Miniskirt Maven Loses Title : Courreges Booted Off Couturier List

Andre Courreges, the French fashion designer who gave the world the miniskirt worn with white boots, has lost the prestigious label of grand couturier, Industry Ministry officials said today.

They said Courreges, whose company was taken over by Japanese interests three years ago after severe financial problems, was deprived of the title of grand couturier on Wednesday by a committee of experts.

The committee, made up of fashion specialists and representatives of the profession’s union, meets every year to review each case and give--or withdraw--the label to no more than two dozen creators. Their recommendations are then confirmed by the Industry Ministry.

Those given the label must follow strict criteria: Employ at least 23 “small hands”--seamstresses--in their workshops, present two collections a year of at least 75 models, make custom-tailored clothes and have 45 private fashion shows.

The sources said Courreges could not comply with any of these rules and added that he was unable to present a collection at last July’s haute couture fashion shows because of financial differences with his Japanese owners.

They said managers from the Japanese clothing giant Itokin, which took a 75% controlling interest in his haute couture and women’s ready-to-wear firm in 1983, had not injected enough money in the haute couture department.

This, they said, failed to give Courreges enough funds and time to create the necessary models.

Courreges was in the United States and unavailable for comment but the ministry sources said the withdrawal of the haute couture label represented a great loss in terms of prestige, essential for haute couture and ready-to-wear.

They said fashion houses like Courreges relied on their reputation and the prestige of haute couture to boost their ready-to-wear sales.