Fondation Azzedine Alaïa & Palais Galliera Depot visits: Y1 MA Fashion Studies
During the last month, Y1 MA Fashion Studies students attended two important visits that will be of extreme importance to their future steps into the study program.
On the 9th of February for the course Fashion, Memory and the Politics of Heritage, students had the chance to visit Fondation Azzedine Alaïa. Guided by Professor Antoine Bucher, they carefully explored their exhibition space where the expo “Alaïa Afore Alaïa: The Genesis of a Style” is displayed. The alumna Ariel Stark-Ferré – currently in charge of the Archives and Heritage Department of the Fondation – introduced them to the exhibition and acquainted the class on Alaïa’s history as a fashion and art collector, something that, as she explained, influenced his work and the current exhibition.
However, the exhibition space wasn’t the only fascinating discovery of the day. Students had been welcomed in the renowned Fondation Azzedine Alaïa’s kitchen where Azzedine Alaïa himself, Carla Sozzani,Christoph Von Weyhe and many other influencing figures in Alaïa’s personal and professional life, used to discuss the further development of Alaïa’s legacy while dining together. Such an intimate approach to the legacy of the couturier, which will certainly inspire the students in the forthcoming semester, was recalled by the words of Benedicte Breton, executive administrator of the foundation. She described to the students the kitchen’s role as the pulsing heart of Azzedine Alaïa’s collaborative space of friendship and creativity. This image of familiarity will certainly stay with the students.
February 16th was the turn of Palais Galliera’s Depot. Curating Fashion students had the opportunity to dig into the archives of Le Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris guided by the professor and curator Laurent Cotta. The visit, taking place as part of an on-coming project concerning the fashion house Versace, allowed the students to observe pieces from the 1986 Versace exhibition ‘Gianni Versace: Dialogues de Mode des Photographes Autour d’une Création’. This exhibition represented a crucial moment for Palais Galliera in starting collecting contemporary fashion. Nine pieces from the exhibition have been welcomed to Galliera’s archives. Professor Laurent thoroughly explained the formal and historical characteristics of the pieces stored while the students could look at and examine the physical objects part of the museum’s collection. The students will soon have the chance to learn more about Versace and its legacy through a field trip in Italy.
guided by Professor Laurent Cotta.
Stay tuned to discover more about the trip’s destination and what the program is planning for MA Fashion Studies students by following our Instagram page ! MA Fashion Studies Instagram page