Alexander Wang this week unveiled its first retrospective fashion exhibition “Edge: exploring the worlds of Alexander Wang” at the plaza of Beijing’s luxury shopping complex Sanlitun Taikoo Li.
Running from Sept. 27 to Oct. 25, the exhibition, which is a stone throw’s away from the brand’s renovated flagship, presents a selection of key archival and current pieces, curated by the Chinese American designer himself to demonstrate the brand’s signature use of subversive elements, irony and hybrid-design concepts.
“Since 2012 when we opened our flagship store in Sanlitun, the immense support has been incredible and we’re so grateful to the city of Beijing for that. In many ways, this feels like a homecoming but also the perfect space to launch our first exhibit. Sanlitun is also a popular shopping destination, so we’re so excited to be a part of that energy because that’s a part of who we are,” Wang said.
He counted the safety pin top with layered stack belt from the 2019 New America collection, the micro pleated top and pants from the spring 2015 collection, and the allover crystal jacket, sweatshirt and slop skirt from the fall 2023 collection as three of his favorite looks on display.
“We wanted to celebrate what the brand is and how it has grown over time while also looking into the future, which is played out in the architecture and exhibition design. To me, the brand is about being daring, energetic and unconventional, and at the core, it’s challenging the conformity in luxury…always being on the edge of something new and unexpected,” said the designer who grew up in California with parents from Shanghai.
China is now the brand’s biggest market with 25 stores in the region, representing more than half of the brand’s global retail network. The brand has been growing at a fast pace in the market since it sold minority stakes to two Chinese investors, fashion conglomerate Youngor Group, and venture capital firm Challenjers Capital, last year.
The designer said he is “honored and really thrilled by the overwhelming excitement from our China-based fans and followers.”
In an earlier interview, Wang disclosed that the business has grown about 80 percent between 2020 and 2022, and China alone has seen triple-digit growth, close to 150 percent.
“We wanted to take this as an opportunity to show our love and appreciation for everyone. This exhibit has been a long time coming and with that we see this exhibit as the perfect occasion to build upon — bridging our two worlds into one,” Wang added.