hyères 2005

For the 20th anniversary of the Hyères Festival, Jean-Pierre Blanc, who runs Villa Noailles, went to find Azzedine Alaïa, to ask him to be the president of the Fashion jury.

It is in the sublime swimming pool of the villa Noailles, an architectural jewel signed by Mallet-Stevens that the couturier himself staged an exhibition of twenty of his favorite outfits. A surprising dialogue between his sculpture-dresses and the architecture of the place.

" Endlessly imitated, never truly copied, Azzedine Alaïa is the most renowned of the contemporary fashion designers. His work continues to surprise, to inspireas much as awaken our imagination. Thanks to his technique, his art, his mastery of cut as an identity, the impact of Azzedine Alaïa on fashion resonates today with a particular pertinence. He is surely the last great couturier to be working exclusively on the body. A true scientist but at the same time a sculptor who manipulates the human forms."
Mark Wilson, curator at the Groninger Museum, Netherlands