Azzedine Alaïa – Thierry Mugler 1980-1990 Exhibition

An exceptional event for all lovers of fashion and pop culture.

The exhibition Alaïa / Mugler 1980-1990, it is a dive into two major creative universes of the 80s and 90s. Two designers who, each in their own way, reinvented the feminine silhouette:

• Azzedine Alaïa, master of cutting, body sculptor and leather craftsman.

• Thierry Mugler, exuberant visionary, futuristic director and creator of spectacular silhouettes.

Between minimalist elegance and theatrical excess, their creations tell the story of an era when fashion dared to push all boundaries.

 To admire clothes that have become icons.

 To relive the crazy energy of the 80s and 90s fashion shows.

 To understand how fashion interacts with photography, cinema, architecture and even science fiction.

 To discover rare images, archive videos and exceptional pieces.

This exhibition is not just for fashionistas: it is also aimed at those who love beautiful human stories, art, design, and great creative adventures.

The exhibition follows a clear path, divided into four main themes which allow us to understand and experience the world of these two creators:

Here, the clothes are presented as works of art. Alaïa works like a sculptor, carving leather and knitwear to perfectly fit the body. Mugler, for his part, designs his creations as futuristic architectures, using metal, vinyl, and shiny materials.

Alaïa and Mugler share a common theme of celebrating the powerful, free, and conquering woman. For Alaïa, sensuality is discreet and elegant; for Mugler, it is flamboyant and confident.

Thanks to archived videos, we relive the excitement of the great fashion shows of the 80s and 90s. Alaïa favors intimacy, while Mugler transforms the stage into a grandiose spectacle worthy of Hollywood.

The clothes come to life through the lens of the greatest photographers: Helmut Newton, Jean-Baptiste Mondino, Peter Lindbergh… The photographs on display bear witness to the visual impact of their creations, which remains as striking today as ever.

Born in Tunis and trained at the Beaux-Arts, Alaïa arrived in Paris in the 60s. His approach is artisanal and precise. He spends hours on a garment, perfecting every detail. He doesn't follow trends: he follows his instinct, his artist's eye.

• His style? Minimalist, sensual, timeless.

• His favorite materials? Stretch leather, jersey, dense knit.

• His philosophy? Clothing should reveal the body, not hide it. For him, sensuality is elegance.

Stars love it: Grace Jones, Naomi Campbell, Tina Turner... They all find in it a garment that makes them feel powerful without ever confining them.

A former dancer with a passion for cinema and architecture, Mugler sees fashion as a total spectacle. His runway shows are true shows, with special effects, lighting, and gigantic sets.

• His style? Extravagant, futuristic, spectacular.

• His favorite materials? Vinyl, metal, PVC, sometimes even glass!

• Her vision? The woman is a superhero, a glamorous warrior, a modern goddess.

We owe him unforgettable silhouettes: insect-women, metallic Amazons, creatures straight out of a science fiction film. Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and Kim Kardashian would pay tribute to him decades later.

At Alaïa's, the fashion shows are confidential, almost secret. In 1986-87, he presented his Autumn-Winter collection in a Parisian apartment: soft lighting, zipped dresses, sculpted bodysuits. The eroticism is suggested, never forced.

At MuglerIn 1995-96, the Palais des Congrès became a spaceship. Models appeared like hybrid creatures: insect silhouettes, chrome corsets, superhero poses. Here, fashion was a pop and futuristic spectacle.

Two radically different visions, but the same desire to excite bodies and minds.

The exhibition also features numerous fashion photographs by some of the greatest photographers. Alaïa's work features understated, powerful shots, often in black and white. Mugler's work features images saturated with color, worthy of music videos.

There we meet the muses of the era: Grace Jones, Linda Evangelista, Farida Khelfa, Naomi Campbell… These strong women, icons of a time when fashion celebrated audacity.

Despite their differences, Alaïa and Mugler share a common vision:

 The woman is at the center of everything.

 Clothing is a manifesto.

 Fashion is a playground but also a space of freedom.

Alaïa draws his inspiration from ancient statuary, Mugler from comics and science fiction. Both shape the body as an artistic and social manifesto.

In the 80s, fashion moved from the catwalks to museums and cultural institutions. Jack Lang, then Minister of Culture, Alaïa and Mugler are no longer just couturiers, but artists in their own right.

Today, thanks to Olivier Saillard, historian and exhibition curator, their creations are recognized as major pieces of French cultural heritage.

The exhibition Azzedine Alaïa / Thierry Mugler 1980-1990 does not just exhibit legendary clothes: it also leaves a lasting mark through a exceptional catalog, designed as a real art bookMore than just a collection of images, this book tells the story of an era, a vision of fashion, a moment of limitless creativity.

The catalog project was born from a passionate conversation between Olivier Saillard, fashion historian and curator of the exhibition, and Jack Lang, former Minister of Culture, one of the first politicians to recognize fashion as an art in its own right in the 1980s.

Both share this deep conviction: Alaïa and Mugler are not mere couturiers, but artists who have left their mark on their time with their audacity and high standards. Their work deserves to be studied, passed on, and preserved as a major cultural heritage.

To give substance to this editorial adventure, the journalist and author Laurence Benaïm, a specialist in fashion history, was invited to write the catalog texts. Her precise and elegant style doesn't just analyze clothes: she captures the energy of an era.

In its pages, she evokes a period of "feverish years, years of fire," when Paris vibrated to the rhythm of electrified nights and catwalks like artistic performances. Alaïa and Mugler didn't follow fashion: they created a language, an aesthetic, and an attitude.

Benaïm captures the sensuality of Alaïa and the spectacularity of Mugler with equal attention. She highlights how both, each in their own way, liberated the female body, making it powerful and sovereign. Far from passing trends, their creations become declarations of love to the living, vibrant, triumphant body.

The catalog is not a simple exhibition souvenir, but a objet d'art in its own right. Its exceptional iconography brings together:

 unpublished archive photographs,

 iconic photos by Helmut Newton, Jean-Baptiste Mondino and Paolo Roversi,

 original sketches,

 views of the most legendary parades.

It also offers detailed analyses of the two designers' cuts, materials, and artistic and cultural inspirations. For example, we discover how Alaïa draws inspiration from ancient statues and how Mugler draws on science fiction and American comics.

The catalog alternates between analytical texts and sensitive narratives, historical documents and spectacular images. It is at once:

A reference work for fashion students, historians or professionals.

A beautiful book which we leaf through for the pleasure of the eyes.

An ideal gift for anyone interested in culture, design, photography and of course fashion.

The catalog is available:

 ,  Azzedine Alaïa Foundation, in Paris, in the exhibition bookstore,

 about specialist bookstores,

 at the price of € 50.

More than a souvenir of the exhibition, it is a lasting trace of two visionary creators, a dive into the years when fashion was a sacred fire, a total art. A book that reminds us that fashion can be much more than a garment: a work of art, a manifesto, a silent or flamboyant revolution.

Alaïa and Mugler didn't just dress women: they gave them armor, a visual language, strength.

• One through the precision of the gesture and the purity of the forms.

• The other through the excess of the spectacle and the flamboyance of the materials.

Their creations continue to inspire designers, artists, musicians, and film. From Beyoncé to Lady Gaga, from revisited archives to current runways, their influence is everywhere.

 An unprecedented dialogue between two cult creators.

 An immersion in the 80s and 90s, a decade of all excesses and all audacity.

 An artistic and pop look at fashion, accessible to everyone.

 Not to be missed for those who love fashion, art, beautiful human stories and timeless icons.