Alaïa and Balenciaga: Sculptors of Form in Prato

The Museo del Tessuto in Prato hosts 'Alaïa / Balenciaga. Scultori della forma', an exhibition curated by Olivier Saillard, running until May 3, 2026. It brings together 50 master garments from the Fondazione Azzedine Alaïa in Paris and the Balenciaga Archives, plus 12 original drawings by Balenciaga (1950–1968). The show, conceived in 2020 at the Fondazione Azzedine Alaïa, was inspired by Hubert de Givenchy's wish to reunite the two couturiers after their deaths. Both Alaïa (born Tunis, 1935; died Paris, 2017) and Balenciaga (born Getaria, 1895; died 1972) shared a sculptural approach to fashion, treating the body as architectural form. Balenciaga, who opened his Paris maison in 1937, retired in 1968; Alaïa, after working at Dior, Guy Laroche, and Thierry Mugler, opened his atelier at 60 Rue de Bellechasse. The exhibition is structured around the color black, with 25 pieces by each designer. It includes a film by Joe McKenna and archival video from Balenciaga's 1960 and 1968 Haute Couture collections. The show highlights their shared ethics of craftsmanship and autonomy.