Alaa Opens the Doors to a SANAA-Designed Paris Flagship
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In the 1950s, Tunisian couturier Azzedine Alaa moved to Paris to enter the world of fashion. After design stints at Dior and Yves Saint Laurent, he opened his first atelier in 1979. Run out of his Parisian apartment, the clothes he designed for the likes of Greta Garbo were synonymous with exquisite tailoring that accented the female form.Almost 50 years later, Paris remains the capital of couture, and Maison Alaa is still one of its key players. Its only fitting for the houses new flagship would be located at 15 Rue du Faubourg Saint Honor, a winding strip in the citys 8th arrondissement affiliated with high style, which also hosts Herms, Bottega Veneta, and Alexander McQueen stores.A sculpture reminiscent of dentistry crowns a Ron Arad table.15 Faubourg Saint Honor completes a trilogy of sorts, with each of Alaas three Parisian boutiques representing a distinct facet of the brand. In collaboration with Alaas creative director Pieter Mulier, the latest store was designed by architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of Japanese architecture firm SANAA. This past year, the studio known for Grace Farms and other bold works won the prestigious 2025 Le Prix Charlotte Perriand, an honor recognizing their visionary contributions to modern architecture and design. We are honored to have had the opportunity to work with Alaa on the design of this new boutique, the duo tells AD. It is a space of soft boundaries and gentle reflections that wraps and unravels around visitors like a second skin, dissolving into a field of objects as people move up through the layers of the project.Tubular rooms in tongue-pink tones punctuate the interior.The idea of second skina barrier, a shield, something intimate, indecent, or familialis integral to Alaa, a key part of the houses design language. Soft, sculptural forms and signature curves define the couture created since the 80s. The new flagships interior evokes this concept through tongue-pink tones and other nudes in the houses repertoire of colors. On the ground floor, four transparent tubular rooms are each dedicated to a distinct range of clothes and accessories. In these glass rooms, time stands still, and products become a sort of specimen. Visitors peek in and feel almost indiscretethey are now involved in an exhibitionist display.
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