A FOR ALAIA
On 18 Rue De La Verrerie, you can find La Librairie – the new Maison Alaïa bookstore which is located within the late couturier’s Parisienne town house. Since the November of last year, this aesthetic agora acts as the omniscient protagonist for the life and times of Azzedine Alaia. As well as acting as a sartorial shrine for the Parisienne pilgrims, this multi-purpose space also hosts a café and social space as well as an enviably stocked atelier cum book space.
Managed by Alaïa’s twin sister Hafida, each shelf of the shop is packed with treasures from the Alaïa’s family’s private collection. You can expect to see rare works from the fields of photography and fashion. These it alongside the more personally referenced tomes from artists and collaborators who held personal significance for him.
“Everything is unique, one-off, or very rare, difficult to find. It makes the place a destination and also gives a sense to the bookshop, because Azzedine was a collector… It’s nice to have a bookshop where young people can come and pick up something inexpensive, and where collectors can come and find something special.” – Carla Sozzani (Lifelong Friend Of The Family)
Having recently been renamed the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation, this association will continue to publish his much loved books on art, photography and fashion. One such sought after tome focuses on Alaïa’s much publicised kitchens, his favourite social space which he often referred to as ´the heart of his world. ´ This offering is sweetly juxtaposed by another publication which tells the story of the captivating history of Maison Alaïa which is reputed to be launched at the end of 2019.
After the passing of the revered couturier on the November of last year, the impact and passion of his colossal legacy for the industry still continues to resonate across every fashion publication worldwide. Now, thanks to those that he loved and trusted the most, his vision and talent will continue to live on for generations to reference and refine.
Article: Charles Daniel McDonald
Photography: Azzedine Alaïa Foundation
