After ditching catwalk calendar, Alexander Wang feels ‘liberated’

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NEW YORK, Sept 19, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – American designer Alexander Wang is
showing his line when he wants, not when Planet Fashion schedules a series of
catwalk shows. He has launched a new handbag collection with luxury label
Bulgari.

The style wunderkind-turned-industry power player, who is based in New
York, says he feels “very liberated” in a world where reinvention is part of
the game.

“I’m actually very excited that our industry is changing so quickly,” the
35-year-old Wang told AFP. “It pushes you to try new things and to step
outside your comfort zone.”

Wang has been a staple of the fashion landscape for nearly 15 years. He
launched his brand at age 21 and unveiled a complete womenswear collection
two years later.

“I always say that I take my work very seriously but I don’t take myself
very seriously,” he said in an interview. “It’s crazy how fast time has
passed. I still feel like every day is like when I first started.”

But since last year, the California native — who did a stint as the lead
designer for Balenciaga — has bucked the system, showing his work in June
and December, each time about three months before the regular Fashion Week
shows.

“The old method isn’t working anymore and everyone has to find their own
way of interpreting that,” he said. “Everyone is allowed to try different
things. It’s acceptable to be disruptive.”

That’s how he sees his new collaboration with Bulgari: a new definition of
luxury, which evolves to remain relevant.

“If this (collaboration) was done maybe 10 years ago, it would have raised
a few more eyebrows,” Wang said, “But today, it’s accepted that two very
different brands can talk together.”

– ‘Sinful woman’ –

Wang, easily recognizable with his mane of long jet-black hair, has
created a line of handbags for Bulgari, the Italian jewelry brand that has
gradually expanded into watch-making, accessories and hotels.

The limited-edition collection, which will formally launch on September 23,
is a reinterpretation of the snakehead-adorned Serpenti line first launched
in 2012.

Wang said his work on the collection began during a trip to Rome, when he
visited the Bulgari archives to see the original Serpenti pieces.

“What was this customer about?” he asked himself.

“And this idea of the sinful woman really struck another chord.”

As “the creative juice started flowing,” Wang said he wanted to create
something “timeless” but also practical, so he made sure the bags had extra
pockets and could be easily carried.

– ‘What are we trying to say here?’ –

Wang, who has always embraced a combination of high and low fashion in his
work, liked how his modern fashion sense could combine with Bulgari, an
storied brand with a different way of thinking.

“The point of a collaboration is to create something new and to push the
boundaries on how people could view two narratives becoming one,” he said.

Wang’s high-low aesthetic is now dominating the fashion world, with the
reinvention of sportswear affecting everyone up to the biggest names in
European luxury.

“There’s an appreciation for other kinds of brands and ways of dressing and
ways of talking about creation and creativity that weren’t as celebrated
before,” Wang said.

His collaborations with other brands — he has also done capsule collection
for Adidas and Uniqlo — have been a way to learn about other corporate
cultures and looks, he explained.

“I’m not the kind of creative that lost myself into a room and sketched for
a week and passed it off to them. That’s not how I work,” Wang noted.

“I’m always someone that likes to get people together. I like to have
conversations, to have dialogue, to have direct feedback.”

Since abandoning the traditional Fashion Week calendar, Wang — whose
parents are from Taiwan — has looked to his family’s roots for inspiration,
delivering more personal collections in the last 18 months.

He emphasized his desire for his work to have a “very strong point of view”
and a “purpose.” “I say that every day to my design team and the people that
I work with,” said Wang.

“What are we trying to say here?”