This fall, La Galerie Dior and the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation will present the first-ever double exhibition in Paris, marking a historic partnership. The spotlight will be on Azzedine Alaïa, a devoted collector of Dior and a designer who held deep admiration for the maison’s aesthetic.
Alaïa’s Secret Collection
Throughout his life, Alaïa built an extensive archive of couture creations. Among them, the most significant is his collection of approximately 600 pieces related to Christian Dior. Today, these works are carefully preserved by the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation, and more than 100 of them will be unveiled to the public for the very first time.
The exhibition at La Galerie Dior will run from November 20, 2025, to May 3, 2026. Alongside creations by the founder himself, the presentation will also feature pieces by Dior’s successors, including Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, and John Galliano.
A Dialogue Between Two Masters
Beginning December 1, 2025, the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation in Paris’ Marais district will open a complementary exhibition. Around 30 Dior designs collected by Alaïa will be displayed side by side with a similar number of his own creations. Having worked briefly at Dior’s atelier in 1956, Alaïa carried vivid memories of its rigorous atmosphere. This exhibition will explore how the “New Look” shaped and inspired the vision of the French couturier of Tunisian origin.
Both exhibitions are curated by Olivier Saillard, director of the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation, in collaboration with Gaël Mamine.
“Christian Dior’s models testify to the relentless quest that Azzedine Alaïa had unwaveringly set his heart upon. In search of the mysteries of dresses and the delicate structures that make vaporous petticoats ‘stand up,’ he skillfully brought together the objects of his adolescent dreams,” Saillard explained.
Two publications will accompany the exhibitions. The catalog for La Galerie Dior’s exhibition, Azzedine Alaïa’s Dior Collection, featuring essays by Laurence Benaïm, Alessandra Ronetti, and Olivier Saillard, will be released by Rizzoli on November 19. In December, Damiani will publish Azzedine Alaïa and Christian Dior, Two Masters of Couture, coinciding with the Alaïa Foundation’s show.
About La Galerie Dior
Located at 30 Avenue Montaigne, La Galerie Dior opened in March 2022 as a space dedicated to art and memory. Since then, it has welcomed more than one million visitors. Through models, original sketches, photographs, archival documents, accessories, and exceptional pieces, the gallery offers a journey into the very essence of Parisian haute couture, from Christian Dior’s founding vision to the present day.
La Galerie Dior is open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (closed on Tuesdays), with last entry at 5:30 p.m. The gallery is closed on January 1, May 1, and December 25.
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