Is Alaia’s First Denim Collection Actually a Recession Indicator?

There are few fabrics more democratic than denim, but Alaïa has never seemed particularly interested in democracy. Precision, yes. Sensuality, always. Practicality? That’s newer territory. And yet, with the launch of its first dedicated denim collection, Alaïa makes a compelling case that jeans are no longer an off-duty fallback. 

Under the direction of Pieter Mulier (as one of his parting gifts with the house before he steps down as creative director), denim has been reframed as a ‘second skin,’ engineered to hol...