5 things Azzedine Alaïa brought to fashion

90 years ago, on a sunny February 26, Azzedine Alaïa was born in Tunis, into a family of farmers who probably never imagined the destiny awaiting the newborn. While playing with his sister to recreate designs by fashion icons like Pierre Balmain and Christian Dior found in Vogue issues, a genuine passion for clothing grew within him. After studying sculpture at the Tunis School of Fine Arts and earning his degree, he left his hometown for Paris. This decision would change his life entirely as he took his first steps in fashion under renowned mentors. He started with a few days at Dior, but was quickly dismissed due to paperwork issues. He then joined Guy Laroche for two seasons and also lent a hand to Thierry Mugler, without officially joining the designer's team. At 44, he was commissioned by talent scout Charles Jourdan to create his first collection. However, once Jourdan saw the final result, he immediately dismissed the designer. This is where the saying "a blessing in disguise" takes full meaning, as Alaïa decided to launch his own brand after this setback. To honor this great creator who passed away in 2017 after more than 60 years of career, let's look back at 5 key moments where Alaïa contributed to shaping French fashion as we know it today.

Sculptural silhouettes molded directly onto the body

Perhaps what most defines Azzedine Alaïa since the beginning is his knowledge, love, and respect for the human body—its shapes, curves, and unique features. With a sculpture degree, the designer always approached fashion architecturally, making women’s bodies both the foundation and muse of his creations. For Alaïa, clothing isn’t meant to cover the body but to enhance it. He achieves this through malleable materials like perforated leather, lycra, and tulle, selected according to his inspirations and the bodies he encounters. A self-taught designer and lover of the female form, his art comes to life spontaneously, intuitively, and authentically. "I never attended fashion school," Alaïa once shared in an interview. "I dressed women directly on their bodies, simply following my intuition." Rarely wrong, his intuition brings forth creations that seem carved from marble. His FW91 ready-to-wear collection, featuring Carla Bruni and his undisputed muse Naomi Campbell, perhaps exemplifies this best: even thick, warm coats appeared drawn directly onto the models' bodies, highlighting and celebrating their forms rather than concealing them. Today, the Maison’s creative director Pieter Mulier continues honoring women and their bodies, just as Mr. Alaïa taught the fashion world to do.

360° respect for the body—inside and out

Alaïa’s love for the body wasn’t limited to dressing it respectfully. For him, respect began from within—through food. Cooking always held a significant place at Maison Alaïa. He hosted guests like royalty in his small Rue Bellechasse workshop, honoring his roots with homemade couscous, and organized grand gatherings at 7 rue de Moussy, turning the address into a cult space for culinary and philosophical sharing. With help from his legendary partner Soumaré, Alaïa lovingly prepared meals, personally selecting fresh, high-quality market ingredients. The warmth of these gatherings was captured in the 1995 documentary Catwalk, where supermodel Christy Turlington is seen laughing heartily at Alaïa’s table. Beyond mere dining, Alaïa’s kitchen was a creative extension where fashion, art, and friendship converged in a joyful atmosphere. Today, the Maison continues this legacy through collaborations with We are Ona, hosting dinners exploring the fusion of fashion, gastronomy, and hospitality—a welcome initiative as food remains a taboo in fashion, with models increasingly thinner despite industry pushes for inclusion.

Slow fashion: taking things slowly but surely

One doesn’t need to read his posthumous book Taking Time to grasp a core value of Alaïa’s: slowness, or rather, carefulness. Surrounded by a reliable team, he preferred creating at night, relishing the calm and the time it offered. Fascinated by time, he never hesitated to take what he needed to deliver quality over quantity. This relationship with time extended to his often selective participation in the fashion week calendar, which he rarely adhered to. In 2017, after six years, he rejoined the Haute Couture schedule. Even then, his reverence for waiting and slowness prevailed: no official invitations were sent; attendees queued outside his headquarters, checking their names off a list. Though not spectacular—save for the presence of longtime muse Naomi Campbell—the show became unforgettable as his last before his passing from a heart attack four months later.

Laser cut

Unlike contemporaries favoring bold prints, flashy logos, and loud colors like Roberto Cavalli or Gianni Versace, Alaïa, as mentioned, focused on shapes and cuts. This dedication to sculpted designs birthed his iconic Bodycon silhouette and an innovative laser-cutting technique. Developed in the 2000s, it achieved millimeter-precision silhouettes, continuing in future collections. He also created laser-cut leather bags, belts, and shoes, showcasing delicate patterns with meticulous craftsmanship.

Some of pop culture’s most iconic outfits

From Madonna to Rihanna and Tina Turner, Azzedine Alaïa dressed the biggest names in pop and music culture. For her 1989 Eiffel Tower climb, photographed by Peter Lindbergh, Turner wore a daring Alaïa mini dress. "These are special clothes unlike anyone else's," she once said. "You adopt an attitude with his designs—you become very French." Their decades-long collaboration spanned music videos, tours, and album covers, but their bond was immortalized on the runway in 1988. In a recently resurfaced video, Turner closes Alaïa’s autumn show with Farida Khelfa, donning a sleek, jet-black velvet dress. Madonna also recognized Alaïa’s empowering designs, sporting his lace corsets and dresses during her Truth or Dare: In Bed with Madonna tour. More recently, Rihanna embraced his creations for major events, notably wearing a fiery red dress from the SS97 collection at the 2013 Grammy Awards. Last September, she nearly stole the spotlight at the Maison’s New York Fashion Week show in a stunning off-the-shoulder silver sequin gown, exuding a mystically angelic aura.