In Conversation with Carla Sozzani the founder of Fondazione Azzedine Alaïa

Carla Sozzani: Well, first of all, the book is the mirror of the exhibition we’re having at the Foundation right now, which is a parallel between Christian Dior’s work and Azzedine Alaïa’s work.

The idea came from the fact that Azzedine is very well known for being an amazing couturier, but he also had a huge collection of the masters of this profession that he collected over the years, and Christian Dior is one of them.

Azzedine actually started collecting Christian Dior before the Dior archives started collecting themselves. They started in 1987, while Azzedine started in 1968. He was always obsessed with Christian Dior, because when he came from Tunisia to Paris, it was to do an internship at Christian Dior. It didn’t last long, but it left a huge impression on him.

Seeing the atelier, the petites mains, the people, the craftsmanship, all of this became an example of what he wanted to become. He always said, “I’m not a designer, I’m a couturier.” He wanted to be timeless and to reach that level. And he became one of the best.

So it became natural to create this parallel.

The Dior archives were also incredibly generous. For two years, they worked on the archive of all the pieces we have, taking pictures and dating them. So right now in Paris there are two exhibitions. At the Dior Gallery, there is an exhibition of around 150 pieces from Azzedine Alaïa’s collection. And at the Fondation Alaïa, we have an exhibition that presents a parallel between the two couturiers.

No, it expands across the collections. There are even some Saint Laurent pieces in it.

What is interesting is that there are many pieces with very tiny waists. He probably purchased those from models or mannequins from fashion shows. And there is everything, from daywear to evening wear, short and long, tailored jackets. It’s a very large collection, around 600 pieces.

No, Azzedine never really met Christian Dior.

He did an internship there, but it only lasted a few days, and Dior passed away shortly after. So he saw him, but we cannot say he knew him. It was more that he was looking up to his work.

I think there are many similarities, not so much aesthetically, but in their integrity and in the way they worked. They both had a desire to achieve perfection.

Christian Dior is the pure couturier, and Azzedine wanted to become the best couturier. He was searching for perfection all his life.

If you look at aesthetics, there are also some connections. The tiny waist was very important for Azzedine. The ballerina-like dresses appear in both Dior and Alaïa. Also the use of nude color. Dior used it a lot, and Azzedine often had nude underlayers in his evening dresses and even nude packaging.

Of course, they went in completely different directions. There are about 30 years between them, and society changed a lot in that time. But both created something new. Dior’s 1947 collection was a revolution, and Azzedine also created many revolutions in his career, especially in how he shaped the image of a modern woman who is both beautiful and comfortable.

For me, it means they were not listening to others. They had their own point of view, which is very rare. They did not change their vision for other people. They followed their instinct.

They also lived very dedicated lives. You cannot be a great couturier without working a lot and dedicating yourself completely. They were not very social.

Yes. They wanted to make women beautiful. They did not want to make themselves the most important. The woman was the most important. That is what I mean by integrity.

It is. Very rare.

Yes, things have changed a lot in the last ten years. It is more difficult to have the time to dedicate yourself completely.

In the past, people like Dior or Balenciaga lived like artists. They dedicated their lives to their work. Azzedine, even in the 1980s, could have become very social, but he never left his studio. He preferred to work at night and perfect his patterns.

For them, it was not work. It was life. You cannot say Picasso was working all the time. He was living. It is the same.

We were friends for 40 years and never had a fight. We worked together, traveled together, and had fun together.

For the first 20 years, we were just friends. Then from around 1990, we started working together until he passed away. It was a long friendship. He was the most faithful person I ever met.

He used to call me ma sœur, my sister.

When I was arriving in Paris, he would tell his team, ma sœur, my sister is coming.”

I think I am very curious, like Azzedine was. I am fascinated when I see creativity, especially free creativity.

It becomes something I want to share. If I can translate it into a book or help in some way, I do it. I admire people who have pure creativity and who are ready to sacrifice for what they believe in. From that admiration, everything else comes.

I like to share emotions. The emotions I feel when I see beauty or certain choices.

I do not like to share my private life, but I like to share my emotions. I think I want to create a kind of community of people who share the same values and understand each other. It is a need for communication.

A lot of it is instinct. But also flexibility.

Sometimes you plan something, and then something else comes. You have to be open to that. Every day something new can happen.

Azzedine used to say that he woke up in the morning asking himself what he was going to learn that day.

Yes.

(Laughs) I leave that to my daughter.

Yes, but it is a long process.

I always tried to have peace in my choices, in my work, and in my private life. I never wanted to rush or be driven by anxiety. I wanted to believe in what I was doing.

When I was 29, I had a very serious car accident. For two years, I had many operations. That time allowed me to think about what was important to me and what I wanted in life. I wanted to be serene.

Life is not always easy, but I always try to choose what I believe in, because that gives me peace of mind. Sometimes there is turbulence, but you have to find peace within that. It comes from your mind.

Exactly. You have to find peace even in the turbulence.

Yes. Dreams are fundamental.

Thank you.