Last year, when Alexander Wang decided he would no longer participate in New York Fashion Week in favour of presenting new collections every June and December, he left a hole where his #Wangfest parties used to be. Stressed-out NYFW attendees who typically do not indulge in showing excitement were never above dancing to whatever major performer Wang tapped (Cardi B, A$AP Ferg, Ashanti, Ja Rule, even), eating McDonald’s, or drinking from a pouch on a lanyard. Wang was always up for a party and the fashion industry rose to the occasion. But as the designer tells Vogue, he is officially planning a 15th anniversary party that is going to rival everything he has ever done before — so much so that he is skipping his December show in preparation.
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“I don’t want to say that this is a decision that means we won’t return to a fashion show again or that we don’t believe in the format, but it just felt like the right moment for us to do something different,” Wang said.
But “something different” to the man who took over Bulgari's flagship store, the Chelsea Car Wash outside of Milk Studios in New York, and staged his own version of Coachella could mean literally anything. And that’s the point. “When we look at some of our most memorable shows, I think the things that we remember and the things that resonate with our audience have always been about more than just the clothes: It’s the entire experience,” he told Vogue. “It was the story, it was the location, it was the concept. It was always more than just a fashion show.”
Wang knows creating such a fun, inclusive environment for his customers results in brand loyalty, especially when they can ask, “Where the party at?”
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