5 Things To Know About Alaia
2015 marks the launch of enigmatic French couturier Azzedine Alaïa's first-ever fragrance.
Here are the 5 things you need to know about his eponymous new scent and why we love it.
Alaïa Paris will be available exclusively at Woolworths from 4 - 31 August 2015.
Alaia started his career as a sculptor
Born in Tunisia in 1939, Azzedine Alaïa studied sculpture at the Ecole Des Beauz-Arts in Tunis.
In 1960, he left Tunisia for Paris to pursue a career in fashion design. By 1970 he had opened his first atelier in Rue de Bellechasse; in 1980 he presented first Paris collection and achieved overnight fame for his body-conscious, feminine designs.
In 2007, the long-celebrated brand was acquired by the luxury Richemont group, with aspirations to build on AlaÏa’s legacy and create a global luxury brand.
Alaïa is the fashion house's first-ever fragrance
While other fashion houses have long been known for their fragrance collaborations, Alaïa held out until 2015 to launch his beauty vision.
In his own words, “My perfume is my vision of the Alaïa Woman; my perfume is my vision of what a perfume should be."
The fragrance was born out of an unusual inspiration
The couturier says that the scent was inspired by a childhood memory of his grandmother "throwing cold water on the sun-scorched walls in Tunisia."
Created by perfumer Marie Salamagne, Alaïa Paris is described as a resolutely modern creation with both cool and warm notes. This translates to an intoxicating combination of pink pepper, freesia, peony, animal notes, and musk; true Alaïa mystique.
The fragrance was created for the 'Alaia woman'
Who, then, is the Alaïa woman?
Alaïa himself defines his vision of this woman in the following terms:
"The Alaïa woman is a woman with a capital W, a woman in all her majesty.
A woman above women.
A sacred woman.
A timeless goddess."
The fragrance bottle has an interesting story
Crafted by multi-talented designer Martin Szekely (who has designed everything from Olympic podiums to special edition Heineken glasses), the bottle is a tribute to the Alaïa aesthetic.
Enrobed in sleek black glass, the bottle features rows of trademark geometric Alaïa motifs and an opulent gold lid, which was designed to resemble a golden spool of thread. The box, also part of the Alaïa vision, features the brand's trademark nude hue, which is intended to evoke the sensuality of bare skin.
In Alaïa's own words: “Black and I are one”