Mind Meld
Town & Country|September 2017

As famed editor and gallerist Carla Sozzani brings her bold retail concept to the U.S., she and her friend, the singular designer azzedine alaia, discuss the future of fashion, runway selfies, and the luxury of time.

Mind Meld

Carla Sozzani: You have spoken often about the necessity to take one’s time in today’s fashion. Can you explain why?

Azzedine Alaïa: People are no longer able to create properly. They have to put out four collections a year, even more. No one can create under those circumstances. No one can achieve something new. Painters can’t show new work every six months; writers can’t write books every two months. That’s the reason we see the emphasis on vintage. Recycling what others have done before takes very little time. Today’s designers are forced to do that.

CS: But how can we find this kind of time today?

AA: It is important to always make the time to work the way you work, to do things your own way. Young designers have the energy and the ardor of youth, which is fantastic. But one needs to work, and keep working, and still work better, with no stopping. That will always remain.

CS: Define influence.

This story is from the September 2017 edition of Town & Country.

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This story is from the September 2017 edition of Town & Country.

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