Alexander Wang is back, again.
The designer returned to New York with an intimate show at his SoHo boutique, renamed Garage. Upon entering, guests didn't know what to expect, but inside, a mix of car memorabilia and oddities set the mood: glass-topped tire tables, chunks of cars protruding from the walls, stacks of music speakers, beds solar panels and indiscriminate piles of money all over the smoke-filled room.
Before the models arrived, Wang's social media team roamed the space doing interviews for potential viral moments, asking guests about their first cars or how they might hitchhike.
Wang is about to mark 20 years in the business, after weathering sexual assault allegations and controversies in the United States and seeing rapid retail growth in China, but he is still chasing youth culture.
“The Garage was really inspired by this pervasive narrative of American heritage and greatness, reinterpreted through our lens,” Wang said via email of the setup. “The hybridization of the rugged, recycled material world of automotive culture and aristocratic opulence set the stage for this multi-collection story, which was more of a conservation between our brand codes and the legacy we have built.”
While curated, the runway included looks from resort 2025, leading up to fall and spring 2024, with no major difference between the three. The main line was definitely their Ricco bag, the contemporary version of the Rocco, the ubiquitous studded “It” bag from around 2009 that is an important part of their brand's legacy. The new version has already sold out quickly and is looking to seize the moment; Almost every model had a version.
“Along with the brand, I have grown a lot and my life looks very different than it did, like many of my clients,” said Wang. “This unisex silhouette offers universal appeal with its versatile features. To me, Ricco demonstrates a sense of timeliness over timelessness.”
Taking the idea further, the first section of looks took the iconic studs and covered everything including jackets, pants, shoes, earrings, necklaces and even headpieces. Studs on studs on studs.
Then came various denim ideas, baggy pants with patches, ripped super short shorts, cut-off and deconstructed jackets, all styled with thigh-high leather boots resembling shin guards, also features of the past, but revamped. There were also oversized charcoal sweatshirts, hoodies and outerwear, and origami leather folded dresses with white shirting details.
There was some performance art on the runway, with models charging their phones and chatting. One stopped in front of a fan, writhing to the end, when Team Wang member Omahyra, dressed in a white slit dress like a downtown fashion mummy, stomped past front-row guests Ice Spice, Tinashe , Honey Dijon and Kim Catrall.
Wang smashed a glass table while taking his bows, which seemed like a moment of defiance to potential detractors. Still, the American fashion landscape has changed since its heyday. Now, there are many brands that form an authentic community, something it was once known for, and the jury is still out on whether it will be able to build back the cool community it once reigned.
