Alexander Wang for Balenciaga

For five years now Alexander Wang (28) has kicked off almost every single fashion season as one of the first designers to show during New York Fashion Week. Since 2007 the young designer has managed to generate raving reviews and created a solid international fanbase of people crazy for his sportswear inspired, edge creations. Wang has high profile fans all around the world; from Rihanna to Olivia Palermo and12 own stores even though the fashion house is still a family business.

And while the success of this young label continues to grow, Wang is taking on another challenge at Balenciaga (and will travel between New York and Paris to do so). As the new creative director of the Parisian fashion house Wang will follow in the footsteps of Nicolas Ghesquière, who left the house last month after 15 years. A new designer potentially means the start of a new Balenciaga era.

With Wang on board the French label might be able to reach a wider audience, create more selling points and perhaps even better price points. And maybe Balenciaga, which has been high end and exclusive (even the number of catwalk photographers allowed at shows was extremely limited) since it was founded by Cristobal Balenciaga in 1937, could use a bit of Wang’s American commercialism. Even though the label did very well with Ghesquière as it’s designer.

There’s no doubt Wang will do a great job as Ghesquière’s successor. But, what can we expect?

The sporty elements and the mixing of materials will stay, no doubt about that. Wang, who is already going through Balenciaga’s archives, might start experimenting with more colors and prints, something he never really did for his own (very black-oriented) label. We might start to see more of Balenciaga’s heritage brought back to live. Clothing may become more approachable once Wang’s extraordinary streetwise twist is added. And perhaps the thirties fashion house will get a modern touch up (even though this winter’s out of the blue galaxy prints were pretty futuristic) in order to reach a global audience.

Yet the CEO of Balenciaga’s parent company PPR, François-Henri Pinault, already stated not a whole lot is going to change: “The challenge taken by Alexander, which I really liked in discussions with him, is for him to express his talent in a different situation for another brand with its own DNA, and he’s absolutely excited with that.”

One thing’s for certain; his first autumn/winter 2013/2014 shake up is going to be a good one. And we can’t wait to take a sip from this Balenciaga-Wang cocktail.

Let’s take a look back on some of Wang’s most outstanding designs in the gallery below.

Arnhem Mode Biennale 2011: Young Designers

The installation Prologues shows you the work of 22 different young designers. They are uncomprimising, ingenious and resourceful. They make the fashion they want to make without thinking to much about the wearability. With this installation Amber wants to celebrate this attitude and not let the designer’s creativity be stopped by commercialism.

You’ll see designs of Central Saint Martins students next to designs of Bas Kosters and Marryme-JimmyPaul.

John Galliano Fired!

Christian Dior has fired John Galliano as it’s creative director.

“I unequivocally condemn the statements made by John Galliano, which are in total contradiction to the longstanding core values of Christian Dior,” Sidney Toledano, Dior’s president and chief executive officer, said in a statement today.

Dior stated that the “odious behaviour” exhibited by Galliano in the video released yesterday was the last straw resulting in his dismissal.

Source: Vogue

Amsterdam International Fashion Week Preview: Jan Taminiau FW2011

For upcoming Amsterdam International Fashion Week designer Jan Taminiau has the honor of showing during the opening soiree. And while two designers usually show during this evening, Jan is doing it alone, presenting two different collections.

Jan sure has been busy the last couple of weeks designing not only for his brand new Haute Couture collection, but also for his Demi couture collection. Yet for Jan having to coordinate two different collections at once, is not bad at all. ‘It just feels like I can now ‘play’ more, cause I now get the make twice the amount of designs. It’s like synchrone dancing, since I’m making the same progress with both collections’, he said.

Demi Couture – Seperates

Jan will open the Amsterdam Fashion Week with his Demi Couture collection, a slightly less pricey collection, for which he focused more on his customer.  ‘The Demi Couture collection is not very different from the Haute Couture collection. Yet if a costumer would want an item from the Demi Couture collection they would only need one appointment with us, compared to five appointments for a design of our Haute Couture collection’, Jan explains.

The Demi Couture collection is, like the Haute Couture collection, not based on a certain season. Jan: ‘My customers travel to the sun when it’s winter and go skiing in the summer, so I never really work with seasons.’

Jan used the word ‘demi’ (this means ‘half’ in French) as a joke in his collection too. He would not tell us exactly what he did, but we guess certain designs will seem like they’re just one half of an item.

Jan: ‘The collection will be feminine, sexy and tough and you’ll see soft tones like gold, beige, off white, soft green and light pink’

Haute Couture – Irradiance

Jan’s Haute Couture collection is called irradiance (it’s about inner glow) and is inspired by hiding and being visible. ‘It’s based on a certain feeling you might have right before you enter a stage; you want to go on stage, but you’re also afraid and want to hide. You want to take that moment, yet you are hesitating. I always compare it to the moment you, as a child, have to give a presentation in front of the whole class; you have to do it, but you’d rather disappear. It’s about that vulnerable, yet positive balance’, Jan explained.

Jan: ‘I loved making this collection, cause there were no rules or restrictions, since this Haute Couture collection doesn’t necessarily have to be about clothes or wearablity.’

All materials for the collection were woven in the Textielmuseum in Tilburg and a lot of the details of the clothes were made by hand. The silhouette, as well as the colors of the collection are typical for Jan Taminiau: ‘You’ll see a lot of grey, silver, black and white and the music of the show will be moody.’

Amsterdam International Fashion Week Preview: Addy van den Krommenacker FW2011

On Friday the 28th of January Addy van den Krommenacker will present his brand new collection during the Amsterdam Fashion Week. The couturier, who is not only popular in the Netherlands but is also a big hit in Italy, tells us his collection is inspired by a strong woman. Therefore the collection is called: A glamorous pieceful warior woman.

For this collection Addy looked for a new challenge. He said: ‘I an known for my glamorous red carpet looks, but this time I wanted to create a more tough woman. Of course she’ll still have my style.’

To create the clothes for this tough woman Addy used tough materials. ‘I used organza, lace and sequins, but the tough part is mostly visible in the colors of the collection. That is, I used colors I never used like this before and I didn’t opt for the very feminine colors I usually use. I also worked with a new technique: moulage.’

Addy will be showing at least 50 different outfits and is extremely busy at the moment (only four days after the fashion in Amsterdam Addy is already showing in Rome). ‘Every week from Sunday to Wednesday I go to Milan to visit the studio. I work hard, but being in Milan and having diner there is also a great way to relax. Besides, the whole process of making fashion is of course great fun.’

Although Addy is been a fashion designer for years, he still gets nervous. ‘The closer my fashion show gets, the more nervous I bvecome. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and I start thinking about everything. Sometimes I come up with great ideas too, so then I get up and put them in my iPad. Other times I just close my eyes again and think ‘Tomorrow is another day’.

What we didn’t know of Addy is that he helps with producing the music for his show too. ‘I love music, so I’m working on the music for my show as well.’

Addy’s musthave for next fall? ‘A tough trenchcoat, which you’ll see in my new collection’

We’re looking forward to the show!

Amsterdam International Fashion Week Preview: Elsien Gringhuis FW2011

Elsien Gringhuis took her inspiration for her fall winter 2011 collection from the Dutch countryside, with it’s endless view, clear fields and lots of wind. She called her collection ‘One of these days’, after a Pink Floyd song. Giving away a bit of the ominous feeling this seeming fresh collection has.

For her 18 different looks Elsien used natural materials like hand painted silk, bamboo and wool and opted for colors like black, white, green and (light) blue.

For this new collection she focused more on the wearability of her designs. She also developed her way of pattern making. ‘I challenge myself trying to use the minimal amount of parts for my patterns, maybe one or two’, Elsien said. ‘I also tried to give the collection more of an airy feeling then I did with other collection.’

Elsien’s favorite outfit of her new collection is a silk jumpsuit.

Amsterdam International Fashion Week Preview: Bas Kosters FW2011

We have one week to go till the Amsterdam International Fashion Week starts. So to get you in the right mood for all the great Dutch fashion you’re going to see next week, we will present you some previews of the collections of several Dutch designers. We kick off with rebel designer Bas Kosters, who will show on Thursday evening, the 27^th of January.

Bas Kosters has had a lot on his mind these past weeks. Besides putting his collection together he is busy with some other projects as well, including a new commercial job, which we will hear more about soon. Yet despite the rush Bas is pretty calm: ‘The days I was finishing my collections in the middle of the night are in the past. Now I make sure I rest when I need to, otherwise things get out of control. And there’s really no need in wearing yourself out, cause at the day of the show you still have to be presentable (you have to talk to the press and you’ll get photographed).’

And Bas is right on schedule, cause the biggest part of the collection, inspired by mutants, is done. For those of you who’ve seen Bas’ show at the Dutch Fashion Awards, this – indeed – is the same collection, yet expanded. ‘The collection we’re going to show during the AIFW is more prêt-à-porter. For the Dutch Fashion Awards we were in hurry, we finished the collection (of 15 items) in three weeks. This time everything is far more balanced. Plus, we’ve added five menswear looks.’

According to Bas this collection is very different from what we’ve seen before. ‘The last couple of collections were very dark, this time we brought back the color. We also used some new techniques. For instance, we used special painting techniques and we used screen prints and digital prints.’

Bas continues: ‘The collection will also be more refined and there will be more shape in the designs. My favorite look is one of the outfits from the finale. It’s a dress made from silk pastel strips and when the model walks in it, it moves beautifully.’

Like almost everything Bas works on next week’s show will definitely not be your average fashion show. He promises a great spectacle and we sure can’t wait to see what he’s got in stores for us…

Photographer: Jeannette Huisman@Team Peter Stigter

Victoria Beckham expecting fourth child

Fashion designer Victoria Beckham is expecting her fourth child. Today People announced Victoria (36) is pregnant. According to their spokesperson Victoria and Beckham were delighted to confirm they are expecting their fourth child in the summer.

That means David’s very own soccer team is growing!

Yet maybe Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz will get a baby sister (for a change).

Catwalkvideo Tom Ford SS2011

Finally we can watch Tom Ford’s whole spring/summer collection. Today the video of the – very exclusive – fashion show was launched. See how singer Beyonce, actrice Julianne Moore and daughter of editor in chief of French Vogue Carine Roitfeld, Julia Restoin Roitfeld, work the runway!

Most Memorable Fashion Facts of 2010 (31 – 35)

2010 has almost come to and end. But we won’t celebrate the new year until we’ve looked back on a fantastic year of fashion. We’ve collected the news on the most memorable collaborations, upcoming models and other fashion facts you must not forget.

We made a top of 40 items. Earlier we presented news facts 1 to 30 and here are facts 31 to 35:

31. Dutch Designer: Iris van Herpen

Dutch Designer Iris van Herpen is becoming more and more popular. Though her designs are not always very wearable the fashion world loves her work. The shoes Iris designed for United Nude were featured in Vogue and Kim Kardashian walked around in them. As a proof of her talent Iris received three Dutch Fashion Awards and as a result British Vogue named her ‘One to watch’.

32. Chanel: fake fur & iceberg

For winter 2010 Karl Lagerfeld decided to make a statement. He would present a collection full of fake fur and stated that this was just as chic and glamorous. A great gesture, yet it didn’t quite match with the enormous iceberg he had imported from Sweden. In a time where global warming is one of the biggest problems it’s unbelievable Karl Lagerfeld can get away with importing icebergs. A fake iceberg to go with the fake fur would have been alright too.

33. Fench Vogue celebrates 90 years of fashion

This year French Vogue celebrated it’s ninetieth birthday. Carine Roitfeld put Lara Stone on the cover of her super thick issue and held a star studded masquerade ball to celebrate. Nobody knew she already had plans to leave the magazine at that moment…
French Vogue also launched it’s calendar, this time featuring a naked Daria Werbowy.

34. Jean Paul gaultier & La Perla

Known for his iconic cone bra and the many lingerie details he uses in his designs it was a smart move from Jean Paul Gaultier to collaborate with La Perla. This month the French designer and the Italian lingerie brand launched their first collection (with waist-cinching corsets, slips, extra high briefs and bustiers) together. JPG also teamed up with furniture brand Roche Bobois for some splendid sofas.

35. Lanvin for less

Was there ever so much talk on any H&M designer collaboration? We guess not. Lanvin for H&M was the talk of the day for over a month. First there were the leaked campaign images, then the video clips. After that, the fashion show in New York and finally the collection was actually for sale. Though the collection was a bit pricier than other collaborations every fashionista/o made sure to get her/his hands on some of the pieces.

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