Tunisian wins fashion prize

Press, 25 October 1985, Page 6

Tunisian wins fashion prize

NZPA-Reuter Paris The Tunisian-born designer, Azzedine Alaia, was named as the best designer of 1985 at France’s First Fashion Awards gala spectacular yesterday at the Paris Opera House. Claude Montana received an award for presenting the best spring-summer collection for 1986 at ready-to-wear fashion previews that were completed earlier yesterday. The Japanese designer, Issey Miyake, was honoured for the best foreign collection presented in Paris this year. John Fairchild, publisher of the American trade magazine, “Woman’s Wear Daily,” received an award for having done the most to enhance the world-wide prestige of French dressmaking. A jury awarded special citations to the designers, Sonia Rykiel, and Alaia. The jury also gave awards to Pierre Cardin and Yves Saint Laurent for their contributions to

French fashion. The selection of Montana, Alaia, and Miyake was determined by votes cast by about 1300 journalists from 37 countries who attended the ready-to-wear previews this week and last. The gala at the Paris Opera House yesterday was a glittering Hollywood-style production, film-clips showing the designers at work in their studios. Film stars were also present — the French actress, Catherine Deneuve, a devoted customer of Saint Laurent’s, presented the designer with his award, and the American actress, Cher, clad in a Montana creation, announced the best designer of the year. The French Federation of Ready-to-Wear Fashion Designers and Creators, which sponsored the awards, also paid special tribute to three giants of French fashion of the twentieth century — Christian Dior, Christobal Balenciaga, and Coco Chanel.