Balenciaga To Launch Couture Line with Alexander Wang?
The Balenciaga buzz won't stop.
Since Alexander Wang scored the coveted spot as the brand's new creative director, the fashion community is anxious to see how the New York-based designer will take his sports-meets-luxury design talent and translate that to the future of the storied French fashion house.
François-Henri Pinault, CEO of PPR (the luxury conglomerate that owns Balenciaga) hinted during a Q & A with CBS’s Rebecca Jarvis that the designer could take the brand into haute couture territory in the future, according to Women's Wear Daily.
"Alexander Wang is young and he has a very universal culture..He has a very strong talent not only when it comes to accessible product, but his talent could also be adapted for couture at Balenciaga," said Pinault.
Wang, who has already poured over the Balenciaga archives seeking inspiration for his rapidly approaching debut collection for the iconic French brand has an exciting journey ahead with plenty of high expectations from across the global fashion community.
"This is the first time that such a talent started his career with his own brand and then moved to an existing one in a new segment. This has never been done before," said Pinault. "Alexander has already expressed himself with the total feeling of building his own brand. Now he wants this new challenge for himself."
Pinault said of Nicolas Ghesquière's departure, "The brand has been built over the last 15 years with Nicolas. We don't intend to change. It's not a rupture. We plan to continue to build on what has been built by him. We needed someone who was capable of coping with that. So that is what is at stake."
