Remembering Azzedine Alaïa; Fashion's Genius
French-Tunisian designer Azzedine Alaia has died at the age of 85, and the fashion industry are mourning his death. Born in Tunisia in 1935, Alaïa came to Paris in 1957 to work with Christian Dior, living in the “chambre de bonne” of Comtesse Nicole de Blégiers. News spread, among the French bourgeoisie and he discreetly and independently rose to the helm with an early client list that included the writer Louise de Vilmorin, Cécile and Marie-Hélène de Rothschild, and the actress Arletty. He opened his own maison in 1979.
One of the few modern day couturiers, Alaia was a true genius, best known for his masterful craftsmanship , tailoring and his uncompromising authenticity. His death has prompted an outpouring of tributes from the fashion world.
Learning from Alaia
Alaia was very well-known for playing by his own rules and going at his own pace. Here are a few of our favourite quotes from him on everything from fashion, to business, his craftsmanship, to the accelerated pace of the industry.
On His Craftmanship: “The basis is always the woman, the body you dress...I’m not thinking about being fashion-y or revolutionary. I don’t think about making something that is ‘Alaïa’. I never think about that. I never thought about being a famous designer or a couturier. I admire women because it’s thanks to them that I do what I do. I’m not interested in the noise around fashion. When I make dresses for women, for my friends, and I see that I’m making them feel beautiful, when I see that they’re happy, I’m happy too. I am always happy to see women happy. "
On His Design Process: "We start by researching the fabrics, the materials. The style of a house, when there’s a style to it, remains steady. Chanel, for example, is about a suit. Her silhouette has stayed from the beginning until now. I try to follow the times and to follow the women, above all."
On The Fashion System: “Fashion is arrogant, a reflection of our time – politically, economically. We have to try to understand why it is like that. We have to respect it even if it seems distorted. Today time is so accelerated and that’s not good for creation. We keep producing more and more. We expand. Sometimes I’m even against the timeless collection. I think it’s almost stupid. And when you see that you sell more of that… I find that not very good. Of course I would like to have more time for more fulfilling work. But I understand it. I accept it because it is the way it is.” (In an interview with Susannah Frankel)
On The Changing Nature and Pace of the Fashion System: “It’s not creation anymore. This becomes a purely industrial approach... the rhythm of collections is so stupid. It’s unsustainable. There are too many collections.”
On Management, Business Decisions and Showing His Collections After Paris Fashion Week: "The truth is, I work more than all the others. That’s the difference. I don’t do eight collections, but I’m implicated in everything from the beginning to the end."
How many collections do you design a year? "Four. That’s already the maximum. And that’s why a lot of designers break down. There is a huge loss of creativity."
On The Relevance of Fashion Shows: "We don’t do big shows. We do shows for the buyers and for the press. It works. If it didn’t, people wouldn’t be placing orders and our business wouldn’t be growing. If there are no good clothes, customers don’t buy in the stores. My rhythm is like this. I don’t mock what the others do.
"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."
On The Practice of Fashion Copying : "There are too many copies at the moment...when designers appropriate ideas from others and journalists don’t say anything at all, it’s not right. For example, this season with Roberto Cavalli, it’s incredible and journalists, nobody, has noticed a direct copy of my 1985 dress that Tina Turner wore. People told me not to say anything. Everybody has forgotten, even Hervé Léger with the bandage dresses. Now it’s become a summer special for them, and nobody says anything. Journalists shoot it. Although typically, no, they should refuse to shoot when it’s things like these.... it’s with the lawyers now. And there’s another Italian, he has copied everything, everything, everything I do. We sued him a while ago and he did it again. It’s not good. You have to take action because it’s not right."
On Creativity and Design Inspiration: "I don’t think really new ideas can come out every two months. It’s not possible. That’s why now there is a lot of vintage. There’s too much vintage — in all the houses, it’s too much. We don’t have good ideas every day, it’s not possible. Nobody has new ideas every day. When you have one in the year, that’s already good."
"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."
On Fashion Burnout And Going At Your Own Pace: "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."
On Fashion Burnout and The Accelerated Pace of the Fashion System: "Yes, it’s a system that’s a heavy load for young designers. There’s nothing you can do about it: The industry became this way and it’s almost inhumane, the amount of work today...there’s not a lot of designers who can handle the workload...very few can handle it. It’s a life that’s too accelerated."
On Remaining Independent and His Advice to Young Designers: "No, it’s over being really independent, unless you have enormous means. Otherwise it’s difficult. The proof? All the good designers work in big houses. They’re not with their own names, their own brands."
On Newcomers And Getting Ahead 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."
On Fashion Today: "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."
On The Future: "I think day-by-day only. The future is obscure for me. Everything can change in life."