French-Tunisian fashion designer Azzedine Alaia has died at the age of 77. The couturier, who was famous for his figure hugging designs and work with the supermodel Naomi Campbell, passed away in Paris, France, his friend and colleague Carla Sozzani, confirmed to Women's Wear Daily on Saturday.
Alaia moved from Tunisia to Paris in 1957 and worked for Guy Laroche, Christian Dior and Thierry Mugler before founding his own label. His career took off in the 1980s, when he won a string of celebrity fans including Tina Turner, Raquel Welch, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Brigitte Nielsen and Grace Jones, who wore several of his creations in the James Bond film A View To A Kill.
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Azzedine Alaia passed away on Saturday
He later became an 'adoptive father' to Campbell, who he met when she when was 16 and starting out in modelling. The supermodel often stayed at Azzedine's home when modelling at shows in Paris. Describing her relationship with Azzedine in an interview with British newspaper The Independent, Campbell said, "He really taught me everything about the business, and also taught me even more important things about life - to be yourself, to do things with integrity and to do things from the heart."
Although he was a notable critic of fashion branding, and focused on dressmaking, in 2000 he signed a partnership with Italian fashion house Prada. He regained ownership of his fashion house in 2007. Lady Gaga, Michelle Obama and Marion Cottillard have also worn his creations.
