A year after his comeback on the sidelines of the Paris couture schedule, Azzedine Alaïa launches a return of his label in the triangle of Parisian luxury. Buoyed by the brand’s steady cult following of an international clientele, it will open a private store located in one of Paris's hôtel particulier on the rue de Marignan, just steps from the Avenue Montaigne.

The designer has enjoyed the support of the Richemont group since 2007, coinciding with the creation of Foundation Alaïa. He has not opened any boutiques for decades. His dresses and accessories enjoy top-shelf success at stores such as Barneys New York, Net-A-Porter, Lane Crawford or Harvey Nichols. The Financial Times reported that the house plans to set up a showroom and see clients by appointment only, as is already the case in Alaïa's apartment-atelier in the fourth arrondissement.

The autumn-winter collection 2011/2012 marked the return of Alaïa to the couture calendar

Since the designer's heyday in the 1980s and 1990s and a stint with the Prada group between 2000 and 2007, it was known that Alaïa was holed up in his studio in the Marais, but that he has been working on a comeback for several seasons. Alaïa's retail renaissance comes just when it is no longer unusual to see the designer front row at Paris runway shows, such as Dior by Raf Simons most recently.