Alexander Wang is full of surprises. The brand, which recently moved its headquarters to a cavernous polished concrete space in the South Street Seaport, marches to its own pace when it comes to runway shows. Alexander Wang has been inconsistently off-schedule lately, which is a good thing. The designer has avoided the obligatory seasonal runway mentality and reserves the shows for big news and something to communicate.
On Wednesday in New York, which has become something of an ad hoc tourist week, Wang transformed his Grand Street store into his idea of the grandeur of a Ralph Lauren-style American mansion, but in line with his aesthetic, a garage Made from car parts and other junkyard treasures. The event, which the brand referred to as a stunt, was designed in collaboration with Crosby Studios to reinvent the store space.
The event was timed midway through the store's renovation and transformed the space, complete with a junk car hanging outside the side of the building, into a garage-themed display space built from scrap metal, such as fenders, grills, hubcaps , headlights, computer keyboards. , old car seats, engine parts like one floating in a fish tank.
Tanning beds and display seats made from leather-stuffed trash bags completed the space, random cables and tubes dripping from the ceilings. There were piles of counterfeit money scattered around the venue and showgoers were tightly guarding a table made of broken glass and tires. A smoke machine and orange spotlights added an eerie vibe. Fred would have liked this scene from the retro TV show 'Sanford & Sons' (IYKYK). Certain aspects of the fair will remain in the retail space until a full renovation is completed in the near future.
FashionNetwork.com spoke with Wang via Zoom the morning after the show, as the brand was putting the finishing touches on a collection film to round out the media value of the show production and communicate the message to a broader audience.
“The collections have a similar fluidity and thread: the Trap Stud, the deconstructed t-shirt, the primary leather and the denim. The idea of seasons and shipping dates is internal industry jargon; the common audience doesn't think about this.” ” Wang said, adding, “We still have a market four times a year, but when we do a show, no matter the season what the guests talk about is the funny things they saw or are entertaining us; we combine it with humor. and we hope they react by saying 'wait, that just happened'.
In fact, the runway was full of fun antics, thanks to viral social media doyenne Yulya Shadrinsky, who choreographed the models. A model/actor dressed as a disoriented but fashionable homeless man opened the show carrying handfuls of money. The models that followed stopped to stare or lick their lips at a guest; one spoke loudly into a cell phone and finally threw it away.
Paris Jackson also walked around in a studded leather harness under a hoodie. For the finale, models May Anderson and Omahyra wrestled over the 'glass' table, dislodging several panels into a crumbled mass on the floor, much to the surprise of viewers who didn't immediately realize it was sugar glass to cinematic stunts.
Wang had another special guest walk the runway. Dennis Rodman, his head covered in metal studs set atop his bleached blonde locks. He stopped midway to approach an audience member who applied fresh lipstick to Rodman's lips.
“Dennis is someone I've always admired. He's a risk taker and a pioneer and he never puts himself in a box; I love that. For the show, I thought about who these characters were that I grew up watching, and he was in top that list,” Wang explained.
Combining the three seasons was also a way to double down on the brand's identity and break away from the four-season mentality that some brands follow, something Wang considers unsustainable.
“The client does not know what season they are watching, they want to see the brand's storytelling. When we appear, I want it to be because we have something to say,” he stated.
As the models walked to the furious beat of techno, it was clear that the brand's new Ricco bag, the evolution of its popular Rocco bag from 2010, was the message of this show. Wang's signature Trap Stud hardware that marks the bag, adorned everything from the other accessories, sexy leather staples, and even body parts.
With the use of asymmetry, severe cutouts, distressed wear, bodysuit-like clothing and cut-outs, Wang transformed a wardrobe that was both tailored and sporty into a sexy and provocative play. The three collections combined were the Pre-Fall Legacy 2.0, Fall Primal Decadence, and Resort Meta Morph 2024 offerings.
The focus also indicates the purpose of fashion shows today compared to when they began.
“It's very different for us now. We consider that there is a live and social audience, different aspects of everything you think about and how long the content is. We separated it, deconstructed the whole format and looked at how to do a hybrid of live content, “CGI and pre-filmed. When we release the film, the final edit will be clear on social media about how the whole story comes together,” he continued.
The film, directed by Maxime Quoilin and produced in collaboration with Good Company, The 360-degree show will stand out, which took place in three separate rooms that constituted the catwalk (so not all attendees saw it). It will also give greater meaning to Kim Cattrall's presence in the show — the actress slipped into her seat wearing an oversized jacket as a dress just as the show began — and explain more about the back of a car hanging out of the showroom. place and just what inspired the design Wang worked with Crosby Studios to create.
“I thought about Ralph Lauren, the pinnacle of American fashion with global success. His mansions are part of the New York landscape and are super opulent. I thought about what it would be like to make the garage of that mansion, making it still opulent and glamorous with trash and be immersive,” he said.
The intricate staging gave Wang some pre-show jitters that he has typically overcome since launching his brand nearly 20 years ago.
“This show reminded me of one of my first shows that I did with Erin Wasson under scaffolding. There was smoke and the models were wearing torn tights and hats. I felt like I was showing for the first time; I was nervous with so many [technical] There are aspects to think about: the broken glass, the wind machine, the models following their instructions.”
Fortunately, everything apparently went smoothly. Next, Wang will think about the 20sth anniversary in 2025, The Garage Show, almost like a precursor of what is to come.
“I thought that by putting this project together I was putting myself in the 20's mentalityth Thinking of the brand as an “it” and not an “I”, as if I had entered the brand as a new designer (which is the thing everyone is talking about these days, designers coming in and out), I think what codes would apply. I have to work versus 'I've done this for 20 years, how can I try harder?'” he said, recalling the elements the show was ripe with: studs, sexy leathers, distressed denim and reconstructed T-shirts.
“That's all at the heart of where we were as a brand in the beginning.” As the Wang sphere continues to expand, three more stores are currently opening in North America: Las Vegas, Miami and Toronto, respectively, for a total of 53 worldwide; It is clear that the foundations remain solid.
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