The Azzedine Alaïa Foundation, housed at 18 rue de la Verrerie – where Alaïa lived and worked – is devoted to preserving his collections and life’s work. Its exhibitions offer viewers the chance to witness the precision of Alaïa’s cuts up close, where details and craftsmanship often lost in photographs and videos come alive in person. The way fabric hugs the body, the sculptural quality of a perfectly tailored suit, the seamless blend of structure and sensuality: these elements are best experienced in the physical presence of the garment.
In the current exhibition, Azzedine Alaïa, Thierry Mugler: 1980/1990—Two Decades of Artistic Affinities, curated by Olivier Saillard, that experience takes on a new dimension. Once great friends, with Mugler even playing a pivotal role in encouraging Alaïa to establish his own brand, the exhibition positions the two designers in a joint retrospective lens. By placing their work in direct conversation, the show reveals not only their shared era, but a nuanced creative dialogue. What emerges is a portrait of two designers with radically different aesthetics, yet a deeply similar mission. Both used clothing to empower women, crafting a vision of femininity that resisted the patriarchal archetype of the submissive, stay-at-home ideal. Their approach to fashion was not merely decorative; it was political. Alaïa enhanced the body’s natural lines with subtle mastery, while Mugler exaggerated and reimagined them, offering a fantasy of hyper-femininity.
But if Mugler is often remembered as the architect of the power suit—of sharp shoulders and high glamour—this exhibition also uncovers a softer, more everyday side of his work. It reframes Mugler not only as a theatrical futurist, but also as someone engaged with real women’s lives and bodies. His designs were not always about spectacle; many pieces reveal ergonomic tailoring and unexpected intimacy. Seen next to Alaïa’s meticulous construction, Mugler’s work takes on new warmth. The exhibition delves into their mutual influences, the synchronicities in their work, and their shared creative spirit. Yet, they never merged into one another; instead, they maintained their individuality while deeply appreciating each other’s artistry. Mugler once reflected on their differences, saying, “My clothes are less abstract, more in touch with reality. The body feels more at ease in them, and his are something more striking… I think that with me, Azzedine Alaïa has been able to free himself—to move towards suits with more ergonomic, sinuous lines.” This was not merely professional admiration but a rare and sincere friendship in an industry often driven by ego and competition. Mugler confided in Alaïa, previewing collections before they were shown—a gesture of trust and creative kinship. He even allowed his lifelong muse and collaborator, Zuleika, to join the Alaïa family, further intertwining their artistic worlds.
Walking through the exhibition, visitors witness how both designers constructed entire universes around their work. The staging of the garments, the interplay of light and shadow, and the careful juxtaposition of silhouettes show how their visions coexist. While Mugler projected outward, creating women who looked like chrome-plated goddesses from the future, Alaïa turned inward—carving quiet elegance from restraint. Two different expressions of power, two sculptors of the female body, both believing in her agency. At a time when fashion is often dictated by algorithms and fast trends, this exhibition offers something else entirely: a return to intimacy, to storytelling, to substance. And at its core, it is about women—not just as muses or consumers, but as collaborators, protagonists, and icons. Mugler and Alaïa didn’t just design for women. They listened to them. They admired them. And they built legacies that honored their strength, complexity, and beauty.