The speed of the city, mixing sports and performance in everyday life, Wang’s first ever versatile performance wear wardrobe uses both technical detail and fabrics for function and fashion. The women’s collection includes 38 exclusively designed garments, as well as accessories and a playful take on everyday objects.
Alexander Wang x H&M – Runway Debut in New York
Here’s the low-down on the collection.
Athletic performance wear :
Including quick-dry black running tops and perforated laser cut shorts, each bonded and branded with Alexander Wang in silver mesh. Seamless performance T-shirts, tank tops and crop tops are knitted in a pointelle pattern with a hidden tongue-in-cheek message that becomes visible when worn. Sports bras also feature the Alexander Wang logo on the back or on the wide bands of elastic, while compression crop tops, tights, dresses and bra tops play with logos of different scales.
Essentials
Performance details are used to create fashion pieces, such as the scuba dress with interwoven layers and a cut out at the waist with mixed fabrics, or the panelled leggings that create a dynamic patchwork from a technical houndstooth jacquard and stretch silver reflective. Alexander Wang’s signature experimentation with fabric innovation is seen throughout the collection, especially with the black foam injected crocodile patterned sweatshirt, and the scuba sweatshirt embossed with Alexander Wang branding in black and grey melange. Wang ́s understanding of the urban uniform is found in black scuba motorbike sweats and black leather track pants with tear-away snaps down the sides.
Outerwear
Technical outerwear offers utilitarian, protection, such as a black seamless welded water-repellent parka with a moulded hood curved like a baseball cap. A grey jacquard scuba coat is a winter essential, while black motorcycle jackets come both oversized in scuba wool and as a quilted leather puffer.
Accessories
Long scuba gloves, stamped with a reflective logo, jacquard beanies and compression socks with graphic logo treatment complete the outerwear look. Shoes include a high heel of folded down rubberized leather with a scuba sock, a box heel leather boot, or a low-top scuba sneaker. A leather backpack comes with a hidden branded rain cover in reflective silver and a padded drawstring satchel in rubberized leather.
Objects
To represent the scale of the Alexander Wang lifestyle and injecting a sense of humor, the collection also includes a range of objects, including a yoga mat, a water bottle, towels, sunglasses with oversized head strap and swim goggles. There are both actual size boxing gloves and those as a mini key-ring, a whistle on a two-finger ring, and for the victor, a magnetised Alexander Wang trophy cup.
The result? Well it’s a collection to be worn on the street, in the gym, at the club – the way women live their lives today. And I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it.
Alexander Wang x H&M will be available in 250 stores worldwide on November 6, 2014 as well as online.
