The rarefied world of couture has very few customers, and a recent interview has sparked a discussion as to how many people worldwide actually buy the stuff. Riccardo Tischi told the New York Times he sold his couture collection to just 29 people, and a commenter on Fashionologie claims there are just 200 customers for couture worldwide (after all, who has the money?). But wearing the clothes has never been the point of couture — it’s about feeding the designer’s artistic side and generating wild ideas and inspiration. Perhaps couture is unlike that old adage about genius — one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration. Couture is 99 percent inspiration and one percent sales.
