One might assume the fashion industry is fuelled by the kind of rivalries—bitchy, bitter or both—that could be a fruitful source of plot line-inspiration for Succession. And while there's no denying it's a world of high drama, it should be noted that many of its designers either honed their craft under the mentorship of another—or, in some cases, became lifelong fans of their work.
Azzedine Alaïa was one such individual. The Tunisian designer, who passed away in 2017, was taught the basics of sewing by his sister, who herself was instructed in needlework by nuns, eventually going on to work under some of the most venerated creative minds of the 20th century before launching his own house of Alaïa. As his obituary noted in The Guardian: "In a business in which casual cruelty is the norm, he was kind; he helped newcomers, kept open house to a diverse, elective family at his Paris workshop, and ran a salon in the old French sense, as a meeting place for culture and cultures."
