Paris will host unique exhibitions celebrating the masters of haute couture.

Tunisian fashion designer Azzedine Alaia has always expressed great admiration for Christian Dior. His fascination with the French designer was so strong that he collected his works, among others, over the years. These will be the subject of an upcoming exhibition at La Galerie Dior in Paris from November 20 to May 3, 2026. Over one hundred pieces from the archives of the Azzedine Alaia Foundation will be on display. Simultaneously, on December 1, the foundation will open an exhibition at its Paris headquarters featuring works by both haute couture masters, showcasing how Dior's work influenced Alaia's.

" Azzedine Alaïa was one of fashion's most intriguing creators – an outstanding designer and passionate collector who meticulously collected works by the most distinguished haute couture creators. Dior creations hold a special place in his collection," we read in an official statement.

The Azzedine Alaïa Foundation houses approximately 600 pieces . More than 100 of these will be presented for the first time at La Galerie Dior.

"The exhibition will highlight Alaïa's admiration for Christian Dior and his successors, from Yves Saint Laurent to John Galliano," the announcement reads.

Archival project by Azzedine Alaïi at one of the exhibitions License: B. Lenoir / Shutterstock

This admiration began when Alaia was still a teenager. When he first saw the work of the founder of the New Look in a fashion magazine, he was captivated. In 1956, upon arriving in Paris, he completed a brief four-day internship with his master. Interestingly, when Dior fired the disgraced John Galliano, Alaia declined the offer to replace him as creative director. This demonstrated his passion for creating, but on his own terms.

Alaïa set up his first atelier in his small apartment on rue de Bellechasse in 1979. There, he designed clothes for celebrities while continuing to delve into the secrets of his craft and study the clothes of the greatest designers.

In 1980, he created his first ready-to-wear collection. He distinguished himself from others not only for his tailoring but, above all, for his aversion to the increasingly spectacular nature of catwalk shows. He preferred a small, select audience. He willingly opted out of the frenetic schedule of fashion weeks and the creation of several collections a year. Since 1992, he hasn't presented at any of them. This pressure and rush, in his opinion, kills creativity and the spirit of art.

"If I don't have a piece of cloth in my hand and a girl in front of me, I really don't have many ideas," he explained.

The collector's spark ignited in him in 1968, when Cristóbal Balenciaga decided to close his fashion house. It was then that Mademoiselle Renée , who had worked alongside the Spanish maestro for decades, worried about the fate of his creations, called the Tunisian with a proposition: he could select several creations and remake them in his own style.

More important, however, was respecting the mastery with which Balenciaga designed. Instead of altering the garments to his own liking, he chose to preserve them unchanged, also recognizing in this his own calling as a collector.

"A few months before his death, Azzedine Alaïa fondly recalled that moment, which awakened in him an awareness of the importance of fashion history. Despite his means, initially limited and then increasingly accessible as his career unfolded, Alaïa quickly became a collector eager to preserve everything," said Olivier Saillard, fashion historian and director of the Foundation.

Dior creations exhibition at La Galerie Dior License: Lila Louisa / Shutterstock

Standing as a guardian of fashion and its history, he frequently participated in auctions, snatching up the most appetizing morsels, constantly expanding his archive, which now numbers nearly 600 items. He protected the works of designers from oblivion, but he treated fashion with equal devotion, moving with the times, collecting the works of contemporary designers.

“In many ways, and more often than expected, Alaïa saved names and costumes from destruction and oblivion,” Saillard added.

Alaïa died in Paris in 2017 at the age of 82.