On the occasion of its fiftieth anniversary, the Fondazione Museo del Tessuto de Prato, in collaboration with the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation, announces the exhibition « Alaïa and Balenciaga. Sculptors of Shapes », an exceptional project. Designed in 2020 by Olivier Saillard at the Alaïa Foundation in Paris, to meet the wish of Hubert de Givenchy to bring together two emblematic figures of French haute couture, this exhibition is presented for the first time in Italy at the Museo del Tessuto de Prato.
Produced in collaboration with the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation in Paris, chaired by Carla Sozzani, the exhibition « Azzedine Alaïa and Cristóbal Balenciaga. Sculptors of Shapes » has the support of the Embassy of France in Italy and the exceptional participation of the Balenciaga Archives of Paris, for a project of exhibition never before seen in Italy.
The idea of this exhibition dates back to 2020, to the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation, to the initiative of Hubert de Givenchy. A few months after the disappearance of Azzedine Alaïa (Tunis 1935 – Paris 2017) and decades after that of Balenciaga (Getaria 1895 – Jávea 1972), a great admirer of the latter and emblematic figure of classical fashion, Givenchy shared with the Alaïa Foundation the desire to bring together these two great talents, masters of the experimentation of forms and volumes, which have profoundly marked the history of fashion.
Twenty-five creations by Azzedine Alaïa, considered one of the last designers able to master each stage of the creation of a garment, from drawing to making, discuss with so many pieces by Cristóbal Balenciaga, in a timeless comparison.
In addition to clothing, the Textile Museum presents twelve original drawings of Balenciaga, dating from 1950 to 1968 and from the Balenciaga Archives in Paris. These drawings, some of which contain technical notes of clothing and samples of fabrics, are accompanied by as many original photographs of the clothes worn, precious and exceptional testimonies of the creative process of the Spanish designer.
As Azzedine tells us, when the House of Balenciaga finally closed its doors in 1968, then a promising young creator, it was asked by Mademoiselle Renée, the House's Deputy Director General of History, to select a collection of creations by Master Balenciaga. Only his hands can reinterpret and renew them without betraying them. The young Alaïa was so impressed by the shapes, the architecture of the cups and the technical mastery of each garment that he considered this encounter with Balenciaga's work as the starting point of his own career and personally collected his most emblematic pieces.
Both designers were passionate about sartorial construction and recognized for their perfectionism and craftsmanship. Balenciaga's research led to a perfect formal elegance, while those of Alaïa highlighted a precise sensuality. Balenciaga was a great innovator in forms and a creator of dress architectures, while Alaïa wrapped and sculpted the body as a second skin.
The exhibition is complemented by a film on life and work by Azzedine Alaïa, directed by fashion writer and designer Joe McKenna, as well as an unpublished video presenting the parades of the Haute Couture collections Summer 1960 and 1968 of Balenciaga, from the Balenciaga Archives in Paris.
Azzedine Alaïa and Cristóbal Balenciaga. Sculptors of shapes – 25 October 2025 – 3 May 2026, Museo del Tessuto, Prato – Italy