de mode is the French fashion industry governing clothing. The Federation was created in 1973, growing out of an older trade union (which still exists within the Federation), the Chambre syndicale de la haute couture parisienne which was created in 1868. The Federation comprises three separate trade associations:

• Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture (English: trade union of Haute Couture)
• Chambre Syndicale de la Mode Masculine
• Chambre Syndicale du Prêt-à-Porter des Couturiers et des Créateurs de Mode - created in 1973

Haute couture (; ; French for "high sewing" or "high dressmaking" or "high fashion") refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing. Haute couture is high end fashion that is constructed by hand from start to finish, made from high quality, expensive, often unusual fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable sewers, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques. Couture translates literally from French as "dressmaking" but may also refer to fashion, sewing, or needlework and is also used as a common abbreviation of haute couture and refers to the same thing in spirit. Haute translates literally to "high". A haute couture garment is often made for a client, tailored specifically for the wearer’s measurements and body stance. Considering the amount of time, money, and skill allotted to each completed piece, haute couture garments are also described as having no price tag: budget is not relevant.