Style Icon Farida Khelfa to Auction 200 Items From Her Fashion Archive

PARIS — Farida Khelfa, muse to designers including Azzedine Alaïa and Jean Paul Gaultier, is having the mother of all closet sales.

The model-turned-director will auction off 200 items of clothing, accessories and shoes from her archive, which stretches back to the ’80s and reflects a career at the forefront of Paris fashion, in roles ranging from runway model for Thierry Mugler to couture director at Gaultier and brand ambassador for Schiaparelli.

“I feel a deep emotional connection to clothes,” Khelfa told WWD.

“They represent practically my whole life in fashion, from the very beginning to the present day. In a way, parting with them feels like saying goodbye to someone very close. It’s never easy, but sometimes letting go is important for your mental health, and I really like the idea that they will continue to be worn by others,” she said.

Around half the items come from Khelfa’s hoard of Alaïa pieces. They include her treasured leopard print calf hair coat, a black velvet evening gown and a cream goat hair jacket, as well as a bodysuit and short-sleeved jacket from Alaïa’s groundbreaking 1991 collaboration with discount retailer Tati.

Khelfa credits the late designer, who was also an avid collector of vintage fashion, with teaching her how to take care of clothes.

“I spent years with him archiving his entire collection — not only his own designs but also the pieces he acquired,” she explained. “With that background, I’ve developed a deep respect for preservation, and I handled my own wardrobe with the same level of care.”

Khelfa took advantage of a house move a few years ago to have all her pieces cleaned and archived, transferring many to a storage unit outside Paris. She pulled some for a photo shoot last year, triggering the idea of a clearance sale.

“When I saw everything I had accumulated, I started freaking out about becoming a hoarder,” she confessed. “I thought to myself, I’m not going to take them to my grave.”

Several museums have already expressed interest in acquiring some of the pieces, which also include designs by Gaultier, Schiaparelli, Hermès, Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin and Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, among others.

Khelfa recalled personally working on a top embroidered with jet beads from Gaultier’s spring 2012 haute couture collection, which she wore to the launch of the designer’s Scandale fragrance.

“When I was at Jean-Paul Gaultier, I loved spending time in the embroidery workshop,” she said. “I would often head there in the run-up to a show to decompress, and I would end up joining them in the work. Everything is always so calm there, it feels almost like meditating.”

The online sale, held by Maurice Auction, will run from Nov. 20 to Dec. 11, with half the proceeds going to French nonprofit RIACE, which helps refugees, including unaccompanied minors.

“I was born in France, but my parents came from Algeria. They crossed the Mediterranean in the hope of building a better life for us, fleeing a country marked by war and poverty, so I’m convinced that if we welcome people with dignity, if we support and stand beside them, it’s hugely beneficial for French society as a whole,” she said.

Reflecting on her own journey from the working-class suburb of Les Minguettes to the Paris runways, she described her relationship with designers as a two-way street.

“They helped me, supported me and loved me, and I loved and supported them in return. I believe my presence was creatively enriching for them: the way I dressed, the way I carried myself — the whole package. Supporting designers isn’t necessarily about offering ideas; it’s about being a source of inspiration,” Khelfa said.

Most recently, she was thrilled to walk in Willy Chavarria’s spring 2026 show.

Having said that, she feels ready to shed some baggage after lifting the lid on her traumatic upbringing in her memoir “Une enfance française,” or “A French Childhood” in English, published last year.

“It’s incredible how we can hold on to things for so long, and then suddenly feel ready to let go. It’s a relief, in a way. I wouldn’t say I’m cutting ties with the past entirely, because the past lives within us, but I’m letting go of some ties that I find overwhelming,” she explained.

“I published my book a year ago, and that was a very important step for me in terms of giving an insight into my private self. I suppose this is a kind of continuation: now, I’m opening up my personal wardrobe. And honestly, it feels good,” she said.