R.I.P: Azzedine Alaïa Has Died In Paris At The Age Of 82

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Above image: Naomi Campbell on the catwalk at the Azzedine Alaia show, Runway, Fall Winter 2017, Haute Couture.

PARIS — Azzedine Alaïa, the iconoclastic couturier, who rose to fame in the ’80s and ’90s passed away in a French hospital on Saturday, at the age of 82.

The famed designer was born in TunisiaAlaïa attended the École des Beaux-Arts in Tunis, and moved to Paris in 1957, where he soon went to work at Christian Dior as a tailleur. His résumé included positions at Guy Laroche and Thierry Mugler.

He quickly became a wardrobe favorite of celebrities, supermodels and people in the fashion industry. Alaïa became known as the “King of Cling” for his flattering knit garments that molded to the body of the wearer.

After launching his namesake label in 1979, Alaïa quickly opened boutiques in New York and Beverly Hills; he was also a top-selling label for many of fashion’s biggest retailers, despite the fact that his insistence on controlling every step of the creative process sometimes meant deliveries were sporadic.

He always refused to participate in the standard fashion schedule, instead producing his collections at his own pace. Alaïa held intimate shows in his Paris headquarters off-schedule and weeks after the fashion editors, buyers, media and publicists left the city. In rejecting the official calendar, he created an aura around his clothes that made them only more desirable.

His last show, a couture collection presented in July of this year, was his first in six years and was incredibly well-received by the press.

Photos Credit: WWD

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Donovan

Donovan is the CEO and Editor-In-Chief of www.dmfashionbook.com. For all general inquiries please email don@dmfashionbook.com Donovan has a BA in Journalism & Media Studies from the prestigious Rutgers University. He's currently studying entertainment and fashion law.