The simplicity of a wooden crate, upturned in the corner of a room. The subtle complexity and strict workmanship in the box joints. The design is spartan, never crude, barely embellished save for the rich stain.

This is the object with which Tunisian-born designer Azzedine Alaïa chose to represent his vision, photographed by Mario Palmieri for A#3.

Alaïa is revered amongst his contemporaries and followers as a master of the feminine form, for his body-conscious designs that celebrate a fierce sensuality. His work is precise, streamlined and sits always just out of the spotlight of mainstream and trend-based fashion. This seems reflected by his chosen talisman – sitting askew from the wall and softly lit, while all the time casting a long shadow.

Obscure? Yes, but so seems the man himself.