Couturier Azzedine Alaïa has passed away aged 77 in Paris.
French-Tunisian designer was admired for his individuality and not following the conventions of the fashion industry such as showing his collection off the usual fashion week schedule. Many have and continue to be inspired by his skill at cutting and signature feminine silhouettes
“It is with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Azzedine Alaïa,” François-Henri Pinault, Kering’s chairman and chief executive, told Business Of Fashion. “In the fashion world, he was a great, a major couturier. Everything was at the top with him: couture, art, the standards he aimed at, his dedication to his work, his mastering of techniques, and all the women he dressed. He was an artisan in the noble sense of the term, and a man fiercely attached to his freedom. He was a friend.”
Alaïa started his career at Christian Dior after which he moved on to Guy Laroche and then Thierry Mugler, before opening his own atelier in the late 1970s. His creations attracted a strong celebrity following from the likes of Nicole Kidman, Rihanna, Naomi Campbell and Michelle Obama.
