It may be difficult to imagine that 10 years have already passed since Diane von Fürstenberg and the CFDA first recognized Alexander Wang’s talent fresh out of Parsons New York. At a time when New York Fashion Week was less than exciting, a 22-year-old Alexander Wang—along with labels Proenza Schouler and Rodarte—revived American fashion and gave it a cool and edgy spin. A decade later and the American designer hasn’t lost his talent for being on the pulse of cool, and yet he has acquired maturity and sophistication along the way.
Take this hybrid leather and jean jacket; striped silk marinière; or army coat embellished with fringed leather—Wang knows how to dress the urban tomboy while giving her a couture twist. This is what he does best: he takes the normcore, the sportswear, the sweatshirts, the jeans, and gives it a cool spin for a ready-made edgy attitude. Maybe it’s a good thing that the designer stepped down from Balenciaga, as his universe deserves to be his singular focus. One thing is certain: Wang continues to offer a new fashion vocabulary that works today—it is inclusive, simple, and stylish.
