During his lifetime, Azzedine Alaïa was well-known for his hospitality. At Paris’ 7 rue de Moussy, the site of his home and atelier, he would host impromptu gatherings at his kitchen table, cooking for guests as his beloved Saint Bernard, Didine, would circle round his feet. Hosting everyone from supermodels to artists, musicians and writers, the intimate salons were his expression of curiosity and friendship.
‘My grandmother, Manou Bia, managed everything in our kitchen, and there was always an extra cutlery at our table in case someone would show up unexpectedly hungry,’ he once said.
Inside Alaïa’s new London café and bookstore
It is in this spirit that Pieter Mulier, the current creative director of the house, opens a new café and bookstore on the upper floor of the house’s London, Bond Street store. Set around a central aluminium table – encouraging ‘cultural exchanges and a spirit of conviviality’ between guests – the modernist interior plays host to Violet Cakes, the Claire Ptak-run bakery that was founded in east London.
Perhaps best known for the lemon and elderflower wedding cake she created for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Ptak is inspired by her native California and time spent at Alice Waters’ legendary Berkeley restaurant Chez Panisse. ‘Consistently informed by art and fashion, Violet has long served as a place in which to linger and create,’ states Alaïa of the choice.
Alongside, the third-floor space will also host a bookstore, curated by London-based Claire de Rouen, a longtime haven of rare art, photography and fashion books. The ever-changing roster of titles can be perused in the library-like space, which is populated with armchairs and a long table, like those found in reading rooms.
The new space completes the renovation of the gallery-like flagship, which has seen Mulier curate a roster of contemporary art to sit alongside his collections, including pieces by Sarah Lucas, Sterling Ruby and Marc Newson. It speaks of the Belgian designer’s attempt to define a ‘modern beauty’ at the house, ‘between now and then, between the past of Alaïa, and its future’, as he told Wallpaper* in 2022.
Alaïa, 139 New Bond St, London W1S 2TL.
