“I think we all have an angel side, a demon side. Precisely, with the clothes I wore (in the video Que mon cœur lâche , editor’s note), in any case the white dress which is an Azzedine Alaïa dress. And, it’s a great joy to wear his clothes.”
Mylène Farmer for Stopover – MCM , 02/01/1993
Link(s) with Mylène FArmer career
Designer of the white outfit worn by Mylène Farmer in the music video “Que mon coeur lâche” (1992).
Mylène also wore one of his outfits during the promotion of the film “Giorgino” (1994).
Born February 26, 1935 – Died November 18, 2017
Azzedine Alaïa is a Tunisian stylist and couturier based in France, internationally renowned since the 1980s for his dresses and leatherwork.
Born in Tunisia to farming parents, he moved to Paris in 1957 after graduating from the Tunis School of Fine Arts (sculpture department). During his studies, he worked with his sister at a couturier’s and reproduced dress designs found in Vogue for his neighbors.
He began working as a couturier’s assistant and quickly built up a private clientele. In Paris, he joined the house of Dior as a tailor for a few days, went to work for Guy Laroche for two seasons, then went on to assist Thierry Mugler (he will speak later about ever working for him), and finally created his first collection for Charles Jourdan until he opened his first small workshop on rue de Bellechasse. It was in this small workshop that he would dress part of the jet set privately for around twenty years.
In 1980, he moved to rue du Parc-Royal in the marsh district; his collections were sold by the American department stores Bergdorf Goodman in New York and Beverly Hills following a chance meeting between Andrée Putman and a buyer from this brand. Then, in 1981, he launched his brand, Azzedine Alaïa, with his first ready-to-wear fashion show the following year, based on black, white, and transparency.
But recognition from the fashion world really appeared when the magazines Depeche Mode and Elle devoted articles to him, followed by Marie Claire.
In 1984 and 1985, he received two fashion Oscars.
In 1989, he designed the famous draped dress in the colors of the French flag worn on July 14 by the singer Jessye Norman during her performance of La Marseillaise, the highlight of the parade for the Bicentennial of the French Revolution staged by Jean-Paul Goude on the Place de la Concorde.
In 1988, he opened two boutiques, in New York and Beverly Hills.
In 1991, he designed several models for Tati.
In 1998, a retrospective was organized at the Groninger Museum in the Netherlands.
While his activity was somewhat in decline in the late 1990s following the death of his sister, his company signed a partnership with Prada in 2000, which allowed him to develop accessories including shoes.
In May 2000, the Guggenheim Museum in New York dedicated an exhibition to him. In July 2007, he bought back the shares of his house and his brand to join forces with Richemont, although his shoe and other goods collections are still produced by Prada.
In 2008, he was named a Knight of the Legion of Honor but refused to receive his medal.
While the designer is known and recognized worldwide, with his dresses worn by numerous celebrities, Michelle Obama brings another dimension by wearing Azzedine Alaïa dresses on numerous occasions.
The designer, who shows “whenever he wants” and who has not shown for eight years, organized his first haute couture show on July 7, 2011. So moved by the ovation at the end of the show, he was unable to come and greet the audience.
Azzedine Alaïa has been a “corresponding member” of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture since July 2011.
Starting December 10, 2011, a second retrospective, “Azzedine Alaïa in the 21st Century,”19 was organized at the Groninger Museum.
https://www.maison-alaia.com/us?srsltid=AfmBOorzbxFtdpOqqXLolxjhTxCAr5IKhL-4DgRopLe3ZK7XKh3gvSyN
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