Azzedine Alaïa Has Passed Away: The Fashion Industry Mourns a Legend

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 18 November 2017

The fashion world mourns a legend today, with the news that the Tunisian-born couturier Azzedine Alaïa has died at the age of 77.

Famous for his precisely cut dresses that celebrated the female form, he was known for flouting the traditional fashion system, and achieving world renown on his own terms.

Largely known for his close relationships with iconic models such as his "adopted daughter" Naomi Campbell, Alaïa's admirers spread far and wide and include influential designers such as Alber Elbaz, Nicolas Ghesquière and María Grazia Chiuri, as well as modern icons including Michelle Obama, Grace Jones and Tina Turner.

Alaïa enjoyed a unique level of cult-like fame, rivalled only by the likes of Rei Kawakubo and Martin Margiela. Known for being a notorious perfectionist, and affectionately dubbed the "king of cling," he was born to wheat farmers in Tunisia where he later studied sculpture, a background that would later surface in his work.

Azzedine Alaïa prepares with others for a show.

Alaïa would go on to begin a career in fashion in Paris where he eventually joined the team at Christian Dior for a short-lived stint at the house. Work with Guy Laroche and a string of private society clients followed. "From two seasons at Guy Laroche, I learned how. From the last elegant women in the world, I learned what," he once said.

Azzedine Alaïa surrounded by women at a party

Alaïa's fervent fan base grew from there, as women sought him out for his sexy, sculptural work that highlighted the body, rather than concealed it.

A female model poses in an evening dress.

He was particularly famous for his iconic shows of the Eighties and Nineties, which often featured the original Supermodels Naomi Campbell—whose career he helped build after unofficially "adopting" her at the age of 16—Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista.

Meanwhile, his dinner parties in Paris were famous experiences unto themselves, mostly because one never knew what famous faces would be in attendance. Guests ranged from the pop-culture A-list (Rihanna) to fashion elite (Rei Kawakubo).

The couturier made headlines this past July when he returned to the Paris catwalk to present his first couture collection in six years, re-awakening his loyal fan base while gaining new followers through the frenzy his return created on social media. Alaïa had planned to open a shop in London in 2018.

Kenya Hunt is the Fashion Director of Grazia UK. Her career spans working for some of the media world's most influential women’s titles on both sides of the Atlantic, from her post-graduate days as an assistant editor at the seminal magazine Jane to her years as Deputy Editor of ELLE UK. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, The Evening Standard, Vogue, and other publications. She has made a number of appearances on BBC Woman’s Hour, Sky News, and more. An American based in England, she lives south of the river in London with her husband and two sons.