Alexander Wang confirmed as new creative director of Balenciaga

[Faust]

What is wrong here is that fashion is stagnating and moves like this aren't helping.

[messenoire]

parisian couture houses are suppose to be something special and held in the highest regard. so with raf at the helm of dior and now wang at the helm of balenciaga i feel that paris is losing a bit of it's magic. hopefully the shakeups arent quite over yet and there's still a few more waiting in the wings. i am not saying i dislike wang but i cant think of anything that has really impressed me by him. i can't wait for the balenciaga cotton jersey diffusion line to hit next... the pierre balmain line came shortly after decarnin left

[michael_kard]

i can't wait for the balenciaga cotton jersey diffusion line to hit next...

Isn't that Balenciaga.T's?

[messenoire]

Isn't that Balenciaga.T's?

i had no idea that existed!

[mike]

balenciaga already has a large selection of staple carry over items which account for their sales. they are just using wang as a cool new figurehead to help push the product. i doubt they are expecting him to produce anything original.

also, eternal, could you please elaborate on your views of celine copying balenciaga? i am quite familiar with both, and do not see it. if anything, they both have borrowed quite a bit from helmut lang (as everyone has).

furthermore, ghesquiere has done more than his fair share of ripping off other designers work. there are many more examples to cite; i am sure everyone is familiar with the ss07 raf tops he copied for his ss10 collection. however, i do not think this is necessarily an indication of a low caliber designer. such "borrowing" of designs is fairly common amongst those at large luxury houses forced to produce a high output. ghesquiere has obviously proved himself otherwise; but unfortunately for wang, he has yet to exhibit any signs of substance.

[casem]

And yet this forum is overrun with nostalgia and "the sky is falling" every time there is change like this.

What is wrong here is that fashion is stagnating and moves like this aren't helping.

[Patroklus]

And yet this forum is overrun with nostalgia and "the sky is falling" every time there is change like this.

lel
i could see the argument being made that bringing Wang in will bring Balenciaga more in line with the direction in which fashion is moving, but I'd be tempted to say that it isn't necessarily a good direction to take, nor will it necessarily benefit Balenciaga and their brand image.

it certainly won't benefit pfw :'(

[zamb]

i think we may have to reluctantly accept that this may be the new Normal .Brands are now less concerned with their "image" and more concerned with their bottom lines..............So producing in cheaper factories are the way to go, and hiring designers who are more "commercial" is more of a priority than having an artistic director with a creative soul.

My perspective on Wang is that I have none at all, partly because his work falls outside of the scope of fashion in which I am interested, so I cannot comment on his work. what i do know is this is a significant development for Balenciaga with its history and Legacy............as now there will no longer be a designer at the helm who is regarded as a Creative elite, but one who has made his name doing contemporary fashion

[david s]

my only thought is cynical

to take the heritage of cristobal balenciaga + what ghesquiere has done in the last 15 years and hand it to wang

just cynical shit ...

seems like they could find someone who is unknown with real design chops, or who knows maybe Wang will be a pleasant surprise.

here's hoping

[flwlessvctry]

Im have no idea what would lead them to this descision but im hoping these sort of things weren't it

http://pepperandherbells.wordpress.com/2012/09/12/alexander-wang-spring-2013-copies-tufi-duek-spring-2011/

[galia]

ahah

[Faust]

Damn, son. Where's that from?

[Crowzer]

http://fashionindustryconfessions.tumblr.com/

Nice tumblr by the way.

[mrbeuys]

http://fashionindustryconfessions.tumblr.com/

Nice tumblr by the way.

Oh jeez, there goes my free Sunday.

[Faust]

The New York Times, 07 December 2012

"Making it profitable will also be important. Tapping into emerging markets like China, India and Brazil will be crucial. In New York last week, while not going so far as to say Mr. Wang was hired because of his heritage, Mr. Pinault gave the impression that it was an advantage.

Increasing profits in countries where luxury is a mature business is very tough, Mr. Pinault said. But In China, where the potential is so strong that economic growth of 5 to 7 percent is seen as a bad year, the possibilities are endless. Making a profit there, he said, 'is an easy job.'"

And of course they assigned Mr. Vanilla to write the piece. Whatever. He interviewed three people, all of them praising Wang? How wonderful when the overwhelming reaction from the fashion community is negative.