Azzedine Alaïa: L’Art de la Mode

Until October, you can enjoy an exhibition of remarkable couture by the incredible designer Azzedine Alaïa at The Savannah College of Art and Design. The renowned art and design university enjoys the idyllic setting of the medieval village of Lacoste, with incredible views over the lavender fields in the Luberon valley.

Azzedine Alaïa: L’Art de la Mode is now on at SCAD’s FASH Lacoste museum in Provence as part of the 20th anniversary of the University’s global location, SCAD Lacoste.

L’Art de la Mode presents 20 career-defining gowns, sleek suits, and stunning creations from the designer’s archives, showcasing Alaïa’s mastery of silhouette  and status as a virtuoso of cut and proportion. The exhibition is organised in collaboration with Olivier Saillard, who is the director of Fondation Azzedine Alaïa, Paris.

Alaïa was born in Tunisia and trained as sculptor at the École des Beaux-Arts in Tunis before moved to Paris in the mid-1950s where he worked for the house of Christian Dior. He honed his craft in the ateliers of Guy Laroche and Thierry Mugler, and then opened his Maison Alaïa in 1979. Soon, he had aptly been named the “King of Cling”. The most glamorous women sought his designs from Greta Garbo and Tina Turner to Naomi Campbell, Stephanie Seymour, and Cindy Crawford.

Olivier Saillard, Director of Fondation Azzedine Alaïa, commented, “Fondation Azzedine Alaïa is delighted to collaborate with SCAD for the second time, now in Lacoste, in an intimate format where the art of the couturier can be appreciated. Created for the public — and Alaïa enthusiasts — this exhibition flourishes from the eyes of SCAD students and all those who will appreciate the art of sculpting that the couturier expressed in his fashion.”

The previous exhibition celebrated the beloved Cuban-born American fashion designer Isabel Toledo and was curated in close collaboration with Isabel’s husband, artist and noted fashion illustrator Ruben Toledo.

SCAD FASH Lacoste is free and open to the public. For more information about SCAD Lacoste visit scad.edu/lacoste. Find out more the Alaïa exhibition here.