Azzedine Alaïa. Photo: Gilles Bensimon
Late Tunisian couturier Azzedine Alaïa‘s Parisian home has become the subject of a new documentary, “Azzedine Alaïa, 18 rue de la Verrerie Paris.” Directed by Nathalie Plicot and narrated by French actor Isabelle Huppert, the 27-minute film gives a rare glimpse into Alaïa’s 4,000-square-meter home.
The documentary is part of a long-running series titled Une Maison, Un Artiste (A House, An Artist), which is currently airing on television channel France 5 until October 31. It explores not just his residence, but also the industrial buildings which Alaïa purchased in 1987 and turned into interconnected spaces in the Marais neighborhood. “The changing room is near the store, not far from the kitchen, which is under the studio, itself under the apartment,” fashion historian and Azzedine Alaïa Foundation director Olivier Saillard says on camera. “His body of work exudes all of this. It embodied by this coherence he gave.” Fondation Azzedine Alaïa president Carla Sozzani says, “If you wanted to find [him], there were two places: his studio and the kitchen.”
Azzedine Alaïa with Carla Sozzani. Photo: Getty
Expect to see the places where Alaïa lived and worked, such as his atelier which has been left untouched since his passing in 2017, the basement that houses his archives, as well as the now-iconic kitchen where he was known to host renowned names and muses like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Farida Khelfa, and Naomi Campbell.
Azzedine Alaïa with Naomi Campbell. Photo: Getty
The couturier’s life is also retraced through his quotes read by Huppert, interviews and photos of his team members and close friends including painter Christoph Von Weyhe, studio director Caroline Fabre Bazin, fitting model Ana Carolina Reis, and personal chef Ibrahim Soumaré.
While the documentary first aired on August 22, and then on August 28 on France 5, it will remain available on the public television’s digital platform France.tv. until October 21.
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