Azzedine Alaïa: The Couturier, Design Museum

The legendary fashion designer Azzedine Alaïa is the focus of a blockbuster retrospective at Design Museum London this May. Before his untimely passing last November, the master couturier was co-curating an exhibition of his work with guest curator Mark Wilson.

Celebrating his innovative vision and creative process over the past thirty five years, Azzedine Alaïa: The Couturier features 60 samples of the designer's work – all chosen from the Azzedine Alaïa archive by the designer himself – and a prestigious collection of specially commissioned architectural works by contemporary artists and designers. The much-deserved and long-overdue retrospective spotlights the exacting craftsmanship, scrupulous attention to detail, and ground-breaking creativity that made Alaïa world famous.

Celebrated for his mastery of cut, his sculpted sexy dresses, his use of innovative shapes and materials, as well as his love of the female form, Alaïa was one of the last great twentieth-century couturiers.

Born in Tunisia in 1940, Alaïa was inspired by the style of his twin sister. Desperate to develop his budding artistic talent, Alaïa lied about his age to study sculpture in Tunis. He went on to produce his first ready-to-wear collection in 1980 and sky-rocketed to fame following his first supermodel-strewn show later that year.

Naomi Cambell in Azzedine Alaïa

Alaïa has been the subject of multiple fashion exhibitions around the world, and has designed bespoke dresses for everyone from Grace Jones to Naomi Cambell. Credited with kickstarting the young model's career at the tender age of sixteen, Naomi and Alaïa remain inextricably linked.

Alaïa hit the international press last summer for his couture comeback, which saw the top model open and close his final show. The news of his sudden death triggered a flood of heart-warming and poignant tributes, of which Naomi's will go down in history: 'Azzedine was able to transform a woman’s body into something special; make you look great and still feel like a woman. He captured the essence of femininity. But beyond his work as a designer, from the second day I met him, he became my papa.'

Azzedine Alaïa: The Couturier will serve as a fitting tribute to a much-loved and admired industry legend.