For the longest time I thought Alexander wang was a woman and had a crush of him, till I met him in person and found out he was a man. I still have a crush on him.
We can’t compare Wang’s work for Balenciaga to Ghesquiere’s because the latter spent 15 years developing his aesthetic for the brand! Wang only had 3 years to prove himself and did an amazing job, yet people were scorching him.
Can you stop saying when you become a fashion journalist. You already are a Fashion journalist - keep up the great content you have a certain style of story telling.
Haha thanks, I just like to go through the right channels before officially calling myself a journalist. People give themselves titles to easily these days, I don’t want to undermine industry experienced journalists.
Let's be real, some of that is racism, the way they wrote about Wang. I noticed a lot of Asian high fashion getting overlooked because it didn't come from Europe or they always try to shoehorn a comparison with a European designer when, realistically, there isn't one. Guo Pei being compared with McQueen comes to mind.
The Guo Pei vs McQueen debate is a very good point. Their aesthetics and reference points are so different but just because one is Eurocentric there’s this tendency for the journalists to overlook anything that didn’t come from europe
The Guo Pei argument is valid. However, Alexander Wang is Asian-American. Even in his interviews, the models and designers he idolized growing up were all from the Western world. He IS a western designer. Guo Pei was born and raised in China. Her influences are from Asian culture and past Asian fashion trends. In that sense, she is an Asian designer in a way that Alexander Wang is not even though he is racially Asian. I do believe that the criticism he garnered was influenced by racism. Non-white faces commanding European brands will always face racism. Especially in the case with Asians, we are perpetual foreigners and that sentiment is shown in your comment even. By suggesting his influences are Asian, you are denying that as an Asian-American, he grew up with the same fashion idols as any other white designer working for these luxury, European brands. Just because of his race, you categorize him as an Asian designer with the same influences as Guo Pei which is entirely not true.
Let's be real, it less racism than telling people to support black designers. This is just people wanting a certain culture. If I'm looking for Italian or French style, I don't want an Asian America designer. If was looking for a street style, I might not want a white European. I notice a certain esthetic in Asian designers. It's not for everyone.
I feel like any young person in America wanting Balenciaga, needs to appreciate/have/know Alexander Wang *first* .This makes me so happy to see videos about Alexander Wang at Balenciaga
bought a alexander wang's pebble leather backpack years ago, very minimal and timeless looking. And the leather was just so supple and buttery, got tons of compliments on it. worth every penny and much better and cheaper than a lot of "designer bags" that are not made of leathers.
Great video as always, I love how you covered so many aspects of his time at Balenciaga. It's also really refreshing to see that you're not afraid to go against what all these other journalists have said, and state your own opinion. Your videos have really inspired me to try and learn more about high fashion 🙏
I used to lovvvvve AW, everything he did was so ahead of its time in my opinion.. almost everything he created was instantly wearable and easily integrated into a wardrobe. I own something from each of his collections including his Colabs lol but recently I haven’t been as interested. Great video!
Thank you for shedding light for Alexander Wang. I mean I loved his debut collection for Balenciaga. It is so raw, poise, elegant, innovative and sellable!
Bravo! His design at the time was very great. His bag creations at the Balenciaga were also very amazing. However, at that time many of his items didn't sale super well. However, some brands released similar designs achieved huge success 4-5 years later. I think his looks have higher levels of artistic value and museum quality than today's street hot Balenciaga.
Really love this video. I used to be obsessed with Wang and have recently gotten back into his creations. I recently ordered some of his shorts and Chelsea boots. He’s timeless in my opinion.
You’re right about people comparing things in fashion but I think that generally happens in life. People love comparing things they love/hate for whatever reason. It bugs me as an artist, I know.
whew this video is filled with thoughtful discussion! thank you so much for that 17:40 this has been driving UP THE WALL lately. the fashion criticism I'm seeing in the internet (and even in the industry) is always about criticizing SOMEONE, even when you're making a compliment. all the time I run into comments like "the lessers could never do this" or "this collection is great, so much better than x" and "deserves all the praise that other hack x is getting" and it's really showing how bitter and jaded we've become. (I've also noticed that, too often, x is a woman/poc/incorporating elements of streetwear and contemporary non-white culture into their designs... what a strange coincidence!!!!1!!1) about the actual topic of the video, which is Wang at Balenciaga: I really, really liked his first collection, but literally nothing else, and you helped me understand why - earlier in the video, you talk about how Wang is great at referencing pop culture and real world dress, and I feel like there was no culture in his Balenciaga. it lacked the referential and modern punch he could pack in his own brand, which I think is why it was largely forgotten after he left. it was neither escapist enough to suspend disbelief or real enough to see people dressed in it - it just stuck this awkward middle ground.
I appreciate your knowledge & the research yo do on fashion because i always have all these questions in my head and you somehow manage to answer them all even though they where in my mind 5 years ago. This is why im on youtube, for hommies like you. Thank you.
Most people are making negative comments about his time at Balenciaga never researched the collections he was a part of. The hate given is from a lack of understanding of the design process and the politics involved in the fashion industry. He is an incredible proven designer. No one can ever take that away. He has inspired designers old and new across genres.
I have a list of fashion moments/eras that I always want to learn about, continue to read and critique. This is a dope tool for that, funny that I had just put Wang at Balenciaga on the list the other day. Love that you added the clips from Cathy Horyn and other critics. Those fall/winter 2015 razor blade stitches on the floating neckline jackets remind me of autopsy stitches. almost frankenstein-esque. The way the silhouette is this floating altered body held together by these stitches. Such beauty in the new silhouette, yet it would also be freakish if the body was shaped like that.Appreciate the end rant as well lool. Cheers
Fully agree, AW had some stunning pieces at Balenciaga. One of my holy grail pieces of all time is the marle Le Dix bag. Also great points about the constant need to pit designers against eachother.
Loved this video! And really enjoyed the points you made at 18:41 while talking about why we shouldn´t compare designers. Would love to see a video of the different "famous" designers and what they are known for if possible.
Thank you, Ayo, for another very informative video. Till now, I did not have this much knowledge about Wang and didn't think much of him. Had just heard of him and seen bits of his menswear pieces by chance. Your video gave some key insights about his creations. When it comes to Gvasalia, I like his personal style, his own outfits. I think he carries himself with a lot of style. Somewhere, I think of Kanye this way, too. Great way of carrying themselves - inspiring others with their outfits. Gvasalia's Balenciaga creations are very entertaining to watch! I like some of his Vetemens creations also - too bad that it went down. Another thing that you have mentioned here, I completely agree with you. You cannot compare designer X with Y and say one is better than the other. I think every designer/artist should have their own space and are to be respected that way. Everyone is unique. Their might be similarities between two or more designers/houses, but no scale exists which determines that based on it, X is "better" than Y, and vice-versa.
Crazy to think how Streetwear is the market. I wonder what culture we are looking at now as, wack or wierd but in 10 years it will determine whole seasons of fashion for years.
I love that you have such an different point of view of what Wang's time at Balenciaga was... Balenciaga under Nicolas Ghesquiere was actually very successful and already touched the younger audience. The motorcycle bag was always selling well, the infamous Arena sneakers were a proved success and despite the runway collections being quite elitist, the motorcycle jackets and other pieces sold very well. Truth to be told, the fact that Beyonce wore the robot leggings and the lego shoes in 2007 helped them a lot and the following years, the fact that Rihanna and the Olsen twins wore the gladiator boots really opened their demographic. So the brand did not have any problem so to speak. It was difficult to come to Balenciaga being Alexander Wang because Wang was an American designer doing sportswear. It's always very tough for American designers (except for Rick Owens) but the other problem with him was that he was inspired by Nicolas in his work. So a lot of people had pre-conceived ideas of what he would do. That being said, his first collection was very great, very luxe. It is a timeless collection. The problem surely came with his second runway collection. Nicolas invented that modern concept of streetwear. You see collections of the early 00's and you see how relevant they are now. It was a mistake on Wang's part to tap into that because ultimately, it was more forced than for his own brand and at the same time less glorious than Nicolas's. SS2014, FW2014 and SS2015 lacked in originality or attitude while at the same time he delivered attitude, inventivity and originality during those 3 seasons at his own brand (doing clothes inspired by sneakers was just a crazy great idea). I also loved FW2015. The atmosphere, the music, the attitude were great. Unfortunately, he broke that dynamic with his last collection (it wasn't a great collection). I think his biggest contribution to Balenciaga was the Speed trainers. It's a pity Demna took all the honors for sneakers created by Wang. I feel like his own collections have become less interesting in terms of clothing lately. He is still a showman but I miss the attitude and the risks. For someone who has improved his skills at Balenciaga, his stuff feels a bit lazy. I hope this new decade will give him a new creative energy.
Thank you for making this video. some things had to be said, and yes wholeheartedly agree with you. AW is a good designer, and he did good at Balenciaga, but just wasn't what Kering was looking for.
Don’t be discouraged, hopefully the more I preach these things the less toxic people in the industry become. In every industry there are cons unfortunately
If you have some time, please make video for yohji yamamoto and compare recent collections with old ones. And also, I would like you to talk about his collaboration with Suzume Uchida.
Alexander Wang inspires me so much, Im Asian too and going into the american and European Fashion industry is a bit tough because some would assume that European/American Designers are the only ones that are fully capable to create something big in the industry. It's scary
Alexander Wang is always a respectful designer from the beginning. Even though, I have never exam or purchased one of his clothing pieces(So expensive).This is just my opinion but I think Balenciaga's design in the recent year feel a little bit anticlimactic if u compare it with when Alexander Wang was still in Balenciaga.Once again, It's just my opinion, it might come as biased because I really like AW design from the start.
First off, Wang wasn't some working-class kid who the critics were tearing down because of his background. HIs family had money and a clothing factory in China, which is how he was able to hit the ground running when he graduated. Second, I'm glad you love his clothes but, they were not commercially successful. He made some nice things but the customer base, used to Ghesquiere, were'nt here for it. And it doesn't matter what the critics think. It matters about sales and about long-term prospects. So saying he was a success because you liked some of his work there is missing the point. Look at the figures again: It was the leather goods that Ghesquiere initiated that were keeping everything afloat, not the sales of Wang's clothes there. What he did wasn't bad. It just wasn't what the market wanted at that exact moment. And the critics rightfully found it reductive and jejeune compared to Ghesquiere, despite Wang's combing through the archives.
You have shown in this video that comparison with designers are utterly invalid. I love they way you've broaden our views on Alexander. Yes, Alexander did interpret his message through his collab with Balenciaga which were impressive!!!!!
The Fashion Archive his last collection for the brand, fall 2015 and spring 2015. In my opinion, they weren’t terrible, but I wasn’t sure who was the target consumer. I personally agree with you about the wearability thing. And for some reason in the industry, if something is wearable, then it’s not fashion forward. Somehow those three collections, in my opinion were neither of the two.
86warmit how could I have picked two of his best collections if one of his mis-steps in your opinion is one of the collections I showcased in the video? Personally I really liked FW15 & SS15 but as far as his last collection went, by all accounts it wasn’t my cup of tea at all.
I think the main issue for Kering regarding Alexander Wang's tenure was not that his clothing did not sell well. We can all agree that he has the ability to blur boundaries of artistic stylings. The issue is that Kering at the end of the day wants to make money, and the biggest driver of all major fashion label's profit are bags and accessories. However, even now at his own brand or during his tenure at Balenciaga, he was unable to transform the accessories and leather good side to match the recognition gained from his clothing. It's not really possible to measure the creative capabilities of artists but you can compare the objective $ generated.
if AW didn’t come to CB house these hype beast or this generation wouldn’t even know who balenciaga was because AW created a lane for Demna who which really gave it the street edge and cred for the kids.. because before AW the only thing that was poppin from NG yrs was the motorcycle bag in my opionion
After I saw on your Instagram that you will do a video on him I went and checked some of his collections (I’m kinda new to fashion) and I fell in love.. they were beautiful. Do you think the way they did not accept him was gate-keeping or am I reaching? 😐 thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.
I remember showstudio panning his departure collection, which i thought was beautiful. So depressing. The white collection was a reference to an old Nicolas collection and they said it wasn't in line to the house code. It was depressing because he was fired with great revenue records and panned for no reason. His Balenciaga ages so well now. Unfortunately kering has has a history of treating it's designers well look at nicolas, hedi slimane, and stella leaving kering. I honestly dont think that mutual separation was that mutual.
Alexander is such a genius in my generation of fashion designer... Noticed he is so simple, wearing tshirt, short, .... love streets, love food. He is like lgbt coco Chanel in our generation interms of way of thinking. Hybrid of class & street
I definitely preferred this era over Demna's as AW's approach on designing Balenciaga was more luxe than satire as opposed to Demna. I feel like purchasing Balenciaga by AW would give more value than if I would with Demna, though who's the better designer is another topic. Lol
I think you did a great retrospective review but strictly on AW's work at Balenciaga: I think his designs just didn't cut it for the continental European consumers because it was really the same old designs that we've seen billions of times before. I know it was probably different in the Anglosphere, but in places like Paris or Berlin no one in the fashion scene would wear any of the designs that you featured in this video, bar one or two (I liked the cracked texture garment).
The problem is that Alexander Wang was actually not that much in Paris working on the designs. By knowing one of the designers that was working under Alexander then, I know that he actually was almost never there and just selected the designs from all of the ones done by his designers. He was more focusing on his own brand.
Everyone ALWAYS says Wang was trash at Balenciaga and I get some of the criticism his mainline gets from time to time but I really think it was the duties of being a creative director that lead to him leaving the house. He was still very young and honestly its a demanding role that not every designer is ideal for. I remember reading a profile of Wang during his tenure at Balenciaga (IDK where) but I remember how it said he was basically responding to emails constantly, running around constantly performing administrative tasks. BUT tbh I don't think hes done as well as Nicolas or Demna.
It’s extremely difficult to be the creative director of two brands. We’ve seen everyone from Raf to McQueen and Galliano struggle to do it. Even Demna left his brand Vetements just to focus on Balenciaga. While some people may think that Demna & Nicolas had a better tenure than Alexander. That comes down to personal opinion and even then, Demna & Nicolas being better doesn’t equate to Wang being bad.
I Should’ve given more context lol, I’m not saying Alexander Wang is in the Antwerp 6 but I noticed you didn’t give everybody in the Antwerp 6 a video. 👀
Fanel Dem oh haha, yeah I did in the past but I privated the videos because I read deeper on them and decided I needed to make better more in depth videos
You know what I REALLY HATE?? This idea that designers somehow invented things like low rise waists, or wearing chunky boots with luxury clothing....THEY DO NOT. LONG BEFORE Alexander McQueen SENT LOW RISE PANTS DOWN THE RUNWAY PEOPLE WERE CUTTING OFF WAIST BANDS OR WEARING OVERSIZE JEANS ON THEIR HIPS!!! Long before Wang doing this collection people were pairing Doc Martens with designer clothing. By long I mean from the 1980's I think. Designers do not invent such things. They just refine them.
On balenciaga.com > client services > frequently asked questions > distribution network > they show their authorised list of online retailers. I downloaded Farfetch as mention on that list and I came across a lot of Balenciaga products (bags socks jackets and even some clothes) in the description says Made in China. 👀☕ Why.... ☠️ I can stereotype why but... 😫 So disappointing...
the lingo you use to describe quite wide range topics on genre/style/ times in fashion is very limited. though i guess thats how younger generations learn about fashion today, so good job on that.
love him and his designs, but what stood out more than the clothes in that initial collection for balenciaga was the casting.... 34 pale white women :// thank goodness the fashion industry is paying more attention to diversity
Great video 😎 20:48 8-10 collections a year 😒 please there people who can design up to 500 collections a month, do you know that?! There job have nothing to do with mental issue, there issue is with whom they sign contract with 😈
I respect your videos, but you often come off bias and have flawed references. I’m not sure where do you get your reviews from but 99% of reviews aren’t critical and are just praises because company pay those publications. Therefore, those reviews are flawed and using them as a proof point is flawed. Alexander Wang @ Balenciaga wasn’t a success financially and artistically. He’s debut collection was his best and heavily referenced Cristobal hence why it became a success. He managed to make only one successful women boot, and even the successful sneaker only took off after he left. Wang artistic success is proven at his own collection (up to Fall 2015 after that’s its downfall). He is still one of my favorite designers, but I don’t think his Balenciaga tenure nor his recent work is up to his early work which claimed him his success. Keep up these videos though.
For the longest time I thought Alexander wang was a woman and had a crush of him, till I met him in person and found out he was a man. I still have a crush on him.
lol
His name is literally Alexander 😂🤣🤣
You never heard him SPEAK ? Sure he looks like a woman, although he dresses like a man, but .......... oh well.
@@alongforthememories Alot of women named Alexander
@@cheong728 Watch his vlogs, and you will see.
I’m so glad you made this because the amount of info on his time with balenciaga on UA-cam is limited
That’s true. Had to clear the man’s name. People love to hate without a reason for it
His time was limited because when he was designing for the house, his collections weren’t selling well.
@@rudylabsilica2286 where did you deduce this from? The numbers say otherwise. Show me where you're getting these figures from i'm curious
@@FashionRoadmanwithout a reason??? 😂😂 Didn’t he drug and then sexually abuse multiple men? Or do you just choose to ignore that?
We can’t compare Wang’s work for Balenciaga to Ghesquiere’s because the latter spent 15 years developing his aesthetic for the brand! Wang only had 3 years to prove himself and did an amazing job, yet people were scorching him.
I know right! It’s crazy
Can you stop saying when you become a fashion journalist. You already are a Fashion journalist - keep up the great content you have a certain style of story telling.
Haha thanks, I just like to go through the right channels before officially calling myself a journalist. People give themselves titles to easily these days, I don’t want to undermine industry experienced journalists.
Let's be real, some of that is racism, the way they wrote about Wang. I noticed a lot of Asian high fashion getting overlooked because it didn't come from Europe or they always try to shoehorn a comparison with a European designer when, realistically, there isn't one. Guo Pei being compared with McQueen comes to mind.
The Guo Pei vs McQueen debate is a very good point. Their aesthetics and reference points are so different but just because one is Eurocentric there’s this tendency for the journalists to overlook anything that didn’t come from europe
The Guo Pei argument is valid. However, Alexander Wang is Asian-American. Even in his interviews, the models and designers he idolized growing up were all from the Western world. He IS a western designer. Guo Pei was born and raised in China. Her influences are from Asian culture and past Asian fashion trends. In that sense, she is an Asian designer in a way that Alexander Wang is not even though he is racially Asian. I do believe that the criticism he garnered was influenced by racism. Non-white faces commanding European brands will always face racism. Especially in the case with Asians, we are perpetual foreigners and that sentiment is shown in your comment even. By suggesting his influences are Asian, you are denying that as an Asian-American, he grew up with the same fashion idols as any other white designer working for these luxury, European brands. Just because of his race, you categorize him as an Asian designer with the same influences as Guo Pei which is entirely not true.
Let's be real, it less racism than telling people to support black designers. This is just people wanting a certain culture. If I'm looking for Italian or French style, I don't want an Asian America designer. If was looking for a street style, I might not want a white European. I notice a certain esthetic in Asian designers. It's not for everyone.
I feel like any young person in America wanting Balenciaga, needs to appreciate/have/know Alexander Wang *first* .This makes me so happy to see videos about Alexander Wang at Balenciaga
Invented athleisure yet doesn’t get the credit smh
THIS. the man gave us sports-luxe looks for years and all we're giving him in return is bike shorts and baguette bags. i cri for him
bought a alexander wang's pebble leather backpack years ago, very minimal and timeless looking. And the leather was just so supple and buttery, got tons of compliments on it. worth every penny and much better and cheaper than a lot of "designer bags" that are not made of leathers.
I agree Alexander Wang post-Ghesquiere era was MARVELOUS!!!! His last collection and soundtrack were fabulous. Mrs. Cathy Horyn approves!!!! 🤩
Great video as always, I love how you covered so many aspects of his time at Balenciaga. It's also really refreshing to see that you're not afraid to go against what all these other journalists have said, and state your own opinion.
Your videos have really inspired me to try and learn more about high fashion 🙏
Thanks so much for watching 🙏🏿❤️
I used to lovvvvve AW, everything he did was so ahead of its time in my opinion.. almost everything he created was instantly wearable and easily integrated into a wardrobe. I own something from each of his collections including his Colabs lol but recently I haven’t been as interested. Great video!
Thanks for watching ❤️
Thank you for shedding light for Alexander Wang. I mean I loved his debut collection for Balenciaga. It is so raw, poise, elegant, innovative and sellable!
Bravo! His design at the time was very great. His bag creations at the Balenciaga were also very amazing. However, at that time many of his items didn't sale super well. However, some brands released similar designs achieved huge success 4-5 years later. I think his looks have higher levels of artistic value and museum quality than today's street hot Balenciaga.
Really love this video. I used to be obsessed with Wang and have recently gotten back into his creations. I recently ordered some of his shorts and Chelsea boots. He’s timeless in my opinion.
You’re right about people comparing things in fashion but I think that generally happens in life. People love comparing things they love/hate for whatever reason. It bugs me as an artist, I know.
I was obsessed with his designs during 2014-2015 era that time sportswear were start back until today but i’m happy with Demna for Balenciaga
great to see a Nigerian producing quality content
Didn’t know he worked there, loved the collections, thanks for the video you have a nice voice 👏🏻
Thanks for watching ❤️
this is so informative!!! u deserve more attention i luv uuu
❤️❤️
whew this video is filled with thoughtful discussion! thank you so much for that
17:40 this has been driving UP THE WALL lately. the fashion criticism I'm seeing in the internet (and even in the industry) is always about criticizing SOMEONE, even when you're making a compliment. all the time I run into comments like "the lessers could never do this" or "this collection is great, so much better than x" and "deserves all the praise that other hack x is getting" and it's really showing how bitter and jaded we've become. (I've also noticed that, too often, x is a woman/poc/incorporating elements of streetwear and contemporary non-white culture into their designs... what a strange coincidence!!!!1!!1)
about the actual topic of the video, which is Wang at Balenciaga: I really, really liked his first collection, but literally nothing else, and you helped me understand why - earlier in the video, you talk about how Wang is great at referencing pop culture and real world dress, and I feel like there was no culture in his Balenciaga. it lacked the referential and modern punch he could pack in his own brand, which I think is why it was largely forgotten after he left. it was neither escapist enough to suspend disbelief or real enough to see people dressed in it - it just stuck this awkward middle ground.
I appreciate your knowledge & the research yo do on fashion because i always have all these questions in my head and you somehow manage to answer them all even though they where in my mind 5 years ago. This is why im on youtube, for hommies like you. Thank you.
❤️
HE IS CERTAINLY BETTER THAN THE OTHERS WHO HAVE DESIGNED FOR BALENCIAGA!
Most people are making negative comments about his time at Balenciaga never researched the collections he was a part of. The hate given is from a lack of understanding of the design process and the politics involved in the fashion industry. He is an incredible proven designer. No one can ever take that away. He has inspired designers old and new across genres.
straight facts, people just love to hate
I have a list of fashion moments/eras that I always want to learn about, continue to read and critique. This is a dope tool for that, funny that I had just put Wang at Balenciaga on the list the other day. Love that you added the clips from Cathy Horyn and other critics. Those fall/winter 2015 razor blade stitches on the floating neckline jackets remind me of autopsy stitches. almost frankenstein-esque. The way the silhouette is this floating altered body held together by these stitches. Such beauty in the new silhouette, yet it would also be freakish if the body was shaped like that.Appreciate the end rant as well lool. Cheers
I hope the rest of your research is going well
Because Alexander Wang has been successful everywhere he's been. Saved you time
His clothes were stunning. Thank you for sharing.
finally you have a sponsor, so happy for you bro, making waves
Thanks so much 🙏🏿
Your reviews are very well thought out.
Fully agree, AW had some stunning pieces at Balenciaga. One of my holy grail pieces of all time is the marle Le Dix bag. Also great points about the constant need to pit designers against eachother.
Your fashion commentaries are excellent and on point!!
Ooh he’s brought out the vogue runway app 👀 another great vid ayo. Would love to see more of them
Loved this video, i started digging into fashion becasue of Wang at Balenciaga, thanks for sharing this info's
I really liked his 13 womens runway, outerwear was stunning. Proportions not really my cup of tea but thats how wang is
such an educative video, thank you for making it. it would be great if you could one on alexander wang's curreng work.
This is a great idea, adding it to the list
great video man, thanks
Thanks for watching
Loved this video! And really enjoyed the points you made at 18:41 while talking about why we shouldn´t compare designers. Would love to see a video of the different "famous" designers and what they are known for if possible.
ua-cam.com/play/PLslCy-167FENIrgOPPMNlgnkn5mysmtS1.html ❤️
@@FashionRoadman Thank you❤️ love your content!
Emmalin Williams thanks so much, really appreciate it
Thank you, Ayo, for another very informative video.
Till now, I did not have this much knowledge about Wang and didn't think much of him. Had just heard of him and seen bits of his menswear pieces by chance. Your video gave some key insights about his creations.
When it comes to Gvasalia, I like his personal style, his own outfits. I think he carries himself with a lot of style. Somewhere, I think of Kanye this way, too. Great way of carrying themselves - inspiring others with their outfits.
Gvasalia's Balenciaga creations are very entertaining to watch! I like some of his Vetemens creations also - too bad that it went down.
Another thing that you have mentioned here, I completely agree with you. You cannot compare designer X with Y and say one is better than the other. I think every designer/artist should have their own space and are to be respected that way. Everyone is unique. Their might be similarities between two or more designers/houses, but no scale exists which determines that based on it, X is "better" than Y, and vice-versa.
Thank you so much for this video! I love how straighten things up with your channel!
Crazy to think how Streetwear is the market. I wonder what culture we are looking at now as, wack or wierd but in 10 years it will determine whole seasons of fashion for years.
Yes, I think that age-old hierarchies between "this"wear and "that"wear should be broken down. Every "wear" is unique and they have unique voices.
I totally agree with both takes.
I love that you have such an different point of view of what Wang's time at Balenciaga was...
Balenciaga under Nicolas Ghesquiere was actually very successful and already touched the younger audience. The motorcycle bag was always selling well, the infamous Arena sneakers were a proved success and despite the runway collections being quite elitist, the motorcycle jackets and other pieces sold very well. Truth to be told, the fact that Beyonce wore the robot leggings and the lego shoes in 2007 helped them a lot and the following years, the fact that Rihanna and the Olsen twins wore the gladiator boots really opened their demographic. So the brand did not have any problem so to speak.
It was difficult to come to Balenciaga being Alexander Wang because Wang was an American designer doing sportswear. It's always very tough for American designers (except for Rick Owens) but the other problem with him was that he was inspired by Nicolas in his work. So a lot of people had pre-conceived ideas of what he would do.
That being said, his first collection was very great, very luxe. It is a timeless collection. The problem surely came with his second runway collection. Nicolas invented that modern concept of streetwear. You see collections of the early 00's and you see how relevant they are now. It was a mistake on Wang's part to tap into that because ultimately, it was more forced than for his own brand and at the same time less glorious than Nicolas's. SS2014, FW2014 and SS2015 lacked in originality or attitude while at the same time he delivered attitude, inventivity and originality during those 3 seasons at his own brand (doing clothes inspired by sneakers was just a crazy great idea). I also loved FW2015. The atmosphere, the music, the attitude were great. Unfortunately, he broke that dynamic with his last collection (it wasn't a great collection).
I think his biggest contribution to Balenciaga was the Speed trainers. It's a pity Demna took all the honors for sneakers created by Wang.
I feel like his own collections have become less interesting in terms of clothing lately. He is still a showman but I miss the attitude and the risks. For someone who has improved his skills at Balenciaga, his stuff feels a bit lazy. I hope this new decade will give him a new creative energy.
Really nice review, very enjoyable and informative to watch.
❤️
I can listen to this man speak all day. He is extremely interesting and informative.
Spring/Summer 2015 and Fall/Winter 2015 are the only Balenciaga by Alexander Wang seasons that I will acknowledge.
That’s fair enough, comes down to what you personally like
Thank you for making this video. some things had to be said, and yes wholeheartedly agree with you. AW is a good designer, and he did good at Balenciaga, but just wasn't what Kering was looking for.
After watching this I regret studying fashion design, because I am not strong enough to deal with the negativity in the fashion industry.
Don’t be discouraged, hopefully the more I preach these things the less toxic people in the industry become. In every industry there are cons unfortunately
If you have some time, please make video for yohji yamamoto and compare recent collections with old ones. And also, I would like you to talk about his collaboration with Suzume Uchida.
Alexander Wang inspires me so much, Im Asian too and going into the american and European Fashion industry is a bit tough because some would assume that European/American Designers are the only ones that are fully capable to create something big in the industry. It's scary
Luckily due to the rise of Japanese and Chinese designers in the west I feel like the perception of Asian designers is improving
Alexander Wang is always a respectful designer from the beginning. Even though, I have never exam or purchased one of his clothing pieces(So expensive).This is just my opinion but I think Balenciaga's design in the recent year feel a little bit anticlimactic if u compare it with when Alexander Wang was still in Balenciaga.Once again, It's just my opinion, it might come as biased because I really like AW design from the start.
First off, Wang wasn't some working-class kid who the critics were tearing down because of his background. HIs family had money and a clothing factory in China, which is how he was able to hit the ground running when he graduated. Second, I'm glad you love his clothes but, they were not commercially successful. He made some nice things but the customer base, used to Ghesquiere, were'nt here for it. And it doesn't matter what the critics think. It matters about sales and about long-term prospects. So saying he was a success because you liked some of his work there is missing the point. Look at the figures again: It was the leather goods that Ghesquiere initiated that were keeping everything afloat, not the sales of Wang's clothes there. What he did wasn't bad. It just wasn't what the market wanted at that exact moment. And the critics rightfully found it reductive and jejeune compared to Ghesquiere, despite Wang's combing through the archives.
Your channel is so underrated!
Literally the first person to talk about this era of balenciaga pls talk about the Nicholas era
You have shown in this video that comparison with designers are utterly invalid. I love they way you've broaden our views on Alexander. Yes, Alexander did interpret his message through his collab with Balenciaga which were impressive!!!!!
I didn’t mind his time at Balenciaga. I will say though, you picked his best two collections, and not his missteps.
Which collections would you say are his missteps?
The Fashion Archive his last collection for the brand, fall 2015 and spring 2015. In my opinion, they weren’t terrible, but I wasn’t sure who was the target consumer. I personally agree with you about the wearability thing. And for some reason in the industry, if something is wearable, then it’s not fashion forward. Somehow those three collections, in my opinion were neither of the two.
86warmit how could I have picked two of his best collections if one of his mis-steps in your opinion is one of the collections I showcased in the video? Personally I really liked FW15 & SS15 but as far as his last collection went, by all accounts it wasn’t my cup of tea at all.
The Fashion Archive did I say Fall 2015? Sorry. I meant to Fall 2014.
I think the main issue for Kering regarding Alexander Wang's tenure was not that his clothing did not sell well. We can all agree that he has the ability to blur boundaries of artistic stylings. The issue is that Kering at the end of the day wants to make money, and the biggest driver of all major fashion label's profit are bags and accessories. However, even now at his own brand or during his tenure at Balenciaga, he was unable to transform the accessories and leather good side to match the recognition gained from his clothing. It's not really possible to measure the creative capabilities of artists but you can compare the objective $ generated.
i always love your videos man
if AW didn’t come to CB house these hype beast or this generation wouldn’t even know who balenciaga was because AW created a lane for Demna who which really gave it the street edge and cred for the kids.. because before AW the only thing that was poppin from NG yrs was the motorcycle bag in my opionion
so true i have a bag and now i know why lmao
After I saw on your Instagram that you will do a video on him I went and checked some of his collections (I’m kinda new to fashion) and I fell in love.. they were beautiful. Do you think the way they did not accept him was gate-keeping or am I reaching? 😐 thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.
It was definitely gatekeeping
I remember showstudio panning his departure collection, which i thought was beautiful. So depressing. The white collection was a reference to an old Nicolas collection and they said it wasn't in line to the house code. It was depressing because he was fired with great revenue records and panned for no reason. His Balenciaga ages so well now. Unfortunately kering has has a history of treating it's designers well look at nicolas, hedi slimane, and stella leaving kering. I honestly dont think that mutual separation was that mutual.
But like...the people Showstudio has on their panels.....don't know them don't care.
Amazing review.
Alexander is such a genius in my generation of fashion designer...
Noticed he is so simple, wearing tshirt, short, .... love streets, love food.
He is like lgbt coco Chanel in our generation interms of way of thinking. Hybrid of class & street
I fucking loved this video. Thank you.
Thanks for watching
Great Video!
I definitely preferred this era over Demna's as AW's approach on designing Balenciaga was more luxe than satire as opposed to Demna. I feel like purchasing Balenciaga by AW would give more value than if I would with Demna, though who's the better designer is another topic. Lol
Have you done a video on Demna? I'd love to see one!
I’ll have to wait for the Demna era to be over
I hope for you that you will realise your dream ❤️
I think you did a great retrospective review but strictly on AW's work at Balenciaga: I think his designs just didn't cut it for the continental European consumers because it was really the same old designs that we've seen billions of times before. I know it was probably different in the Anglosphere, but in places like Paris or Berlin no one in the fashion scene would wear any of the designs that you featured in this video, bar one or two (I liked the cracked texture garment).
Couldn’t agree more!
Amazing info!!
Almost 8 minutes of intro and the intro video was a collection of his label... but nice review man
The problem is that Alexander Wang was actually not that much in Paris working on the designs. By knowing one of the designers that was working under Alexander then, I know that he actually was almost never there and just selected the designs from all of the ones done by his designers. He was more focusing on his own brand.
i want that '13 collection omg
Everyone ALWAYS says Wang was trash at Balenciaga and I get some of the criticism his mainline gets from time to time but I really think it was the duties of being a creative director that lead to him leaving the house. He was still very young and honestly its a demanding role that not every designer is ideal for. I remember reading a profile of Wang during his tenure at Balenciaga (IDK where) but I remember how it said he was basically responding to emails constantly, running around constantly performing administrative tasks. BUT tbh I don't think hes done as well as Nicolas or Demna.
It’s extremely difficult to be the creative director of two brands. We’ve seen everyone from Raf to McQueen and Galliano struggle to do it. Even Demna left his brand Vetements just to focus on Balenciaga.
While some people may think that Demna & Nicolas had a better tenure than Alexander. That comes down to personal opinion and even then, Demna & Nicolas being better doesn’t equate to Wang being bad.
The Fashion Archive exactly
Can you please share the app you’re showing for the Balenciaga Fall 2013 collection? Many thanks and amazing content as always
Can you do the rest of the Antwerp 6👀
The rest ?👀
I Should’ve given more context lol, I’m not saying Alexander Wang is in the Antwerp 6 but I noticed you didn’t give everybody in the Antwerp 6 a video. 👀
Fanel Dem oh haha, yeah I did in the past but I privated the videos because I read deeper on them and decided I needed to make better more in depth videos
Those metal stitches are Viktor and Rolf Fall 2008 👌🏻
I wish he was brought back to Balenciaga.
Watched this just at the time I was asking myself what Matthew Williams is doing at Givenchy before I've even see anything
Couldn’t agree more 🙌🏾
Can we have fashion battles like in music?
How do you mean?
Great vid
You know what I REALLY HATE?? This idea that designers somehow invented things like low rise waists, or wearing chunky boots with luxury clothing....THEY DO NOT. LONG BEFORE Alexander McQueen SENT LOW RISE PANTS DOWN THE RUNWAY PEOPLE WERE CUTTING OFF WAIST BANDS OR WEARING OVERSIZE JEANS ON THEIR HIPS!!! Long before Wang doing this collection people were pairing Doc Martens with designer clothing. By long I mean from the 1980's I think. Designers do not invent such things. They just refine them.
Nowhere near demnas balenciaga
Next JW Anderson And Loewe
Definitely will consider making this at some point
great video, love these reviews of older collections. ID on the shirt you're wearing?
Maharishi Deconstructed T-Shirt
On balenciaga.com > client services > frequently asked questions > distribution network > they show their authorised list of online retailers. I downloaded Farfetch as mention on that list and I came across a lot of Balenciaga products (bags socks jackets and even some clothes) in the description says Made in China. 👀☕ Why.... ☠️ I can stereotype why but... 😫 So disappointing...
I know hautelemode is seething watching this lol
Why would he be?
@@FashionRoadman only guess is that he's not a big fan of Wang.. In his NYFW S/S17 recap he actually makes a comment about this around minute 6.
Ah I didn’t even know
@@FashionRoadman he doesn't like Wang. In general he doesn't have an appreciation for a variety of style and aesthetic
@@ellemacs yup exactly
the lingo you use to describe quite wide range topics on genre/style/ times in fashion is very limited. though i guess thats how younger generations learn about fashion today, so good job on that.
love him and his designs, but what stood out more than the clothes in that initial collection for balenciaga was the casting.... 34 pale white women :// thank goodness the fashion industry is paying more attention to diversity
Great video 😎
20:48 8-10 collections a year 😒 please there people who can design up to 500 collections a month, do you know that?! There job have nothing to do with mental issue, there issue is with whom they sign contract with 😈
what tee is this
Maharishi Deconstructed T-Shirt
Very uniquely, whatever "success & doings" .. seemingly😅... became history (al~dente)😢
9:45
?
@@FashionRoadman I was just pinning the time so I can come back to finish the video
Ahmed Mohamed oh lol 🤣 I was so confused
@@FashionRoadman haha 🤣 no worries love your vids man keep the great work up
I respect your videos, but you often come off bias and have flawed references. I’m not sure where do you get your reviews from but 99% of reviews aren’t critical and are just praises because company pay those publications. Therefore, those reviews are flawed and using them as a proof point is flawed.
Alexander Wang @ Balenciaga wasn’t a success financially and artistically. He’s debut collection was his best and heavily referenced Cristobal hence why it became a success. He managed to make only one successful women boot, and even the successful sneaker only took off after he left.
Wang artistic success is proven at his own collection (up to Fall 2015 after that’s its downfall). He is still one of my favorite designers, but I don’t think his Balenciaga tenure nor his recent work is up to his early work which claimed him his success.
Keep up these videos though.
It wasn't
Elaborate
did not age well
Certainly didn’t
I like his work in fashion but I dont like his models All of them are as artiffical inteligence, without feminity.
Sad that Wang got exposed as to lightly say it, scum.
The six gray mechanistically place because carbon booly communicate through a thoughtful armadillo. ahead, safe maraca
Alexander Wang was fired because he's tacky and pedestrian. That first show was all about marble and that's it.
日本人いますかー！