Pieter Mulier On His Debut Alaïa Collection
As his new capsule launches, PIETER MULIER talks about the honor of becoming the iconic French brand’s first appointed creative director – and how he’s evolving the house codes. By GRACE COOK
“Nervous.” That’s how Belgian designer Pieter Mulier describes feeling prior to taking up the creative mantle at Alaïa – the French brand founded in 1980 by couturier Azzedine Alaïa, who passed away in 2017. “I grew up with images of Alaïa as a student. Alaïa made me dream of the perfect world of fashion.”
Mulier is referring to photographs of Alaïa that capture the special relationship the designer cultivated between himself, his muses and the clothes. In some pictures, he’s flanked on the runways by models with visibly beaming smiles; in others, he’s captured standing on tables, personally pinning and fitting gowns. Alaïa was so beloved by the industry that Naomi Campbell fondly called him papa.
It’s hardly surprising, then, that Mulier – who spent decades as Raf Simons’ right-hand man – would be nervous. After all, Alaïa is a brand steeped in history, known for its razor-sharp focus on fit and the female form, plus an insistence that every woman feel special in its dresses. Taking the helm was a poignant endeavor.
“It’s a big job,” says Mulier, whose vision of what life could be like as a designer was informed by such photography, “especially because Mr. Alaïa did everything himself – he cut the patterns.” But Mulier needn’t have worried, because the familial ethos created by Alaïa lives on in his legacy. “From the moment I stepped in, the family of Alaïa embraced me,” says the creative director, whose debut winter/spring collection for the label launches this month. “The beauty of Alaïa is inside Alaïa. It’s in every product that comes out of the house. We all have our hands on it.”
“All my friends who wear Alaïa say they feel confident. It’s easy to wear. It makes your body feel different. It makes you hold yourself differently
”Pieter Mulier
First unveiled in Paris earlier this year, Mulier’s debut for the house delves into the brand’s codes, offering a “minimal” take to repurpose it for the modern age. “I wanted to explain to the younger generation what Alaïa is,” he says. This has culminated in a collection of pull-on-and-go pieces that offer an easy, feminine sensibility and need no accessorizing – think sleeveless turtleneck midi dresses with exquisite fringing that would be perfect paired with a cocktail at sunset, or diaphanous black dresses that are ideal for the forthcoming party season.
The razor-sharp approach to tailoring has also been applied to denim jumpsuits and slinky, structured knits as well as oversized blazers: these are Alaïa pieces to wear every day, on repeat. Signature fabrics, like leather and cotton poplin, have wound their way onto sculptural mini dresses and button-up shirt dresses that offer a day-to-dark versatility when paired with jeans.
After more than a year of at-home wear, comfort is key, too. A dressy take on the athleisure legging is an easy choice for on-the-go days, while chunky waist belts are crafted from elastic, rather than leather. “It’s not restrictive – you can wear it all day,” says Mulier.
One of the most fundamental codes he wanted to maintain, however, is instiling “confidence”. “That’s the most important,” he says. “All my friends who wear Alaïa say they feel confident. It’s easy to wear. It makes your body feel different. It makes you hold yourself differently.”
There is, he says, something special – and so fundamentally Alaïa – about making a woman feel her most beautiful self. “No one talks about beauty [in fashion] anymore. But at Alaïa, it makes sense.”
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