As the age old saying goes, the early bird gets the worm. Alaïa has announced that Pieter Mulier will be debuting his first collection for the brand on the eve of Paris Couture Week, kicking off a season that will be highly celebrated as the world attempts its slow and steady reemergence from the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is also the first Alaïa show since the brand’s namesake founder Azzedine Alaïa died in 2017. This also marks Mulier’s first solo show after years spent being the right hand man of designer Raf Simon during his various creative director stints at Jil Sander, Dior, and Calvin Klein.
Alaïa will be presenting both its ready-to-wear and couture collections at the same time for the upcoming season as they rethink the seasonal model. Azzedine Alaïa himself was known for rejecting the traditional fashion calendar.
In addition to the return of Alaïa to the Paris Couture calendar, Balenciaga will also be presenting its first couture show in 53 years under the creative directorship of Demna Gvasalia.