Time flies, trends come and go, but one thing forever remains – our love for all things Alaïa is beyond infinite. Any opportunity to experience the world of the master couturier one more time, and we’re there in a heartbeat. Hence why we’re booking our tickets to Paris as we type. At 18 Rue de la Verrerie in the 4th arrondissement, in Monsieur Azzedine’s old home, there sits a wonderland of all things Alaïa. A Gallery space, the atelier as well as the brand’s own boutique – this is the home of L’Association Azzedine Alaïa, founded in 2007 by its namesake with the goal to preserve his work’s heritage as well as his large collection of art and design. Since its establishment, the Association has worked with several cultural institutions in bringing the Alaïa story to every corner of the world. But now, the focus is back on Paris and the founding grounds of the brand heritage as the courtyard of 18 Rue de la Verrerie turns into the first ever Alaïa Bookshop.
Dedicated to Monsieur’s love of design, art, furniture, photography and architecture in addition to fashion, the bookshop is filled with literary gems that are somehow connected to his work, as well as a wider selection of topics including the history of fashion, exhibitions and works by and about other artists featured at the Gallery. On the wall, overseeing the space like a guardian angel is the portrait painted by Julian Schnabel, capturing the much-loved man and his positive aura everyone (including our Editrix Sophia) still talks about to this day. There’s rare copies of out-of-print titles covering marble table tops found by Mr Alaïa at a fish market, and surrounding the space is the furniture collected by the man himself through his years of travels. In short – this is the definitive window to Azzedine Alaïa’s world, an opportunity to meet the genius all over again and take home a piece of that masterful puzzle. Are we there yet?
Association Azzedine Alaïa bookshop is now opened at 18 Rue de la Verrerie, Paris. Photographs by Andrea Aversa.
