Days after the announcement that he and the grand dame of Paris, Balenciaga, will not be renewing their vows for another season, Alexander Wang has opened his first European flagship store in London, a testament to the incredible success of his own label.
“I think that London has the best shopping in the world,” Wang told Vogue, adding that, “I always knew that London would be the first city that I would want to open a flagship in in Europe”.
Designed with architect Vincent Van Duysen, the 625 metre space in a former post office reveals a cool grey and black interior in keeping with the laid back luxe appeal of his label. Unlike the Wang store in New York, collections from all of categories of the brand are available together in London.
“It’s our largest European market and it’s one of my favourite cities in the world,” Wang said about London, adding that, “There’s just so many options, so many great stores – I mean, Harrods is a mecca – you can buy anything there for anyone!”
While Wang has acknowledged that many see his vibe as being better set against a gritty, graffitied backdrop, Wang has pitched up at Albermarle St in moneyed Mayfair over edgier districts to the east. “Yes, I live downtown geographically, but I love uptown and I love midtown and I love doing things that aren’t always the predictable things that people associate me with,” he explained.
With his blockbuster collaboration for H&M a total sell out in November last year, the designer’s star is firmly on the ascent and will no doubt have fashion pilgrims of his own flocking. In other words, it’s totes Wang.