SHANGHAI—Gym clothes that double as club wear. Designer fashion without you having to break the bank. An abandoned warehouse transformed into an über-cool party destination.
The twists and turns are numerous in Alexander Wang x H&M.
Wang is the first American designer to collaborate with H&M. This marks the 10th year of collaborations between the retail behemoth and fashion designers.
H&M’s world launch last Nov. 4 in Shanghai came hot on the heels of its epic flagship store opening in Manila. It broke worldwide records, pleasantly surprising its Swedish headquarters with the turnout of about 4,000 Filipino shoppers queuing up outside SM Mega Fashion Hall hours before doors opened.
The Alexander Wang x H&M prelaunch party, meanwhile, drew throngs of people—fans of Wang, H&M loyalists, and local and regional celebrities.
Exuding the urban cool vibe of Wang himself, it was held just off the city center, in a large warehouse decked out in strobe lights and steel stages. It had a pop-up store for party guests to get first dibs on the collection.
And what a collection it was, or it is—it’s still in the stores. (It was snapped up in no time in Manila.)
In the signature Wang monochrome palette, it was created fundamentally to perform. “I’ve always wanted to do an active wear and a performance wear collection. I never really had the opportunity in my own line to do a capsule collection that embodies this kind of functionality,” explained Wang.
It’s active wear with extreme versatility—an element that runs as an undercurrent to a style that straddles the functional and the fashionable.
These are garments and accessories you can wear from the gym to the club. These are pieces designed for motion and sweat, whether from pounding the pavement or working the dance floor.
‘I live in gym clothes’
“I’m not an athlete. I don’t go to the gym that often. But I do live in gym clothes—T-shirts and sweatshirts and sweats. It’s just a part of my lifestyle. Health is such a big component to lifestyle these days,” Wang said, pointing out that running leggings and sports bras have become almost fundamental to street wear, not just for working out, but for going out to lunch or partying at night.
“It’s just become the new standard. So we try to apply our aesthetic—patterns, graphics and silhouettes—and try to find the right balance of something that feels very elevated but still multifunctional,” he added.
Active wear is a genre that has long intrigued Wang. He believes it may be the most advanced in terms of fabric and make. It calls for technological know-how—to wick off sweat, slick off water, and allow freedom of movement.
“It’s not surface. There’s depth to it. We spent a lot of time developing the material, testing different finishes. A lot of the garments were melded, or glued, or made waterproof, or seamlessly knit. It was very, very advanced in terms of the make. It was definitely a different process for me, from what I’m used to,” Wang said.
Ninety percent of the collection was brand new. “I didn’t want this to be a collaboration that was just redoing things I’ve done. I wanted this to be a collection that would excite my customer, as well as an H&M customer, and maybe even a new customer. There isn’t anything in this line that really exists in the collection that I have right now,” he pointed out.
The success of collaborations such as this lies in the freedom to create that’s given the designers. “It’s their collection but (available exclusively) in our stores. They don’t have to compromise. It’s important that it’s their DNA,” said Kristina Stenvinkel, head of global communications for H&M, in an interview with Inquirer Lifestyle.
“Sketches, ideas and colors all come from the designer,” added Margareta Van den Bosch, H&M’s creative advisor, who has been spearheading the collaborations.
Asked about H&M’s selection process for designers, she said, “It’s very important that we choose designers who are very different from each other. We want to have diversity.”
It’s harmony in diversity. When the DNA of two enigmatic forces comes together so seamlessly, magic happens—and explodes, like it did in Shanghai.
The guest list was eclectic, as if in keeping with Wang’s design personality, his style that screamed both street and chic.
Of course, Asia’s stars were in attendance. Chinese pop singer and actress Chris Lee opened the show. K-pop superstars 2NE1 brought the house down with a surprise performance, belting out fan favorites such as “I Am the Best” and “Come Back Home,” wearing their favorite A Wang pieces.
Also sighted were such A-listers as Chinese actress Fan Bing Bing and Hong Kong choreographer Sunny Wong.
Wang himself was energy uncorked, his long hair bouncing as he traipsed excitedly on stage in his signature black shirt.
“I am so excited to launch the Alexander Wang x H&M collection in Shanghai. I’ve been wanting to do something here, and this is the perfect occasion,” said the designer-turned-host.
Authentic
After the show, he hung out with the DJ and danced the night away with friends and fans.
The thing with A Wang is, he never stops being himself—fun and fresh, authentic and accessible, a spirit he shares with H&M.
“I feel very grateful and blessed to be in the position that I am, to wake up every morning very excited and inspired by what I do. And I guess the energy just naturally comes from that,” Wang says.
Alexander Wang x H&M is in 250 select H&M stores, including the Manila flagship store at SM Megamall’s Fashion Hall.