designer spotlight: alexander wang

Meet Alexander Wang (as if you already didn't know), a Chinese-American designer who is a California native. At only 18 years old, he moved to New York City to attend Parsons Design School and work many intern jobs. He launched his full womens collection in 2007, selling internationally to over 200 boutiques and retail stores. A full accessories collection followed in 2008. Now, Alexander Wang is 25 and resides in New York City's LES, or Lower East Side. He has been recognized world-wide and has received a few, well deserved top honors and awards. He is definitely a L.E.S. Artiste.

Taken from WWD:

“[Fall] was the season where people really recognized us,” says Wang. “We’re under a microscope now. We have to watch our moves and make sure everything we do is right.”

“I’m not taking away from what I’m selling, and confusing the customer. I realized there were no T-shirts that spoke to my aesthetic,” he says. “You have those L.A. brands and then you have the $200, $300 shirts from The Row and Rick Owens.”

“Necklines are stretched and armholes are strategically lowered so that it looks worn in,” he explains. “It’s like sleeping in a T-shirt and then wearing it the next day. It’s not this crisp little T out of the dryer. It’s draped and kind of wilted.”

“Everyone’s been doing an open-toe,” says Wang. “I added the thong to give a fresh perspective and make it more provocative. The thong between your toes, it draws your attention to that area.”

“It’s just an evolution now,” he remarks. “People are either going to love [the changes] or hate [them], but they’ll recognize you for it. You have to show that the brand can evolve and that there’s a future for it.”

He's already helped friend and long time model Erin Wasson set up her own fashion line! She said that he was the one to get her started and now, Erin Wasson for RVCA will be in stores and it's looking fab!





You can see celebrities wearing and sporting Alexander Wang clothing!









This amazing and creative designer isn't going anywhere, at least not yet. He'll hopefully moving onto better things. Look out for him and check out his stuff at retail stores and boutiques around the world. They're fresh and ready-to-wear! Although you see the models sporting them down the runway, they're still wearable on the streets too. Amazing, isn't he? He is.





Don't forget about the face of this wonderful designer, Alexander Wang because he'll be sticking around. Click his name to be redirected to his site!!



By the way, those shorts are God's gift to us, oh my goodness. Thank you Alex.

designer spotlight: matthew williamson

Meet Matthew Williamson, a creative designer that lives in Mayfair. Until very recently, he lent his style which is comprised of vibrant, fun colours and bold prints to Pucci, and he is now working with H&M. Matthew made his first move in global fashion in 2002, when he began showing in New York. Three years later, he was hired as creative director of Pucci.

Here are a few excerpts from an interview he had, featured in H&M Magazine Summer 2009 edition:

"It was so much fun doing menswear after ten years concentrating on womenswear, he says.
I thought, Brilliant, here's a chance to capture what I really love in my own wardrobe."

"While at college, I wanted to express a certain femininity and escapist quality in my work, he says. These values remain key to my work today."

"Color is essential to my design."

When famous actress, Keira Knightley, wore a purple Matthew Williamson dress to the London premiere of Pride and Prejudice, waiting lists started to grow all over town. Everybody wanted that purple dress!



Also, when famous actress, Sienna Miller, attended the Oscars dressed in a beautiful emerald green chiffon dress with antique golden beads by Matthew Williamson, the dress received a great deal of attention.



Taken from the same H&M Magazine issue, here is "typical Matthew Williamson":

Indian Influences
A trip to India while at Central St. Martins College of Art & Design was the first of many.

An explosion of color
He has yet to meet a color he doesn't like.

High-impact patterns
Like his predecessor, Emilio Pucci, he loves kaleidoscopic prints.

Floral!
Imaginative floral and animal motifs are recurrent features of his collections.

Exotic!
Every collection takes the people who wear the clothes to exotic horizons and fantastic sunsets.

Voluminous shapes
Generous, billowing fabric is a classic feature of a Matthew Williamson dress.

Luxurious materials like silk and cashmere
He focuses on explosive materials - quality is a centrepiece of his design.

Now, innovative and mindblowing designer Matthew Williamson is known around the world, and is friends with many famous celebrities such as Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mischa Barton, Sienna Miller, Sophie Dahl, Brooke Shields, Diane Kruger, Kate Beckinsale and many more!







If you want more from this designer, his collection will be featured in the latest H&M line. Also, visit his website at Matthew Williamson

designer spotlight: mikhael kale

If you don't know already, I am based in Canada, and I live near Toronto. I just wanted to showcase a very creative and beautiful designer who has innovative ideas, who is also from Toronto!

Mikhael Kale is a Toronto based designer whose label is only in its second year, but is working up a storm. He has a profile that many veteran desginers strive for such as floor space at Holt Renfrew, notices in Nylon magazine and an off-site presentation at New York Fashion Week this Spring.

Here is an interview excerpt taken from blogTO's Designer Files:

How did you get into fashion?
Funny, I never 'got' into fashion, it got into me. I have always been drawn to garment design and construction.

When did you start sewing?
Age 10.

Canada isn't known as a fashion Mecca and a lot of talent goes overseas. You studied in London. What's the hardest part about doing business out of Toronto, and why do you stay?
I came back to start a label in Toronto. Proximity is always an issue no matter where I am located. As for fashion and talent, there is so much harvested in Canada.

Do you have a muse?
Um... er... um... ask anyone who knows me, and they'd tell you; I'm in love with a new woman hourly. I just simply find every woman muse-worthy. Every woman is the Mikhael Kale woman, case in point.

And another taken from the May 2009 issue of Elle Canada magazine:

You're the fashion police. What do you ban?
"I've banned things like purple tights with flat pointy shoes, but then I see M.I.A. wearing them, looking incredible, so I stand corrected! It's all about having a sense of self. Fashion isn't about boundaries."

What's your favourite food?
"I have this obsession with dried dates and dry-roasted peanuts. If you mush them together, it tastes like a Mars bar!"

Who's your favourite designer?
"Madame Grès. She was incredible."

To find out more about this amazing "Torontonian", please visit his website at http://mikhaelkale.com