A big fashion moment in Paris the day before Haute Couture Week: ALAÏA, the brand from the Richemont fashion group, reveals the first collection of its new artistic director, Pieter Mulier. A savage catwalk show, taking place in the street right next to the Atelier, high-profile guests made the trip especially to see the show. Designers including Raf Simons (Prada), Pierpaolo Piccioli (Valentino) and Farida Khelfa joined the audience, along with Anna Wintour, whose presence was almost unexpected.
Naomi Campbell, who saw Azzedine as a second father, was unfortunately absent at the show. A great success with a standing ovation, since the disappearance of the exceptional couturier, the brand returned from a long period of latency. For his first collection, Pieter wrote an open letter to Azzedine, which read, "Dear Azzedine, the collection is intended as a tribute to thank you".
With a high-level cast of famous names modelling such as Imann Hamman, Natasha Poly, and Liya Kebede, the Belgian designer presented a new vision of iconic pieces, mixing Haute Couture and ready-to-wear.
We find sculptural voluptuousness on a stretch wool flamenco dress with a cascade of feathers, the hoods of draped or corolla dresses and the leather corset belts highlighting the waist with modernity on a denim jumpsuit. Leather babouches with ankle jewellery and sculptural heeled mules echo Alaïa’s passion for sculpture and Mulier's interest in contemporary art. A beautiful artistic duality, it's reminiscent of the collaborations between Alaïa and Lindbergh, whose exhibition we can still visit at the Paris-based foundation.
