.jpeg)
On the night of September 12, Alexander Wang will once again show during New York Fashion Week. Wang has staged two off-schedule shows in the last five or so years; the first in a heavily draped room on the Lower East Side with a distinctly David Lynchian vibe; the second in his SoHo store, which managed to be both intimate and frenetic. Yet this next show of his is more of a comeback than those; Wang was a designer who minted the idea of the show-as-event during fashion week, a maelstrom of attitude, celebrity, and just-do-it confidence.
The clothes were part of that spectacle, of course, but so were the models. Some 15 or so years ago, Wang minted the whole notion of the model-off-duty (and its associated be-jeaned, be-t-shirted, and be-It-bagged look, cigarettes optional). Yet he liked models on duty too; Gisele Bundchen, Shalom Harlow, Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, and Kaia Gerber have walked his runways over the years.
The reasons for Wang’s return are twofold. His venue will be part of a bigger initiative he and his family are working on, of which more to come, though he gave a few hints about what’s happening in the conversation we had last week. His mother, Ying Wang, has been a big driving force behind their ambitious plans for the building they’ve bought in Chinatown, and Wang pays homage to her with the collection he’ll be showing, entitled The Matriarch.
And also, the show will mark his 20th anniversary in the industry. Wang and his career have had, as well all know, their high of highs and their low of lows, but much of what we talked about was focused on what’s happening with the show, and a little of what’s next.
.jpg)
Alex, talk to me about why you’ve decided to show again during New York Fashion Week, which is something you haven’t done in… well, how long has it been?
Alexander Wang: It’s been, what—I don’t know, six years, maybe more—but I want to clarify: When we left the calendar, it was interpreted as this rejection of New York Fashion Week, which it absolutely wasn’t. It was more about looking at our cadence of how many collections we were working on, how we wanted to restructure a lot of the departments within our own infrastructure, both creative and content, and really looking at how we were aligning with what we were showing on the runway and the timing of it: how it needed to mirror the rest of our business. And as you know, when we do a show, it’s never really just about the collection on the catwalk—it’s the whole experience; it’s a story: What are we celebrating? What are we saying? I just felt like I can t do this twice a year, and it’s not going to always hit the mark of September and February. So when we stopped showing [on the calendar], it was really about saying, Okay—we’re going to take a step back and reassess, and when we have something really important to say, we’re going to do it. Sometimes it might be June, sometimes it might be February, sometimes it might be September.
So you’re back this September. Why?
For a few reasons: It’s our 20th anniversary, so I’ve been doing a lot of reflection on our beginning, our roots. Obviously the brand was born and raised in New York City, which has always been and still is the city that inspires and energizes me the most. I also knew I wanted to say something more than just focusing on the brand’s history—it’s really about where we’re going. And… [pause] there’s a very special announcement that we’re going to be doing this September….
Of which we will be speaking about later….
It’s going to coincide with a preview of this investment that we’ve made [in New York], and I have to really give credit to my mom here: It’s her vision for what she’s wanted to do essentially for the last 35 years, which is to support the creative arts.
I know your mother is a big part of this collection and this project….
She has always been that beacon for me, and supported me throughout my entire career, ever since I left school because I wanted to start working in fashion. She’s been talking about this vision for a very long time—not just supporting me, but the next generation [of creatives], bridging gaps, bridging cultures—and she has worked between Asia and America for so long. Without giving away too much, this September is really about coming back to Fashion Week with a really strong story that we wanted to share and celebrate with everyone that has been part of this journey.
How do you see making an impact in 2025 versus, say, a decade ago? What’s in your head when you’re thinking, what do I need to do for a show now?
Most importantly: What’s the story that we want to tell through the experience of the people who are attending—and what about inclusivity? Very early on, we did shows that invited the public, or that took different locations that exposed the experience [of the show] to a wider audience. When we first started [showing], it was the beginning of the recession, 2008. It was challenging, but also a very dynamic environment to start showing in: One of the first shows we did was in a warehouse, amidst torrential rain, and all the girls and everyone came in and were so wet, and we were like, “Let’s just make all the girls wet, on the runway, too!” It’s that idea of being nimble and scrappy; to just go with the flow and embrace whatever might be thrown your way—and that’s still happening today. Almost every day, something changes—not usually creatively, though that does happen sometimes—and the most important aspect is to be curious and to be nimble.
In terms of how we’ve approached the content creation, how we want to capture the show, the experience: I have a very clear vision for the story I want to tell on the very top level, but how we open up the conversation for people to participate independently is something that I think has really been the biggest change factor.
With the way that brands are now engaging with their customers, their fans, and their community directly, just in terms of how shows are covered, the question becomes: How do we hand over the keys to people to kind of tell their own story so that some people can evaluate it on TikTok if they have two seconds and they’re scrolling, while a different audience wants to read a full article because they want to understand what was shown, and the total diehard fan wants to watch the fashion show from A to Z on the live stream. There’s so many buckets to cover that we’re trying to do as much as we can—not to overwhelm ourselves, but how do we allow our story to be something that people can participate in without it being this rigid mold?
How is it to look back at the shows you did in the last 20 years—which is, as we all know, a period where everything has been upended and changed? And I’d love to ask you about your three favorite shows you did during that time.
I look back all the time. As much as I am someone who likes to look forward—and this show’s really about the future of where we’re going—I have a lot of nostalgic moments where I’ll go back and watch old show videos or the capture from the entire event, I’ll think, Oh my gosh—I wish we made this longer, because those moments go by so quickly, you know what I mean? I remember all these elements that happened backstage, or This happened at the party, but I think the three most memorable were, first, our 10-year anniversary—that was a huge moment of reflection, because that was also the first time we were really looking back, and we created a film that played at the end of a long runway, and then the doors opened up and it was this whole other universe that everyone got to enter….
I believe that was the show where I fell over, flat on my face, as I started to say hello to Brandon Maxwell, who was with a blonde woman. They helped get me up on my feet and then the blonde woman shook my hand and said, “Hello, I’m Gaga.”
Oh God, I love that—I love those moments of everyone participating together and being able to share special moments. When we can bring people together in that kind of environment—whether you are in fashion or art or an assistant or the editor-in-chief—that really makes me so happy.
So that’s number one. And two and three?
Number two was our show at Rockefeller Plaza. Showing in that location, which was so iconic, and bringing my parents up on stage with me at the end, made me really proud to be a Chinese American immigrant. My mom has come to almost every show, but not my dad, so to have both of them there with me… my dad was taking it all in, waving to the crowd! The third one would probably be our first show, in Chelsea. Erin Wasson styled it, and it was the moment that I felt understood, you know what I mean? I felt like people knew where I was going, and we connected on a story through the clothes and the product and the experience.
The first show is always a landmark moment for a designer. How did you feel doing it?
I’d never really worked officially in a design position, so I never really knew how a show should be properly done. It was just me and all of my friends doing it, and I felt the love. I was excited because Erin was in the show and she had all her friends model in the show. The girls were backstage, all dressed and ready to go and eating pizza before the show was due to start. The casting assistant called the casting director, because everyone backstage was like, “Oh my gosh, the girls are eating pizza in the looks, and we don’t know what to do.” The casting director just asked them, “Where’s Alex?” and they responded, “He’s with them, eating pizza too.” It was one of those moments where you’re sharing the same experience; those early years when anything goes.
That was a kind of hallmark of your shows, though: The idea of the models wearing whatever they were wearing off the runway on the runway.
When I first started, there weren’t really any photographers shooting outside the shows. Street photography and all of that wasn’t really a thing, though I remember getting all these Japanese magazines which documented street style, and the models—I loved seeing what Erin, Frankie [Rayder], Carmen [Kass], and Daria [Werbowy] were wearing; they looked so cool. That was what I was always inspired by—I wanted to hang out with them. My friends and I had started saying “Models-off-duty” when we saw a particular look we liked when we were out: “That’s so model-off-duty.” It might be a fancy top they’d gotten as a trade to walk a show, and they’d wear it in the bar with ripped jeans, smoking. I was always very curious and intrigued by what was happening from a different vantage point and through the perspective of the outsider. That really helped shape that identity, and my taste and perspective, going in.
How do you feel New York Fashion Week has changed, Alex? What are the differences you see from where and when you started showing?
New York has become one of the most unconventional places to show, which is why I am so intrigued and love it so much. While there are some people saying, Oh—no one’s showing in New York anymore; all the designers are showing in Paris, there’s something about New York which makes me excited to be back, especially with the independent labels and the younger brands. Almost every other week—and I’m not even being dramatic—I’ll go on social media and there’s a show in Queens, there’s a show in Brooklyn. This idea that Fashion Week can only live in September or February has become outdated. It’s happening in every shape, way, and form. It could be literally 10 people sitting in someone’s living room having a fashion show, but they do the right thing and it goes viral. I think it’s opened up a lot of creative opportunities for people to think outside of the box, and that’s what I’m so excited about. I think New York has also birthed some really exciting young designers and brands that I think are doing really exciting things right now, and they’re very much focused on their communities and sharing their culture in a broader sense.
Who do you like? Who’s on your radar?
Telfar. Luar. Willy Chavarria. When I first started in fashion, there was this group of young designers that was like a graduating class, and we were all coming up at the same time, and I feel like that’s happening again. It’s different stories, different identities, and they’re doing things on their own, and I think it’s really exciting to watch.
Let’s talk about the collection, which is entitled The Matriarch. I guess the inspiration for it lies close to home.
[Gesturing to a portrait of his mother on the wall behind his desk] She’s very rarely not watching over me.
Well, we are definitely in a moment: There’s something in the air telling us we need all the matriarchal, versus patriarchal, power we can get….
You know what? I think when you say something’s in the air, it is that, but that wasn’t my first thought [with this collection]. This one is very personal. My mom has always been my number one inspiration—I know that goes for a lot of designers, but my mom has always encouraged me to do the utmost and stay curious and never be afraid of where my dreams might lead me. I’m here because of her, and she’s always created a pathway for me. There’s a strength and a power in that which has, subconsciously, always inspired me, but I’ve never really studied it and dedicated it to a collection. The alpha female—that attitude and that sensibility of just being in control—has certainly always been at the heart of where I go for inspiration. It’s not defined by masculine codes, but by their own kind of feminine strength. I think this collection is going to look very different for people than what they’ve seen from me in the last few years, but at the heart of it is still a devotion and a dedication to this eternal muse of the alpha female and how that has really touched on every person that I’ve worked with and collaborated with. We’ve had, in the past, a majority-female executive team, and we still do. My first CEO was my sister-in-law, and my last active CEO was Paula Sutter. It’s just this energy I’ve always been surrounded by. It felt very appropriate, again, with the announcement and what we’re going to be doing with this space, that this encompassed that. It’s going to be an alpha female show—it’s not going to be a co-ed show. There’ll be no menswear.
So: Best advice your mom gave you—and what is quintessentially your mom?
She always pushed me to be fearless—that if I wanted something, I should go for it, and not let anything stop me. As a Chinese mother, she wouldn’t say it that way, but her actions said it for her. I try to take my mom on vacation somewhere, or to do something fun or relaxing, and she hates it—she hates relaxing. She doesn’t like to go anywhere that she can’t get wifi. Sometimes I will be like, “Oh my God—you’re wearing me out.” I just want to go to a hotel, be by the pool or whatever, but she hates being in the sun. Yet I see her in myself.
.jpeg)
So you’re your mother’s son.
She’s such an execution-driven individual, and she’s really passed that down to me. It’s so funny, because sometimes if I’m too busy [to see her], my boyfriend will take her to lunch or go visit her, and [when he comes back] he will be like, “Your mom wore me out today—she went from one meeting to the next meeting, then it’s a three-hour work lunch, and then it’s another meeting…." And my Mom is 83! I see so much of that in myself.
So that is the powerful inspiration for the collection. What can you tell me about how the collection looks?
Not everything’s locked yet, so things could change, but it’s a collection that’s extremely focused. It feels the most disciplined in terms of what I want to say, and it very much points to where we’re going. There’s a stealthiness to it. It’s very sharp. We like to say we’re giving femininity its sharp edges.
The venue, in Chinatown, is very meaningful. I know much of the story is under wraps, for now, but what can you tell me about it?
I’ll start by saying the official opening and an announcement of what we’re going to be doing with the space will happen in early 2026. Again, I give credit to my mom for this: It has been in the works for a very long time in terms of her vision, and then when the opportunity came by... Ever since COVID, I’ve been actively looking at how I can support Chinatowns across the States, from LA to San Francisco to New York. We’ve been looking at a lot of different opportunities, and then this building came into the conversation. It was previously owned by HSBC, and it’s a landmark building that has been around for 101 years, and this will be the first time that it will be owned by Chinese Americans, which I’m very proud of. It’s a family investment, and it will signal how much we are committed to New York and, more importantly, to Chinatown. It will be about bridging cultures—about bringing activity and interest and people together in really new and exciting ways.
It has taken a long time to sort out and schedule, so we only had enough time to do a little bit of work on it. There’s something very symbolic about the space which I love, which is that it’s across the street from a bridge, that being the Manhattan Bridge.
So, in the spirit of looking back, and looking forward, what would the Alex of now say to the Alex of then?
When you’re first starting out, you’re always like, Okay—as soon as I can get more help and more resources and blah, blah, blah, it’s going to get easier. Except it doesn’t get easier! [laughs] When you’re a founder of a brand and you are so blessed to have this thing that you love to do and you’re so passionate about it, you think about every detail and every aspect. I think being scrappy and being nimble—and being curious—is something that I hold very, very dear, because that’s what got me through in the beginning. I didn’t have a mentor, I didn’t have anyone I could turn to in fashion, so I thought We’re just going to do this and hope for the best, and figure it out through trial and error. That’s still very much what has carried us forward to today. As the world is dramatically changing, as we’re constantly learning new technology, new tools, I think being able to be really flexible and embrace that change is very important—and it is the only constant. So I think that’s what I would tell my younger self: Embrace it—embrace it all.