Films & videos
My maternal grandfather brought me to the cinema when I was 10 years old; he dropped me off for the first screening at the Ciné Soir, which was run by one of his friends. Sitting on a folded seat, I stayed there until the last showing. I saw the films four times! I started by taking an interest in the general image of the film, then in the sets, then in the costuming, and then finally wondering what role I could play…I tried learning the dialogues by heart. I was singing…I was dancing… Azzedine Alaïa
Azzedine Alaïa’s fascination with the seventh art stems from a particular period during his youth when he would frequent a local cinema owned by a friend of his grandfather. He would see the same films on repeat, sometimes four times in a row, and remembers being fascinated by Rita Hayworth in a red lace dress as well as Silvana Mangano in Riz Amer with her shorts rolled up: “In Tunis, I was used to seeing beautiful girls. But when Silvana Mangano walks into the rice field with her shorts, it’s the height of chic. "
Years later he would meet Arletty, whom he had dressed in the 1960s and with whom he formed a deep friendship. He would also eventually meet Greta Garbo - memories that would stay with the couturier throughout his life.
Throughout his career, he himself has been the subject of reports, documentaries, and various films. Here you will find a selection of these works.