Inside Azzedine Alaïa’s Dior Collection at La Galerie Dior

La Galerie Dior is inaugurating a new chapter this season by showcasing a unique exhibition of Azzedine Alaia’s personal Dior archive, in collaboration with the Azzedine Alaia Foundation.

Photo Credit: Adrien Dirand

The exhibition showcases over one hundred pieces from his private collection, presenting a comprehensive examination of his extensive study of Christian Dior and subsequent designers.

Alaia's association with Dior dates back to the inception of his career. He arrived in Paris in the mid-1950s and temporarily worked in the ateliers on Avenue Montaigne, an experience that left a lasting impression. He was captivated by the design of Dior's shapes and the nearly architectural methods that rendered the gowns vibrant. Over the decades, he discreetly commenced assembling couture, creating an exceptional archive that currently encompasses over six hundred Dior pieces maintained by the Foundation.

Photo Credit: Adrien Dirand

Within La Galerie Dior, the exhibition delineates the principles that characterized the early House as perceived by Alaia. The collection emphasizes the accuracy of the line, the intensity of volume, the discipline of construction, and the variety of textures and fabrics that influenced Dior’s progression from Christian Dior to Yves Saint Laurent to John Galliano. It provides an intimate perspective, viewed through the lens of a couturier who comprehended its intricacies from within.

The Azzedine Alaia Foundation is concurrently showcasing a complementary exhibition at its Paris venue. The designs of Christian Dior, curated by Alaia, are displayed alongside Alaia's own creations, illustrating a conversation between the two couturiers and the enduring impact of the New Look on his oeuvre. Alaia's short tenure at Dior in 1956, characterized by the meticulousness and fervor of Dior's atelier, imbues the collaboration with additional significance. Approximately thirty Dior pieces from his own collection are displayed alongside a comparable quantity of his own creations, illustrating how those early influences persisted and informed his couture methodology, from his body-sculpting techniques to the craftsmanship behind his tailoring.

The combined presentations form a reflective narrative of heritage and reverence, demonstrating how one designer's vision can resonate within another's artistry years later. The Galerie Dior exhibition is scheduled from November 20, 2025, to May 3, 2026, at 11 rue François Ier. The Azzedine Alaia Foundation's exhibition commences on December 15, 2025, at 18 rue de la Verrerie, and will continue until May 3, 2026.