When the Tunisian designer Azzedine Alaia died four years ago, there was much talk of who was capable of stepping into his visionary shoes. Now after spending the intermediate years mining Alaia's archive for new collections, the company can finally answer that question.
Step forward Belgian designer, Pieter Mulier.
While this is his most high profile appointment to date, Mulier has extensive experience he can bring to the role. Having worked along side Raf Simons for years, Mulier was key to Simons's eponymous menswear line, before following him to Jil Sander.
When Simons joined Dior for women's ready-to-wear and couture, Mulier went with him, and then onto Calvin Klein, where he was named second-in-command. However, Mulier did not join Simons on his recent move to Prada, sparking speculation of what he might do next. Now, with the announcement from Alaia's parent company, the luxury group Richemont, comes confirmation that Mulier is stepping into the limelight in his own right.
"It is an absolute dream to join this prestigious maison, its beautiful ateliers and its talented team," Mulier wrote on social media of his new appointment.
"Azzedine Alaia's powerful vision has served as an inspiration, as he always sought to give the necessary time to innovative and enduring creation.
"It is with tremendous sense of admiration and responsibility that I will seek to carry forward his legacy of celebrating femininity and to jointly shape the future of this legendary maison."
He starts his new role on Monday, February 8 and his first collection will be for spring / summer 2022, to be unveiled later this year.
Born in Tunis, Tunisia in 1935, Azzadine Alaia moved to Paris to open his couture house in 1980, and quickly became a key figure in fashion for his bandage dress, among other pieces. Thanks to its clever construction, it wrapped and supported a woman's body to spectacular effect, and made him a household name. A prestigious worker, Alaia refused to revisit a design once finished, instead preferring to constantly move forward. This approach meant that he left behind a vast archive.
He also famously refused to follow the fashion calendar, instead only releasing a collection once he deemed it ready, regardless of time of year.
Alaia was also possessed of an almost-fanatic attention to detail, as a result of which he had a hands-on approach for every part of a garment's journey, from first sketch through to final fitting. Mulier has also earned a reputation for detail, as demonstrated in the 2014 documentary Dior and I, about Simons' time as creative director.
Whether Mulier is a designer to rival the status of Alaia waits to be seen, however, having new ideas and a new approach at the house would undoubtedly please the founder, who never took his eye off what was coming next.
