Three words I would describe Alaïa with are
architectural,
empowering
and sexual.
Hello, Pieter, thank you so much
for inviting us into Alaïa boutique in Paris.
Congratulations on everything you have achieved at Alaïa
so far as the creative director.
What did Alaïa mean to you before you joined the house?
Well, I grew up with all the images of Alaïa,
when I was a student.
It made me dream of, like, the perfect world of fashion, basically.
There’s something modern about this house now, again.
Obviously, you’ve been making magic
behind the scenes in fashion for several houses…
Yeah.
How does it feel to step in to Alaïa as creative director?
It’s a big job.
Yes, it is! It is a big job.
I was very nervous when I entered the house
and the months before I was extremely nervous
because of the heritage,
because of the images,
because of the fact that
Mr Alaïa did everything himself – he cut the patterns himself;
I mean, he did everything himself.
So, from the moment I stepped into the house
I wasn't nervous anymore.
The family of Alaïa embraced me;
actually, the beauty of Alaïa is also inside Alaïa.
Every product that comes out of the house,
with the name Alaïa on,
we all have our hands on it.
It’s pure, and that’s what I like about it.
How did you then approach designing your debut,
this spring/summer ’22 collection?
I wanted to explain to the younger generation
what Alaïa is,
in a minimal way – if I can use minimal with all of this,
because actually it’s not minimal
Just how do you explain in a seven-minute show
and in one collection
the codes of Alaïa to the younger people?
Especially when there’s people who have loved it for generations
who are also looking at it, too.
Now, because if you dissect the brand,
and if you dissect the 40 years, there’s so many codes
in the house already that,
for me, it was important that
the first one was about the codes.
But when you see these clothes on the streets,
something happens,
with the combination of perfection and chaos
– together, it works very well.
How do you want women to feel, wearing your clothes?
Confident – that’s the most important.
All my friends that wear Alaïa
always are confident in Alaïa.
Because I feel with Alaïa, as soon as you put it on,
you’re going out-out.
True.
See you on Monday morning.
From Friday morning to Monday morning...
that’s a good one!
But it’s true, and it’s easy to wear;
it makes your body different.
It makes you hold yourself different, it’s true.
…and aware of parts of you that you weren’t not necessarily before.
Completely. It’s like, for instance, for me, I love to wear suits –
I never do, but when I wear a suit, I also stand up.
It’s completely different. Alaïa’s a bit the same.
When you change your body like that, you do feel more confident.
Completely.
Yeah, I certainly feel much more confident
than I did when I came in in my jeans and jacket.
Really?
But the dress that you are wearing, for instance –
we added an elastic instead of the leather band,
so it’s not restricted also.
You know, you breathe, you can move.
Breathing I find is always handy.
Breathing is very important.
But it holds yourself – I mean, you can wear it the whole day.
So it’s things like that that we worked on.
I was going to ask you, the five pieces
from Alaïa that you feel like every woman should own.
The white shirt –
that, for me, it’s one of the most beautiful,
because I also think that a woman is very sexy in white poplin,
So the white shirt; jacquard knit;
shoes also, the clog…
Yeah...
I love that shoe.
The tailoring,
because we always talk about Alaïa as a dress-maker,
but for me he’s a tailor above everything.
So, for sure, the suiting, and then all the viscose knit – all of it.
And all of those pieces as well are pieces
you’ll have in your wardrobe forever...
Yes.
They’re like future heirlooms already.
I mean, it’s like amazing when you put a white shirt on, from Alaïa,
and it just pulls everything together,
like any other white shirt doesn’t seem to be able to do.
There’s real magic in the clothes.
I agree. I mean, he loved poplins,
so white poplin’s really one of the
most important fabrics here, for me.
And there’s something about Alaïa, even in this dress,
it makes you kind of sit up, taller.
Completely.
Yeah. It just feels like you kind of need to honor the clothing.
It’s so nice not slouching after
being slouched over my desk for like two years.
I’m really enjoying this.
My mum would be very pleased with me.
She would!
There’s something rare about talking about beauty
because nobody does it;
nobody does it
and here it really makes sense to talk about just beautiful things.
It’s refreshing for me to talk about it, to make it,
with the atelier, but it’s refreshing.
You nailed it.
Aw, thank you so much.
Thank you!
That was amazing – I could speak to you all day.