In the midst of the noisy fray of luxury fashion brands, Alaïa is the quiet exception. After all, Tunisian-born Azzedine Alaïa’s eponymous brand does not hold seasonal fashion shows, is rarely featured in fashion magazines, does not have a website and is certainly not concerning itself with creating a Twitter handle to give short, timely updates of its goings-on. Nonetheless, if this seems to suggest that all is quiet on the Alaïa front, one best think again – the label, first founded in the 1970’s, remains to this day one of the most coveted brands to fashion insiders.
Meticulous attention to construction and workmanship, coupled with a refined understanding of the female form, are the central tenets of Mr. Alaïa’s vision. His form-fitting designs belie his early years studying sculpture at Tunis’ Ecole des Beaux Arts. Through the pondered use of exclusive materials and signature techniques – from hidden boning and corsetry, to laser-cut snakeskin, the softest kid leather, and Alaïa’s trademark double knit silk or wool jersey – the body is at times compressed and flattened. The Alaïa color palette is classic and restrained, resulting in the focus lingering on the incredible construction – ultimately completely enhancing the wearer.
This expert interplay between the conservative, demure elements and those provocative compressions and curve-fitting details inject an underlying tension to Mr. Alaïa’s work. In the words of Joan-Juliet Buck, Mr. Alaïa’s aesthetic is that of “a sober, stern, highly sexual nun,” and never crosses the line into vulgarity.
The uncompromising dedication to quality, innovation and creativity is without question the driving force behind the Alaïa business. By ensuring that product excellence always remains the focal point, Mr. Alaïa has consciously rejected valuing success only as a measure of financial profit. This has allowed for the brand to remain very true to itself, making seemingly unusual choices by today’s standards.
The recurrent theme which runs through these decisions seems to be a carefully implemented “brand inaccessibility”:
• In an industry defined by the ubiquitous designer scrambling to complete his collection ahead of a big, brassy catwalk show, Mr. Alaïa chooses not to join the fray. Instead, each new collection is presented only to a small retinue of buyers and press, within the intimate confines of the designers’ Marais atelier. Most tellingly, the presentation will only take place once Mr. Alaïa deems it is ready – this past season, ten days after the last Paris week catwalk show!
• The way the Alaïa brand is distributed also reiterates this sense of inaccessibility. The retail operation is limited to one gallery-like space on the raised ground floor of a quiet Parisian street, discretely announced by a small “Alaïa” sign above the door. The space is airy, scattered with large, visceral Julian Schnabel canvases among tidy monochromatic racks of dresses and neat piles of shoe boxes against the wall – a far cry from cookie-cutter custom-built fittings found in luxury flagships the world over.
• Meanwhile, the wholesale operation is limited to the upper-echelons of luxury fashion retailers – such as 10 Corso Como in Milan, Browns in London, or Bergdorf Goodman in New York. These are stores that carefully manage their desirability, conveying a rarefied and exclusive world and casting themselves as eclectic fashion curators of sorts.
• The Alaïa price-point remains largely inaccessible to most, registering on average 30% higher than other designers. Additionally, the Alaïa price architecture seems to be happily devoid of “entry level” price products, such as moderately priced wallets or perfume offerings designed to entice the less-affluent luxury consumer.
• Finally, marketing activities seem to be few and far between – both on and off-line. While it is true that not all fashion brands invest in off-line advertising, the lack of even a basic website reads like a clear statement of strategic intent – reserving Alaïa for those in the know,
This strategy – if it can correctly be called that, as by all accounts it is simply the result of Mr. Alaïa’s wish to control the integrity of his brand – aligns the Alaïa brand more with purveyors of “hard luxury” such as luxury watchmakers and luxury car manufacturers. Indeed, in 2008 Maison Azzedine Alaïa was part-acquired by Compagnie Financiere Richemont, joining an impressive roster of hard luxury brands such as Jaeger-Le-Coultre, Piaget and IWC Stauffhausen, as well as Chloe, Alfred Dunhill and recently, Net-a-Porter.
In Alaïa’s case, it is particularly interesting to witness the “hard luxury” approach within a fashion company, given that many fashion brands have opted to go down a more accessible path. Perhaps Alaïa’s example may give emerging fashion designers a refreshing role model to follow in articulating their business plan?
Author: Ceci Guicciardi
Copy Editor: Gina Conforti
