Among the frequent guests his gatherings was supermodel Naomi Campbell, who not only credits Alaïa for much of her career successes, but considers him to be a dear friend and father figure . In a 1998 interview with the Independent, Campbell says she referred to Alaïa as "Papa," likening their close-knit friendship to a father-daughter relationship. "Azzedine saw something in me and taught me to have confidence. I didn't know how to do runway when I started modeling, but he believed in me," said Campbell, who first met the designer when she was 16-years-old and living in Paris. "That brought attention from other designers, and is kind of how I became known — because other designers heard of this little girl Azzedine was working with."