He is known as the "father of haute couture" and one of the most important pioneers of the worldwide fashion industry. Charles Frederick Worth is credited with introducing live models, inventing the fashion collection and putting labels into clothes. Born into humble beginnings in the small town of Bourne, Lincolnshire, he revolutionised women's fashion and amassed a personal fortune as the designer of choice for royalty and celebrities, paving the way for iconic names such as Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent and Coco Chanel.
His home town is now preparing to celebrate the 200th anniversary of his birth. "He became the first designer of stature and the first to be regarded as the arbiter of fashion and style who shaped the fashion industry we know today," says Prof Amy De La Haye, curator at the London College of Fashion and co-author of The House of Worth, Portrait of an Archive . "For a time he was the world's most famous and prestigious designer.
" Among the figures who flocked to his salon were Queen Victoria and Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III of France, along with leading actresses and singers such as Lillie Langtry and Nellie Melba. The name of Worth became a byword for luxury as he and his staff of more than 1,000 laboured to transform the fashion industry. Yet his beginnings could never have hinted at his extraordinary journey.
Born in October 1825, Worth was just 11 when he was sent out to work after his father, a solicitor, lost all the family money and .
