From the Chiasmus archive: "AZZEDINE ALAÏA COLLECTOR — ALAÏA and BALENCIAGA Sculptors of shape" for overdue magazine (London, UK). Written by A.Glass, 1st February 2020.
Words Adrian Glass: chiasmusmagazine.blogspot.com
Photography KSAVI & Grace Hayward
A very special exhibit occurred whilst Couture 2020 took place in Paris at the Hôtel de Ville under the l’association Azzedine Alaïa, what is particularly significant about this showing of Alaïa’s incredible backlog of collected Couture garments, is that it is also showcased the dedication Alaïa had to the finery of style, who was not only a spectacular Haute Couture designer himself, he also believed in storing the history of Couture, in all of its details and significance to fashion. Azzedine Alaïa passed away in 2017 and if we look back at his history particularly when he grew up in Tunisia in the 1930s, as a young man his love and appreciation for the artistry of Couture occurred at an early age, in his late teens he moved to France in 1957 studying form and sculpture at the famed École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Alaïa, upon graduation of this prestiges art school, steadily built up a reputation as a dedicated and focused student of fashion, working for Christian Dior, Guy Laroche and Thierry Mugler. It wasn’t until the late 1970s when he started his small atelier from his al rue de Bellechasse apartment, that Alaïa really began to imprint his incredible skills of Couture, for over two decades he outfitted the worlds elite from Hollywood actresses to wealthy socialites. But, it wasn’t until the 1980s did Alaïa’s stature magnify when he switched to Ready-to-Wear collections, with his seductively shaped outfits appealing to the A‑listed celebrities of the 1980s, who became his devoted clientèle.
For the first time, Association Azzedine Alaïa, in conjunction with the Balenciaga Foundation will have 80 of Cristóbal Balenciaga’s finest Haute Couture pieces on display at the Hôtel de Ville until the 28th of January 2020, the pieces will also be seen on display, with Alaïa own works at the ‘Alaïa Couture house’. In July 2020, the collection will then be exhibited at the village of Guetaria, Spain where the late Balenciaga was born.
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(A.Glass 2020)
AZZEDINE ALAÏA COLLECTOR — ALAÏA and BALENCIAGA Sculptors of shape is open from January 20th to June 28th 2020 at Hôtel de Ville.
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