A relationship between two great designers is certainly one to be honored. With this in mind, it’s only natural to pay tribute to the great Balenciaga and Azzedine Alaïa, and count the story that brought them together through a fashion exhibition called “Alaïa and Balenciaga: Sculptors of Shape”.
It all started in 1968, when the great Cristobal Balenciaga decided to close his Maison. Concerned about the remaining stocks of fabrics and dresses that would be of interest to no one at that time, the house’s Vice General Director Mademoiselle Renée invited Azzedine Alaïa and gave him the opportunity to choose freely from a selection of the Spanish designer’s works to recreate them and give them new life. So astonished by their architecture and technical prowess, Alaïa kept them intact to ensure that the masters that came before him would not be forgotten. Just before he died, he counted this story with fondness. In fact, it was this Spanish genius that he loved the most, coveted the most and cherished the most.
This exhibition, which will run until June 28th, will highlight the timelessness of these designs along with the marvels of Alaïa. Around 80 silhouettes are on display for the first time together, as the mastery of cuts fully blooms. In this dialogue of Haute Couture, the two creative minds are honored upon the wish of yet another genius that fashion can’t forget, Hubert de Givenchy.
