Alexander Wang hit us with yet another bold movement

Maren H. Anscheidt |  NY // Alexander Wang making bold moves so early on in the new year. His pre-fall/winter ’18 this season will be the last of his ragers in accordance with the CFDA’s NYFW schedule, since Wang is the latest designer to announce he will be moving away from the conventional fashion schedule, and will present his collections in New York in June and December prior to the pre-collection schedule.

Wang’s decision is surprising but not entirely. With a considerable amount of bold moves in the past, more recently, shows in abandoned theaters in Harlem, NY (Fall 2017) and unloading models transported on a bus from soho to Brooklyn to walk the empty streets of Bushwick (Spring 2018).

Alexander Wang | SS18
 

In a press release, (@alexanderwangny) CEO Lisa Gersh says “Our consumer will be better served through the new system” as we’ve seen Wang has taken approches to streetwear in collaborations with Adidas Originals, and even experimenting with ‘drops’, selling merchandise more freely and less department-store-y. Gersh continues, “The innovative approach reframes product on the month that it ships, rather than the outdated labels of ‘Resort’ or ‘Pre-Fall,’ giving our customers more relevant and consistent merchandise throughout the year.”

Wang is not the first designer to step back from the traditional systematic ways of the fashion industry; Rodarte and Proenza Schouler, both U.S. brands also adopted the PRE-pre-collection for presentation.

It is safe to say, Alexander Wang does not fail to change the game on a yearly basis, how this shift will sit with the public may be seen as early as June 2018, regardless, the CFDA backs up the move with the question, “could there be a core group of brands that sit well together and combined their interests to do something during pre- collections.”

Could Wang’s switch entice other designers? Could yet another one of his rule- breakers change the way runway to boutique functions? Let’s see what Wang has in store (literally) for us this year.