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A New Exhibition Dedicated to the Iconic Alaïa Has Opened in Italy

Azzedine Alaïa dressing Grace Jones for the 1985 Oscars de la Mode. Rex

He may have passed last November, but the legacy of Azzedine Alaïa truly lives on. In fact, a just-unveiled exhibition dedicated to the legendary Tunisian designer, which has opened during Fashion Week, pays tribute to his many works. Milan’s Palazzo Clerici is staging a limited-run display of the fashion icon’s works later to celebrate Alaïa’s iconic couture, charting his sartorial history from the ’80s until his last show in Paris during Couture Week 2017.

“Azzedine Alaïa Couture Sculpture” run until September 25 at the Italian venue, to coincide with the city’s Spring 2019 Fashion Week. The exhibition is curated by Olivier Saillard, WWD reports, and features 21 of the designer’s looks. Each piece sits on mannequins inspired by supermodel Naomi Campbell, the publication adds, as the catwalk icon and the designer had a famously close relationship (Campbell refers to Alaïa as “papa”). Saillard previously curated an Alaïa retrospective held in Paris earlier this year, a 41-dress display that featured works worn by stars including Campbell, Grace Jones, and Helena Christensen.

The exhibition is supported by the Azzedine Alaïa Association and Vogue Italia, and is not the only showcase dedicated to the designer running this month. London’s Design Museum is currently honoring Alaïa with a retrospective entitled “The Couturier”, which is on until October 7. Alaïa, who passed away in Paris after suffering heart failure at the age of 82, actually helped curate the London exhibition alongside Groninger Museum’s chief curator, Mark Wilson. Featuring commissioned pieces of design and sculpture by talents including Konstantin Grcic, Marc Newson, as well as Kris Ruhs, with whom Alaïa collaborated in 2015, The Couturier showcases more than 60 of the designer’s most famous form-fitting dresses.

Now Read: Chanel to Stage its First New York Show in More Than a Decade

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