hen the Tunisian-born couturier Azzedine Alaïa passed away in Paris on November 18, tributes began pouring in from the fashion world, as his friends and fans celebrated his work and sought to preserve his legacy. Now, London’s Design Museum has announced that it will honour the legendary designer with a retrospective entitled Azzedine Alaïa: The Couturier, due to open in May 2018.
Fashion World Mourns The Death Of Azzedine Alaïa
The retrospective will feature over 60 examples of Alaïa’s work from the past 35 years, handpicked by the designer himself, who had been working closely with the museum to co-curate the exhibition at the time of his death. Once dubbed “the king of cling”, Alaïa was renowned for his mastery of tailoring and created innovative garments that had the fluidity of sculpture. Fittingly, his designs will sit alongside specially-commissioned architectural pieces created by artists and designers he admired, including Tatiana Trouvé, Kris Ruhs, Konstantin Grcic and Marc Newson. The exhibition will also provide a rare insight into the master couturier’s creative process, and present his work as he himself intended it to be seen.
This public tribute followed a celebration of his life and legacy at last week’s Fashion Awards, where Vogue contributing editor Naomi Campbell spoke about her long-time friend alongside models Stephanie Seymour and Veronica Webb. “Everyone in this room knows that Azzedine was able to transform a woman’s body into something special,” said Campbell. “I am proud to be honouring, along with his daughters, a giant of fashion and a true master of humanity.”
Azzedine Alaïa: The Couturier opens at London’s Design Museum on May 10 2018.
This story was first published on Vogue.co.uk
