About Us
HAUTE is reimagining the future of fashion…
At Haute, we want to recenter fashion around values and vision. We believe design is an art and designers are more than their products. Each of our designers has a unique story and process that deserves to be recognized.
Our mission
Haute was founded with the simple question, “What does it take to become a successful fashion designer?”
After learning how inequitable the industry was, we wanted to build a platform that subverted traditional power dynamics and prioritized the unique needs of fashion designers. Because shouldn’t the designers of our clothes be as celebrated as those who style and wear them?
With Haute, we want to recenter fashion around values and vision. We think that design is an art, designers have a story, and fashion is a means of expression. All artists of all backgrounds deserve to have their story heard and their vision seen.
We invest in our designers’ careers through immersive digital content and in-person events and value collaboration with fashion lovers and like-minded companies — encouraging individual artistic risk while providing collective community stability.
In such a fast-paced industry, Haute slows down the narrative — disrupting the fashion industry’s homogeny and inspiring innovation.
Our team
Kayla Baquiran first conceptualized Haute in the spring of 2019 after her friend thrifted her prom dress and discovered it was made as part of a Parsons student’s academic coursework. Eleanor Alix and Madeline Webster joined the team in the spring of 2021 to refine and execute the company’s vision. In the summer of 2021, the three female entrepreneurs were backed by James Kinsella and Robert McNeal through Haverford College’s Incubator Fellowship. In the spring of 2023, Fatema Mun joined the team to expand the organization’s online presence.
Today, Kayla and Fatema are cultivating local untapped creatives to catalyze a better future for fashion.
Many thanks to all our other mentors, especially Shayna Nickel, Sarah Gray, Margaret Kwon, Lauren Lewis, Jane Gladstone, John Dougherty, and Shannon Mudd.
Fatema Mun
Ellie Alix, Kayla Baquiran, and Madeline Webster at Haute’s 2022 annual fashion show.
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