Celebrating Azzedine Alaïa, The Couturier at London's Design Museum
Celebrating Azzedine Alaïa, The Couturier at London’s Design Museum
Calling all fashion lovers! Planning to be in the London area before October 7th, 2018? The Design Museum’s fashion exhibition, Azzedine Alaïa: The Couturier is an absolute must see!
Linda Evangelista and Azzedine Alaïa, 1990. Source: Courtesy of Sante D’Orazio
Co-curated with the brilliant Monsieur Alaïa before his death in November 2017, the exhibition is the first ever solo display of the icon’s work. From sculptor to couturier, the retrospective celebrates his incredible career, bridging over thirty years of haute couture. The exhibit not only captures Alaïa’s nonconformist nature and unique spirit but provides insight into the creative processes of the transformative artist. Azzedine Alaïa is not just admired for his brilliant techniques, innovative garments, and keen eye for fashion, rather, many will remember the icon for his appreciation and mastery of the female body.
Source: Photo by Mark Blower, Courtesy of the Design Museum.
Stephanie Seymour, New York City, Vogue, 1987. Source: Courtesy of Arthur Elgort.
Alaïa was rare in that he never succumbed to the pressures of fashion deadlines. Instead, he constructed each garment by hand and worked on his own schedule to produce fashion masterpieces. His capacity to understand true art and its relation to the female body was unparalleled, landing him esteemed clients, including Greta Garbo, Grace Jones, Michelle Obama and Rihanna.
Mr. Alaïa dedicated his life to the belief that fashion was more than just garments; to him, they were as much an element in the empowerment of women and of a broader cultural conversation.
– Vanessa Friedman, The New York Times
Source: Photo by Mark Blower, Courtesy of the Design Museum.
Coined by the Guardian as, “a simple appreciation of the technical brilliance of a designer’s hands-on artistry” the exhibit will feature over sixty samples of Alaïa’s work. As an artist who understood the fluidity of sculpture, his work is appropriately on display alongside specially-commissioned architectural pieces, including the likes of Tatiana Trouve, Kris Ruhs, Konstantin Grcic, and Marc Newson.
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Source: Andrea & Valentina, Courtesy of the Design Museum.
“I like black, because, for me, it’s a very happy colour” said Alaïa. Master of ‘the little black dress’ and known for his personal all black dress code, Alaïa’s used black to create anonymity and distinguish the extensive labor that went into each of his silhouettes.
The exhibition was organized by the Design Museum in collaboration with Maison Alaïa and the Azzedine Alaïa Association. and will run until October 7th, 2018.
The museum had so many amazing shots of the exhibit and Azzedine Alaïa’s amazing creations we couldn’t possibly only pick a few to share. So for some major motivation to go visit or, in case you can’t actually make it to see this amazing fashion exhibition in person – here are some of our favorite photos from the museum’s press collection!
Source: Photo by Mark Blower, Courtesy of the Design Museum.
Source: Photo by Mark Blower, Courtesy of the Design Museum.
Source: Photo by Mark Blower, Courtesy of the Design Museum.
There was no one who did what he did. No one knew a woman’s body like him. He should be celebrated as one of the greatest fashion designers the world has ever known.
– Lady Gaga
