An Homage to Alaïa: The King of Cling

On this day two years ago we lost one of the greatest visionaries of our time. Tunisian fashion designer and couturier Azzedine Alaïa rose to fame in the 80s, renowned for his brutally honest take on fashion and the industry and for his dismissal of the industry’s strict and demanding fashion week schedules, creating his masterpieces without such pressures.

On the anniversary of his passing, SHOWstudio looks back on some of the most iconic moments in his career.

Alaïa's relationship with model Naomi Campbell is perhaps one of fashion’s most treasured friendships. At just 16, a young South-Londoner, Campbell was new on the fashion scene when she met the designer who would sky-rocket her career and become a father figure in her life for over 30 years. Campbell’s ‘Papa’, as she affectionately refers to Alaïa, took her under his wing and even had her move into a room in his house during her teenage years. Campbell became an icon of the house of Alaïa, consistently appearing in his catwalk shows and campaigns, and opening and closing what would be the couturier’s ultimate show. Campbell held a special place in the heart of Azzedine Alaïa, amongst his eclectic elected family, watching over her as if his own. 'In the beginning, Naomi just slept on a mattress. But she would escape through the window to go out clubbing with other girls. So I put her in the room above mine to keep an eye on her', Alaïa told The Independent in 1998.

Another of Alaïa's famed friendships was that of Jamaican singer and model Grace Jones. In 1987, Jones arrived at the French Ministry of Culture’s Fashion Oscar Awards in a hooded magenta version of Alaïa's famous ribbon dress, on the arm of the designer himself. The striking silky dress became an iconic moment in fashion history, preserved in the archive before appearing in a retrospective exhibition of Alaïa’s achievements in Paris in 2013.

Alaïa went on to create the wardrobe for Jones as May Day in the 1985 Bond film A View to Kill, resulting in his award for the Best Creator of 1985 at the Fashion Oscars. Their endearing friendship endured throughout his life, with Jones even carrying the designer on stage to receive the Best Collection of the Year at the 1984 Oscars de la Mode.

At the 2015 Oscar Awards ceremony mouths were left agape when Lady Gaga appeared on the red carpet in a custom-made Alaïa shimmering gown that trailed behind her with exaggerated shoulders and red gloves. Until this moment Gaga’s fashion was somewhat bemusing to others, note that famous meat dress, but this dress not only marks an iconic moment in the fashion history of Gaga, but was also the first piece Alaïa had designed specially for an awards show. The designer also created three stage looks for Gaga including semi-sheer black gown with flowing train, and a billowing halter neck dress.

A collection that stands out when thinking of the work of Azzedine Alaïa, is his Autumn/Winter 1991 collection. Nicknamed the 'King of Cling’ in the mid 80s Alaïa introduced his ‘body-con’ stretchable silhouette that accentuated the bust and cinched the waists. This design is prevalent in the collection, as is his use of leopard print and furry trims. The height of modernity and sexuality, at the time his body-con was revolutionary and based on his knowledge of tailoring and fabric. This image of his supermodel gang, i.e. Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Naomi etc. clad in looks from his A/W 1991 collection is without a doubt one of his most iconic visuals.

Muse and friend of Alaïa, Algerian former model Farida Khelfa was introduced to the designer by photographer Jean-Paul Goude in the 1980s. An iconic moment that sprouted from this friendship was a series of photographs taken by Goude, showcased at the So Far So Goude exhibition in Milan in 2016, one in particular Khelfa shared on hearing the news of his passing - a black and white photograph from 1985 of a statuesque Khelfa embracing Alaïa.

Known for his fierce independence, Alaïa abandoned the imposed time restrictions of fashion week by the industry to create his work in his own time and show when he was ready. However, after a six-year hiatus the designer announced he would return to the schedule to showcase his Fall 2017 Haute Couture collection.The show, which would be his last, took place in July of 2017 at his atelier in the Marais neighbourhood of Paris and saw his beloved Naomi open and close, his work met with unmitigated praise from industry guests.

Of course, for many what springs to mind when hearing the name ‘Alaïa’ is that moment in 90s cult rom-com Clueless, when Alicia Silverstone’s character Cher is being held at gunpoint and is asked to lie on the ground to which she retorts ‘oh no you don’t understand this is an Alaïa!’ - a ‘totally important designer’.