Alexander Wang on Legacy 2.0, a runway do-over with Ice Spice lending star power – interview

Jun 26 , 2024

American fashion designer Alexander Wang spoke exclusively to Style about legacy, maturity and AI. Photos: Handout

Wang’s Rocco bag, once carried by Rihanna and Mary-Kate Olsen, has morphed into the new Ricco – introduced at his ‘American junkyard’ The Garage by Sex and the City’s Kim Cattrall

After nearly two decades in the fashion industry, one thing to know about Alexander Wang – both the American designer and his eponymous brand – is that the name will always be relevant.

It was 2005 when Wang first emerged on the New York fashion scene, long before his brand became larger than the person behind it. The OG Sex and the City had recently wrapped, and the grunge-inspired, semi-undone style now known as “indie sleaze” was just becoming a trend.

Almost 20 years on, both Wang, now 40, and the pop culture references he grew up with have staged a comeback. Despite missteps along the way, they are now being embraced by a new generation of fashionistas, only ones living on TikTok and not Tumblr.

Indie sleaze revisited, in Alexander Wang’s The Garage

“In this day and age, so many things are changing so quickly: technology, the length of people’s attention span,” Wang muses during a recent stop in Hong Kong. “Fashion being a spectator sport now – it’s pop culture.”

The designer is well aware of the cultural shifts that have occurred since he launched his business as a Parsons School of Design dropout with only a collection predominantly of knitwear to his name. Even then though, the wunderkind knew he was onto something special, quickly rising up the ranks from interning at Vogue to receiving the prestigious CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award in 2008.

Mechanic chic? Grungy garb from Alexander Wang’s The Garage

Wang’s newest runway show, held in early June to mark the beginning of the brand’s next chapter – Legacy 2.0 – paid homage to those very same underground design codes which first made him famous: skin-baring separates, slick leather and studs galore.

Some would say TikTok-viral, Gen Z darling Ice Spice was the biggest star in attendance, while others might counter that Sex and the City’s very own Samantha Jones, Kim Cattrall, was the main event. With both decked out head-to-toe by the brand, nobody could deny they were witnessing generational icons come together to create a pop culture moment.

Kim Cattrall and partner Russell Thomas at the runway at the Alexander Wang flagship store on June 5 in New York. Photo: Getty Images