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Azzedine Alaia

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Alaia is an artist, he just wants to make beautiful clothes when he wants and doesn't want to be sucked into the Fashion System that has come to be with Anna Wintour and Lagerfeld at the helm.

It makes me happy that Alaia is underground, fashion doesn't have to be above-ground to be good.
 
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Anna will be remembered over him, and over the majority of designers around today ( considering her role in the fashion industry vs a designer it's a given) but I don't see how that's a kick in the teeth for Alaia or saying a lot for Wintour. She is a joke imo and infamy doesn't always have positive connotations attatched to some of the people remebered to us today. I also agree with what he said about Lagerfeld (minus the scissors part). I'm a bit sick of the masses or the fashion industry aka Vogue US etc telling us Chanel and Lagerfeld are superior and amazing and the best of the best
 
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I don't think we should read too much into this,

people have said a lot of things for different reasons, and i don't think Alaia's comments are quite accurate, but i guess when One is taking potshots at other people, comments needn't be accurate.

whether we like Anna Wintour or not, she does, and will have a place in fashion, she has done too much for too long to be ignored

whatever our beliefs are about Karl Lagerfeld, we have to accept that he has become one of the most important figures in the history of fashion, for his endurance in an industry that has burned out many, for his prolificness (?) and his ability in finding ways of making himself relevant while others have been swept away by the changes of time..............who could believe that a designer who won an award in the 1950's who is a contemporary of YSL, Givenchy, Ungaro etc, could still be working atop the fashion industry more than 50 years after coming on the scene..........Hubert de Givenchy is retired, YSL is dead, Ungaro is retired, buy Karl................he continues to march on,

While I am more in the Alaia camp than in the Karl camp (with regards to thier ways of working) for the responsibilities that Lagerfeld now has, it would be unrealistic and next to impossible for anyone to expect him to be sewing dresses and cutting fabric.


Re Mr Alaia,
He is too much of an important designer to be ignored, or for anyone to believe he will be forgotten, fame waxes and wanes, but his contributions to this industry is too important and his style too distinct for him to be forgotten,.
For years he has been one of the most fircely independed and outspoken designers around, he has been able to do this by something which many young designers should trying to emulate. Mastering his craft and owning as much of his business as he possibly could.

As far as I know, he owns the building that houses his headquarters in Paris, he actually cuts and sew, so even if he has to do it by himself he can always put together a collection,

I also can tell you that he has one of the most comprehensive fashion Archives around, with old couture garments from Chanel, Dior, Gres, Worth, and many of the historic names in fashion..........

I love Alaia, I have been a student of his work for years, but I wont be picking sides in this fight.........
 
I'm glad to know that there are still some designers who are independant from this freaky fashion system where you have to "adore" everybody in order to get some contacts, publications etc...

He is true about Lagerfeld. But Lagerfled is not the only one . If walls could speak...When you say "I love Ghesquière, Tisci, Elbaz", you really think they do everything ? I'm sure they barely design themselves the collections ( I don't even want to imagine for the resort lines, shoes, bags ...). I'm pretty sure they're just there to check the toiles, to say " shorter, higher, lighter,...". We're far from the Balenciaga period where the designer was a real part of the process of making a garment.
 
IloveDiorHomme said:
I'm glad to know that there are still some designers who are independant from this freaky fashion system where you have to "adore" everybody in order to get some contacts, publications etc...

He is true about Lagerfeld. But Lagerfled is not the only one . If walls could speak...When you say "I love Ghesquière, Tisci, Elbaz", you really think they do everything ? I'm sure they barely design themselves the collections ( I don't even want to imagine for the resort lines, shoes, bags ...). I'm pretty sure they're just there to check the toiles, to say " shorter, higher, lighter,...". We're far from the Balenciaga period where the designer was a real part of the process of making a garment.
Click to expand...

They're creative directors and that's what creative directors do. They direct the work of a team. I don't know why everyone is complaining about this. In the end they are responsible for the final result of the work and they are the ones who push ideas and have to motivate the team. In the end it's the employees who do the actual cutting/sewing work but that's how it nearly everywhere works.
 
Cameron Silver: Scoring Golden Ticket? Couture Week
Jul 7th, 2011 by admin.
If there was one invitation to truly score during Couture week, it was Azzedine Alaia’s rare runway show earlier today that was presented to an intimate “chosen” crowd at his Marais studio. One would have thought last night’s Love Ball to benefit the Naked Heart Foundation at Valentino chateau an hour out of Paris would be the highlight of my trip, but “non”. Alaia made my heart skip a beat more than taking my seat among a slew of Russian billionaires, fashionistas, and international society darlings under a clear tent and MCd by Anne Hathaway.


Alaia showed 41 creations to an audience including Sofia Coppola, Eugenie Niarchos, Donatella Versace, and legendary model Bettina. No one from Vogue graced the front row or attended the show, for that matter. (Not surprisingly since Alaia’s recent criticism of Anna Wintour’s lack of support through any editorial placement in her magazine). As a matter of fact, no fashion photographers were snapping shots of the influential crowd or were placed at the end of the runway to shoot every detail of the collection. Only two video cameras captured the moment.

From Karlie Kloss’s first exit in natural make up and a peplum skirt, look after look proved why Azzedine Alaia is a rare example of a designer who doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel every season, but just make it more and more perfect. Alaia showed several zip front fitted cardigans in lieu of jackets and a rich color story of olive, jade, and merlot. Mock patent croc was used in gillets and fetish trench coats. Mongolian lamb outerwear looked so sleek with signature corset belts making a wasp waisted silhouette. Mongolian lamb even turned up on trim of an eggplant mini.

Since Alaia is the master of knits he waffle weaved a long sleeve dress in the lightest shade of lilac wool. As for evening wear, everything from velvet halter gowns with sheer panel sides reminding me of Geoffrey Beene’s architectural masterpieces of the 90s to a maxi gown with rose gold straps and the finale gown with a racer back that showed off Karlie Kloss’s stunning carriage are sure to be on the wish list of every celebrity. However, Alaia doesn’t play the red carpet celebrity dressing game as his loyal clientele passionately buys piece after piece, season after season.

As models paraded down the runway to Beyonce’s “Girls Who Run the World”, thunderous applause continued for several minutes until the painfully shy Azzedine Alaia emerged to a standing ovation. I’m glad I scored the golden ticket.
Click to expand...
webojen.com
 
Paris Haute Couture: Azzedine Alaia's couture debut shrouded in secrecy
Click to expand...
'King of Cling' Azzedine Alaia does a 'Tom Ford' showing his inaugral couture collection to elite clients, friends and handpicked members of the press.

You would have thought Azzedine Alaïa, the legendary fashion designer, was poised to reinvent the wheel given the fuss surrounding gaining entry to his first ever haute couture show in Paris today.

Only a select few fashion VIP's received invitees to the intimate presentation in the tiny Tunisian's home/studio/headquarters in rue du Moussy in Paris' trendy Marais district, where he only ever walks/never drives to/from.
fashion.telegraph.co.uk
 
Interview with Azzedine Alaia
New York Times

PARIS, France — Quietly outside the fashion spotlight, Rue du Moussy is Alaïa’s home and workplace. The boutique, the atelier, the showroom, the studio for private clients, the designer’s residence — it’s all here, under one roof. For more than a decade, Alaïa has premiered his collections at his own rhythm, in discrete, private défilés here. He creates one collection per season. He doesn’t advertise; very few magazines are sent clothes to feature. He rarely gives interviews, and makes no public appearances.
Everything Alaïa creates, he creates with his hands on a bust — to feel the movement of his creations he even maintains a fitting model in residence. Every piece is handmade. The clothes are there to make women even more beautiful. That is his goal. Pure and simple.
Monsieur Alaïa — fashion today, what is it like?
I can only speak for myself, but for a long time now the system of fashion has had nothing to do with our time — it doesn’t suit our time at all. The world is changing rapidly. We see the proof of change every day in the news. Young people want change in this industry, too, yet we continue, just like in the 19th century, to do défilés. There is no need – no interest, really. We could do fewer collections and obtain the same results. We don’t lose any money if we do less.
Is money really the only concern?
Creativity should be the only concern. But today there is no time for creativity; nobody has time to develop a special silhouette or a special fabric. Of course there are a few exceptions, like what Nicolas Ghesquière does at Balenciaga, or Alber Elbaz at Lanvin. But designers working for big houses like Dior or Vuitton have no time to reflect. We can’t just squeeze the young talents out like lemons and then throw them away. Four collections for women, four collections for men, another four collections to sell, and everything needs do be done within four-five months — it’s a one-way course towards emptiness. It’s inhuman.
You’ve been showing clothes at your own pace and in your own house for a while now, but this season it seemed especially exclusive, focusing solely on knitwear.
Maybe in July I will show other clothes, if I have the time to develop them. I refuse to work in a static rhythm. Why should I sacrifice my creativity to that? That’s not fashion, that’s industrial work. We can hire people to design all day long and then fabricate what they design and sell and sell and sell — but that has nothing to do with fashion, with la mode. And it’s a shame talents are being abused for this. I really don’t understand that. I have to live as well. That’s what life is about: living. Tell me how these designers who work for the major houses can have lives? How can they raise children if they are never home? They are gone for one, sometimes two months, while their children have to go to school. They have husbands, wives, but they can’t live their lives. People need time for that, and talents need time to create something. It’s stupid to ask someone to create eight collections per season. Look what has happened to John Galliano or this poor young guy from Balmain, who is now in a psychiatric hospital. After five or six seasons, he was already broken. Or last year, McQueen — dead. And there are many more that are just so tired. There is a pressure that is mad.
How do you work?
I first need to work on the fabric: I need to cut it, think about the shape, drape it on the bust — reflect on it. I make every piece with my own hands. And this season, where I decided to show only knitwear, I sold two times as much as I did last season. You know that at Barneys in New York I got a 140 square metre space just for me, for my clothes? If you do one beautiful skirt per season, that already is a miracle. If you do one manteau that women desire, you have won. You don’t need to do long coats, short coats, one with a zipper this way and another one with buttons that way.
Also, people travel a lot today. Seasons are not what they used to be — we go skiing in the summer, swimming in winter. We don’t need to think in seasons anymore; we need to think about beautiful clothes. We really have to do something about this situation in fashion.
What do you do to deal with that?
I remote. I don’t do fashion just for the show. I have done it in the past, but I stopped. There are other problems to solve, so I moved away from such frivolous things. I give myself time, as much as I need. I am not afraid to lose. As I say, you need one miracle piece – nobody can do a ton of great clothes. And Alaïa is expensive, like couture – it’s luxurious, like all high fashion brands. I don’t know why people in fashion don’t treat it as luxury anymore.
You have said before that we are missing philanthropy in fashion.
New talents, like Haider Ackermann, really have to watch out for themselves. The decision for someone like him is hard — to be approached by a big maison and then say no. But signing a big contract is like signing a contract with the devil today. He can’t do his collection and do, for example, collections for Dior. Of course there are exceptions, like Karl Lagerfeld — he can do Fendi, he can do Chanel, he can do photos, film, Diet Coke — but that’s something very different. There is just one Karl Lagerfeld — it’s a whole other system.
What about your system?
I just concentrate on the clothes I make. I think, “Why do I make clothes? What should the clothes I make be about?” There is just one good reason to do fashion: to make the woman look more beautiful. If that is not the case, it has no meaning for me to create. And it has no meaning for her to buy something that massacres her style. I truly never calculate — I only think about women when I create. And I owe it all to the women, all my success.
Are you interested in money?
Only to spend. And of course I had to learn, and I have learned, it’s good to have it to be able to do things.
Are you interested in success?
Everyone is! Even a sweeper is interested if you say he sweeps well. It shouldn’t go to your head though, because it’s not for ever. I am not pretentious in such things. You know, from the beginning I could have been the best paid stylist. I have been offered the highest paid contracts in the world. I refused them all. It’s not my thing. I don’t want to cheat people. And there are certain people I am allergic to. I even intervene when I don’t like a customer; I rush in and check all the names. If I don’t like them, I don’t take them.
What keeps you going?
I don’t let things get to me.
How many hours a day do you work?
I begin at 9 am and I go to bed around 2am, sometimes around 3am. I sleep little. If I’m not working or entertaining, I love to watch the National Geographic channel. It takes my mind off business. I don’t take things too seriously, though — in this system, you are closed in. You will wake up one day and you will think, “****, what have I done?” You have to take things with a lot of laughter. I laugh with everyone, this way I will be able to die happy. And I put myself on the same level as everyone else around me – from the directrice to the workman, everyone. Except my pets — they are the Kings; you must treat them like royalty.
Four or five hours of sleep — is that enough time to develop a dream?
I don’t waste time when I sleep.
How would you describe the man I am facing right now?
I don’t try to understand myself. I live more like this: every morning when I wake up, I ask myself, “What will I learn today?” Really, it’s true. When I wake up I am happy to open my eyes, happy to be alive, to feel good, to have no diseases. And then I ask myself, what will I learn today? Who will I get to know today? I am a very curious person. The beauty of working in fashion is it gives you the possibility to meet a lot of people – interesting, amazing people. I think I’ve met the most interesting people of my time, from all fields, and I am very grateful for that.
What have you learned today?
The day is not over yet. But I promise you I learn something new every day. And I want to try to keep it that way, until the day I die. Even in designing, there are so many things I still have to learn. I’ve been trying to manipulate clothes for thirty years, but I know I can still get better. Sometimes I redo one thing five, six times. I am always in doubt; I am never sure of myself. Even when you tell me I’m an influential designer — I don’t see myself like that. So I don’t like decorations. You know Sarkozy offered me the Légion d’honneur medal? I refused. People said I refused because I don’t like Sarkozy, but that’s ridiculous. I refused because I don’t like decorations — except on women. My dress on a woman — that’s a beautiful decoration.
Click to expand...

o32c
 
Does Azzedine Alaïa have the antidote to a relentless fashion system?

6 July, 2011 by Guest Contributor

Does Azzedine Alaïa have the antidote to a relentless fashion system?

23rptmq.jpg


The relentless pace of the fashion industry has almost certainly contributed to the retirement, the downfall, and possibly even the death of some of the industry’s greatest creative talents. But is anyone asking questions that might lead to change? Today on the eve of his off-schedule show in Paris, BoF brings you an exclusive interview between our friends at 032c and the revered couturier Azzedine Alaïa, son of Tunisian farmers who has rejected a corporate fashion system he has called ‘inhumane’ and recently turned down the chance to replace John Galliano at Dior.

PARIS, France — Quietly outside the fashion spotlight, Rue du Moussy is Alaïa’s home and workplace. The boutique, the atelier, the showroom, the studio for private clients, the designer’s residence — it’s all here, under one roof. For more than a decade, Alaïa has premiered his collections at his own rhythm, in discrete, private défilés here. He creates one collection per season. He doesn’t advertise; very few magazines are sent clothes to feature. He rarely gives interviews, and makes no public appearances.
Everything Alaïa creates, he creates with his hands on a bust — to feel the movement of his creations he even maintains a fitting model in residence. Every piece is handmade. The clothes are there to make women even more beautiful. That is his goal. Pure and simple.


Monsieur Alaïa — fashion today, what is it like?
I can only speak for myself, but for a long time now the system of fashion has had nothing to do with our time — it doesn’t suit our time at all. The world is changing rapidly. We see the proof of change every day in the news. Young people want change in this industry, too, yet we continue, just like in the 19th century, to do défilés. There is no need – no interest, really. We could do fewer collections and obtain the same results. We don’t lose any money if we do less.

Is money really the only concern?
Creativity should be the only concern. But today there is no time for creativity; nobody has time to develop a special silhouette or a special fabric. Of course there are a few exceptions, like what Nicolas Ghesquière does at Balenciaga, or Alber Elbaz at Lanvin. But designers working for big houses like Dior or Vuitton have no time to reflect. We can’t just squeeze the young talents out like lemons and then throw them away. Four collections for women, four collections for men, another four collections to sell, and everything needs do be done within four-five months — it’s a one-way course towards emptiness. It’s inhuman.

You’ve been showing clothes at your own pace and in your own house for a while now, but this season it seemed especially exclusive, focusing solely on knitwear.
Maybe in July I will show other clothes, if I have the time to develop them. I refuse to work in a static rhythm. Why should I sacrifice my creativity to that? That’s not fashion, that’s industrial work. We can hire people to design all day long and then fabricate what they design and sell and sell and sell — but that has nothing to do with fashion, with la mode. And it’s a shame talents are being abused for this. I really don’t understand that. I have to live as well. That’s what life is about: living. Tell me how these designers who work for the major houses can have lives? How can they raise children if they are never home? They are gone for one, sometimes two months, while their children have to go to school. They have husbands, wives, but they can’t live their lives. People need time for that, and talents need time to create something. It’s stupid to ask someone to create eight collections per season. Look what has happened to John Galliano or this poor young guy from Balmain, who is now in a psychiatric hospital. After five or six seasons, he was already broken. Or last year, McQueen — dead. And there are many more that are just so tired. There is a pressure that is mad.

How do you work?
I first need to work on the fabric: I need to cut it, think about the shape, drape it on the bust — reflect on it. I make every piece with my own hands. And this season, where I decided to show only knitwear, I sold two times as much as I did last season. You know that at Barneys in New York I got a 140 square metre space just for me, for my clothes? If you do one beautiful skirt per season, that already is a miracle. If you do one manteau that women desire, you have won. You don’t need to do long coats, short coats, one with a zipper this way and another one with buttons that way.
Also, people travel a lot today. Seasons are not what they used to be — we go skiing in the summer, swimming in winter. We don’t need to think in seasons anymore; we need to think about beautiful clothes. We really have to do something about this situation in fashion.

What do you do to deal with that?
I remote. I don’t do fashion just for the show. I have done it in the past, but I stopped. There are other problems to solve, so I moved away from such frivolous things. I give myself time, as much as I need. I am not afraid to lose. As I say, you need one miracle piece – nobody can do a ton of great clothes. And Alaïa is expensive, like couture – it’s luxurious, like all high fashion brands. I don’t know why people in fashion don’t treat it as luxury anymore.

You have said before that we are missing philanthropy in fashion.
New talents, like Haider Ackermann, really have to watch out for themselves. The decision for someone like him is hard — to be approached by a big maison and then say no. But signing a big contract is like signing a contract with the devil today. He can’t do his collection and do, for example, collections for Dior. Of course there are exceptions, like Karl Lagerfeld — he can do Fendi, he can do Chanel, he can do photos, film, Diet Coke — but that’s something very different. There is just one Karl Lagerfeld — it’s a whole other system.

What about your system?
I just concentrate on the clothes I make. I think, “Why do I make clothes? What should the clothes I make be about?” There is just one good reason to do fashion: to make the woman look more beautiful. If that is not the case, it has no meaning for me to create. And it has no meaning for her to buy something that massacres her style. I truly never calculate — I only think about women when I create. And I owe it all to the women, all my success.

Are you interested in money?
Only to spend. And of course I had to learn, and I have learned, it’s good to have it to be able to do things.

Are you interested in success?
Everyone is! Even a sweeper is interested if you say he sweeps well. It shouldn’t go to your head though, because it’s not for ever. I am not pretentious in such things. You know, from the beginning I could have been the best paid stylist. I have been offered the highest paid contracts in the world. I refused them all. It’s not my thing. I don’t want to cheat people. And there are certain people I am allergic to. I even intervene when I don’t like a customer; I rush in and check all the names. If I don’t like them, I don’t take them.

What keeps you going?
I don’t let things get to me.

How many hours a day do you work?
I begin at 9 am and I go to bed around 2am, sometimes around 3am. I sleep little. If I’m not working or entertaining, I love to watch the National Geographic channel. It takes my mind off business. I don’t take things too seriously, though — in this system, you are closed in. You will wake up one day and you will think, “****, what have I done?” You have to take things with a lot of laughter. I laugh with everyone, this way I will be able to die happy. And I put myself on the same level as everyone else around me – from the directrice to the workman, everyone. Except my pets — they are the Kings; you must treat them like royalty.

Four or five hours of sleep — is that enough time to develop a dream?
I don’t waste time when I sleep.

How would you describe the man I am facing right now?
I don’t try to understand myself. I live more like this: every morning when I wake up, I ask myself, “What will I learn today?” Really, it’s true. When I wake up I am happy to open my eyes, happy to be alive, to feel good, to have no diseases. And then I ask myself, what will I learn today? Who will I get to know today? I am a very curious person. The beauty of working in fashion is it gives you the possibility to meet a lot of people – interesting, amazing people. I think I’ve met the most interesting people of my time, from all fields, and I am very grateful for that.

What have you learned today?
The day is not over yet. But I promise you I learn something new every day. And I want to try to keep it that way, until the day I die. Even in designing, there are so many things I still have to learn. I’ve been trying to manipulate clothes for thirty years, but I know I can still get better. Sometimes I redo one thing five, six times. I am always in doubt; I am never sure of myself. Even when you tell me I’m an influential designer — I don’t see myself like that. So I don’t like decorations. You know Sarkozy offered me the Légion d’honneur medal? I refused. People said I refused because I don’t like Sarkozy, but that’s ridiculous. I refused because I don’t like decorations — except on women. My dress on a woman — that’s a beautiful decoration.


This edited interview was conducted by Jina Khayyer and was first published in the Summer 2011 edition of 032c .
Click to expand...
Source: New York Times for the image, Business of Fashion for the article
 
I do agree about how fashion is rapidly changing and extremely demanding, but then again - there are tons of designers who love what they do and don't find making 4-6 collections a year very hard. They simply enjoy the designing process and are able to handle the pressure, unlike Alaia obviously. But oh well, I guess it's just different personalities and like he says himself, completely different systems.
 
Very enlightening Q&A. I totally agree with the one killer piece per season is enough. Its all turning very quickly into quantity rather than quality. Primark has infiltrated the Luxury market! :wink:
 
dodencebt said:
I do agree about how fashion is rapidly changing and extremely demanding, but then again - there are tons of designers who love what they do and don't find making 4-6 collections a year very hard. They simply enjoy the designing process and are able to handle the pressure, unlike Alaia obviously. But oh well, I guess it's just different personalities and like he says himself, completely different systems.
Click to expand...

But are all designers (specially those who blast out double digit collections a year) really there with the pencil and paper making every detail of every article of the collections (Including shoes, accessories, shoes, pants, blouses, jackets, evening gowns, cocktail dresses and so on..) or just overlooking it and setting the theme and direction?

4-6 collections would just be what... 2 RTW, 2 Mens and or 2 HC/Resort-Pre-fall collections, with say an average of 30 pieces, that's not much, specially since they all fall under one house's DNA. Resort-Pre-Fall just lend themselves to be a watered down version RTW and mens is much simpler, you don't have to think about the design/cut of the pieces, it's more about the colors and fabric if the designer wants a way to compliment the RTW.

The place where you would think about more innovative ideas would be in HC but even there only an elite few get to create it.

Yeah someone can draw out a collection with a theme like Alaïa says... "one with a zipper this way and another one with buttons that way." but they can not do so when they lead such huge houses and all the departments within it. They have someone who will help them out, just look at Alexander McQueen and Sarah Burton, Donatella and Christopher Kane and so on.

It's not about him not being able to handle the pressure, but actually taking the time to build the items himself, and paying attention to the detail and the individual woman who is going to wear the item, if he was going to make 10+ collections a year based off his standards then yeah he would drive himself crazy and I'm pretty sure that not one designer would be able to handle that.
 
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