Is Azzedine Alaïa still alive?
Azzedine Alaïa, Fashion’s Most Independent Designer, Is Dead at 82. Azzedine Alaïa, one of the greatest and most uncompromising designers of the 20th and 21st centuries, died on Saturday in Paris. He was 82.
How did Azzedine Alaïa change the fashion industry?
He “changed my conception of fashion,” said Nicolas Ghesquière, the artistic director of Louis Vuitton, in a documentary on Mr. Alaïa made by the stylist Joe McKenna and released this year. “I thought fashion was about embellishment as a kid, and when I saw Azzedine’s work I understood fashion was about construction and architecture too.
What does Azzedine Alaïa stand for?
Azzedine Alaïa ( French: [azedin alaja]; Arabic: عز الدين عليّة , romanized: ʿIzz ad-Dīn ʿAlayya, pronounced [ʕizz adˈdiːn ʕaˈlajja]; 26 February 1935 – 18 November 2017) was a Tunisian-born couturier and shoe designer, particularly successful beginning in the 1980s.
Who is Azzedine Alaïa's partner?
Azzedine Alaïa, Fashion’s Most Independent Designer, Is Dead at 82. He is survived by his partner, the painter Christoph von Weyhe; and nieces and nephews.
What did Elbaz learn from the designer?
Asked what he learned from the designer, Elbaz said, “The importance of not having a formula and doing it your way and trusting your intuition and not be part of a system. We saw the freedom in his clothes, the love and the control.”
Who is Julien Dossena?
Julien Dossena, creative director at Paco Rabanne, called Alaïa “one of the rare masters of our profession, a virtuoso genius of couture. His immense body of work, of a unique precision and modernity, contributed to the creation of a strong and new femininity.”
Who is Ralph Toledano?
Ralph Toledano, president of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, French fashion’s governing body , said Alaïa was like family. “Going to his place was like going to a second home,” said the executive. “He was exceptionally kind, modest, decent and generous.”
What did Tisci believe?
Tisci lauded his convictions: “He always believed in his vision, never compromised himself selling his soul to anybody . He’s been always about quality, not quantity, and he never cared about social and fashion trends. From him I learned to be faithful to your identity.”
When did Louise de Vilmorin open his own house?
He opened his own maison in 1979.
Did Azzedine have a twin sister?
He had a twin sister and a younger brother, and his father ran a wheat farm outside the city. Azzedine became interested in art and design at a young age. “I was helping Madame Pinot, a midwife that helped in giving birth to my whole family,” he recalled in an interview with the fashion magazine The Ground in 2011.
1. Azzedine Alaïa was the son of Tunisian farmers
He dressed the likes of Greta Garbo, Lady Gaga and Michelle Obama, yet Alaïa was born in 1940 in Tunisia to two wheat farmers—and it was his twin sister who taught Azzedine how to sew. Alaïa was raised by his grandparents and eventually left Tunisia for Paris at the age of 17.
2. He sold a portion of his company and then bought it back
In 2000, Alaïa signed onto a partnership with the Prada Group, selling a portion of his company. This financial pairing led to Azzedine’s first haute couture showing in 2003. However, Alaïa wasn’t a fan of the overmarketing his fellow designers were engaging in at the time which limited his reach and caused him to reevaluate his vision.
4. He was an animal lover and watched the National Geographic channel as a way to relax
Shakira once gifted Azzedine a Saint Bernard. And that lucky Saint Bernard joined a family of two other dogs, two Norwegian Forest Cats, two Bengals and one Persian cat. Oh, and an owl. Alaïa called his animals, “kings” and felt they must be “treated as royalty.”
5. Alaïa started everyday with one question and had a philosophy on how to die happy
Alaïa called himself a very curious person and started each day with the same question, “What will I learn today?” He had a true appreciation for his clients and other industry professionals and felt grateful that working in fashion gave him the opportunity to learn from interesting people from all fields.
