PERFECT PAIRING: A new exhibition in Paris shines a light on Azzedine Alaïa’s collection of 25 Shiro Kuramata works and how they relate to his fashion.
Their similarities are striking, as one takes in the juxtapositions of the two late designers’ creations at the Fondation Azzedine Alaïa.
“We’re doing this Alaïa Collectionneur series, where we put in parallel Azzedine’s work with other masters, and we had never done design before,” explained Carla Sozzani, who co-curated “Alaïa/Kuramata: Lightness in Creation” with Olivier Saillard.
“But he loved Kuramata and had a huge collection,” continued Sozzani, who called the Japanese designer’s wife about the idea — and the rest is history.
Shiro Kuramata designs shown next to Azzedine Alaïa fashion.
Photo by Stéphane Aït Ouarab / Courtesy of Fondation Azzedine Alaïa
The show opens with Kuramata’s “Cabinet of Curiosities,” a translucent acrylic cupboard with fluorescent details dating from 1985, next to a dress with similar hues that Alaïa made for spring 1983.
“They talk together, in a way,” Sozzani said.
Kuramata’s “Revolving Cabinet,” an ascending, rotating pile of red acrylic rectangles, stands by Alaïa fashion.
“Olivier thought — and he’s absolutely right — that it was perfect with the 1986 collection,” said Sozzani, referring to a red acetate knit top and skirt on display from that season.
“Drawers was an obsession with Kuramata,” she added. “It’s like keeping all the little secrets.”
The designer’s “Pyramid Drawer Unit,” of black extruded acrylic, is another prime example.
Kuramata’s pieces are all ethereal. He is quoted as saying: “My strongest wish is to feel free of all gravity, of all ties. I want to float.”
“It’s all about floating,” concurred Sozzani, turning to the two-seater sofa made of metal mesh, as an example. Its airiness is reminiscent of Alaïa’s iconic laser-cut creations.
A cracked glass table is paired with a black-and-white strapless dress with a print echoing the fissures.
“The work is super poetic,” Sozzani said.
The dress Azzedine Alaïa created for Jessye Norman.
Photo by Stéphane Aït Ouarab / Courtesy of Fondation Azzedine Alaïa
One flight up is an installation that pays homage to France in the run-up to the Olympics. Next door to Alaïa’s former atelier is the dress he designed for Jessye Norman to wear as she sang “La Marseillaise” during the commemoration of the French Revolution’s bicentenary, in 1989. There, a photo hangs of the designer and singer, and a video loops of her celebratory performance.
“Alaïa/Kuramata: Lightness in Creation,” which opened Monday, will run at the foundation through Jan. 12.