The Design Museum in London presents Azzedine Alaïa: The Couturier, a major exhibition exploring the late designer’s unique creative talent and the timeless beauty of his work.
Azzedine Alaïa superb use of contour is shown in vintage gowns that the couturier personally recut himself to fit the 6’11” mannequins used for display here were completed before his untimely death in November last year at the age of 82.
Envisaged and curated by both Monsieur Alaïa and Mark Wilson, Chief Curator of the Groninger Museum, the exhibition comprises designs stretching throughout Alaïa’s career from the early 1980s to his last creations. Rather the rebel Alaïa would work on certain pieces for years at a time and would display his creations when they were ready, not when the fashion season dictated.
As with his clothing designs, this exhibition presents his work as Monsieur Alaïa himself intended having planned it all last year including the use of commissioned dividing screens by artists Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Konstantin Grcic, Marc Newson, Kris Ruhs and Christoph von Weyhe. Inspired by and complementing the garments on display, the commissioned works allow Alaïa’s designs to take centre stage, a purist approach that the designer rigorously maintained throughout his career.
Azzedine Alaïa designed by draping and sculpting by hand on his models, meticulously cutting all his own patterns. The exhibition presents over 60 outstanding examples of his craft over the course of his career including the zipped dress, the bandage dress, the corset belt, the stretch body, perforated leather, as well as iconic pieces made in his early years as a couturier, always with an eye to magnify a woman’s body.
I also loved the vintage film shot by Ellen Von Unwerth backstage in the 90’s which is tucked away in one corner and features the supermodels of the era, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington among others in a very evocative mood, see it below.
This exhibition is presented against a backdrop of photography by the artist Richard Wentworth. Between January 2016 and July 2017, Wentworth was given rare access to Maison Alaïa, the fashion house in Paris where Azzedine Alaïa worked for over 30 years. In photographs, he captured the detail and texture of couture production, as well as the building in which rolls of fabric are transformed into wearable sculpture.
Azzedine Alaïa: The Couturier is the first exhibition of Azzedine Alaïa in the UK and runs at The Design Museum in Kensington until October 7th.
The Design Museum presents Azzedine Alaïa The Couturier in Kensington till Oct 7th
Exploring volume, a dress from 1997 couture by Azzedine Alaia at The Design Museum
Azzedine with the chain mail dress he created for Tina Turner photographed by Peter Lindbergh
“For me black is a happy colour” Azzedine loved to work in black, silhouettes from 2003 couture
For me personally, the studded eyelet leather is the style I remember the most from the 80’s era of Azzedine
This amazing pink dress was designed for Grace Jones to wear in the Bond movie A View to a Kill in 1985
Textured detail from 1994 at Azzedine Alaia at the Design Museum
Amazingly sinuous wrapped forms dress from 1990 couture
These knitted dresses are the final dresses Azzedine worked on before his sad death at 82 in November last year
Azzedine Alaïa superb work is well worth a visit with any budding fashion fans as seen in this incredible white wrapped dress from 1996