The House of Worth founded by Charles Frederick Worth in 1826 was the first fashion institution created. Its founder, Worth, was able to find success by cleverly creating and designing high fashion clothing worn by the privileged at royal courts. So influential was his house that he was able to order his clients to dress according to what he saw as fashionable. His creations were soon associated with his name and thus making him a pioneer in the custom of having the designer of the house be the main figure behind the brand.

The House of Worth stayed in the business of fashion designing until Charles Frederick Worth?s death in 1895. The house was closed in 1952 by the designer's great grandson.

In the early twentieth century, following the popularity of Worth, designers such as Channel, Dior, Lanvin, etc., started creating their own houses. Haute couture and ready-to-wear became the main categories in fashion. Haute couture is made exclusively for private and privileged customers. Cuts and sizes are only intended for the chosen few while ready-to-wear is suitable for mass production and is available in all sizes.

Haute couture is exclusively for those designers and houses that belong to the Syndical Chamber for Haute Couture, presided over by the French Department of Industry. Designers must be able to show their collections -no less than 35 different outfits- to the public at least twice a year. Personalities such as Jackie Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn became fashionably famous for wearing creations by couturiers such as Oleg Cassini and Givenchy, respectively. The styles of both ladies are still imitated today.

Ready-to-wear fashion, on the other hand, is created in mass production. Their standard manufacturing makes them more suitable for many, especially in the U.S. and UK where the normal dress size is 6-8. This design is also classified into two groups, the Designer collection and the Confection collection. Designer collections are more trendsetting and wearable with unique and clean cuts. However, some designers create such designs to make a statement rather than to be able to mass-produce them. Confection collections, on the other hand, are our everyday wear. Stylists mostly create these collections with an aim to clothe as many as possible.