Wang, Alexander (1983-…), is an American fashion designer recognized for his swift rise in prominence in contemporary ready-to-wear clothing and accessory design. Wang designs men’s and women’s clothing as well as handbags and footwear. Clean lines and periodic use of color dominate his classic styles, although he favors a black-and-white palette. Wang’s style has an urban sophistication; it is sleek, uncluttered, and luxurious. His clothes are popular with the young and physically fit.
Alexander Wang was born to Taiwanese parents on Dec. 26, 1983, in San Francisco, California. He began drawing as a small boy. At age 15, Wang held his first fashion show at his brother’s wedding. It featured clothing he had designed for his new sister-in-law. Wang’s brother and sister-in-law later became his business partners. After attending preparatory boarding schools in California, Wang went to New York City , New York, to study fashion design at Parsons School of Design, part of The New School university. He dropped out of Parsons after two years, and at the age of 21 started his own fashion label, beginning with a collection of unisex knitwear. Wang launched his first collection of women’s wear in 2007 at New York Fashion Week.
Wang’s fashion career has been exploratory and diverse. He served as creative director at the House of Balenciaga, a French fashion company based in Paris , from late 2012 to mid-2015. During that time, he also maintained his own fashion label and lines. In 2014, Wang produced a fashion collection for the Swedish retail company H&M (Hennes & Mauritz AB) that was a great success. He also has designed for the Adidas sportswear company.
Wang has won many major awards in the fashion industry, including the Council of Fashion Designers of America/Vogue Fashion Fund Award for young designers in 2008, the Swarovski Womenswear Designer of the Year award in 2009, and the 2011 CFDA Accessory Designer of the Year award. In 2015, he was featured in Time magazine’s list of “The 100 Most Influential People.”
