In a particularly intriguing turn of events for the fashion industry, the established fashion house of Balenciaga has opted to hire Alexander Wang as their new creative director. The news comes on the heels of recent creative director- Nicolas Ghesquiere’s immediate departure as of yesterday. Intensive rumors that London-based designer, Christopher Kane was a suitor for the position have been decisively quashed by the surprising announcement. Alexander Wang’s meteoric rise to success and stardom from his wildly successful self-titled label and subsequent T by Alexander Wang is certainly an indication of the designer’s immense capability and vision. However, the new project of revamping the Balenciaga label will prove to be an interesting and delicate task for Wang. Initiated in 1918 by Spanish designer, Cristobal Balenciaga, early Balenciaga collections were quite opulent and referenced fanciful historical fashion. Ghesquiere’s insertion as head designer into the newly revived label in 1997 brought a new attention to Balenciaga classics. Ghesquiere’s penchant for fascinating new design elements kept the brand evolving through his years there. With Ghesquiere’s guidance, Balenciaga has moved into a future that seems distanced from the Balenciaga of the Christobal Balenciaga days but the metamorphosis is not a negative one. Ghesquiere has transformed Balenciaga into an ultramodern yet constantly well-respected label. It is due to Ghesquiere’s aesthetic transitions that the label is comfortable hiring Alexander Wang, the king of minimal-chic, for such an integral position. No doubt, Alexander Wang’s presence as creative director will be an extraordinarily different experience than his presence in his current labels. And yet, Balenciaga may prove to be a wonderful outlet for Alexander Wang to express a different creative aesthetic than that of his brand. Only time will tell what the infusion of Alexander Wang will be at Balenciaga as we can expect the fruit of this fashion union to be on the runway at future fashion week presentations. Women

s Wear Daily confirmed the appointment of Alexander Wang to his new position and statements are anticipated from both parties in the upcoming weeks.

By: Sarah Humphries

Photo source: PurpleDiary