When Alexander Wang hit upon the idea of making his apparel a tribute to sneakers, it must have felt like a eureka, genius moment. After all for years he’s watch as designer after designer picked up on his original concept of sport-infused apparel to the point where the look has now rippled out to the masses and taken down the denim industry in its wake. Yes, Wang could up the ante with the latest in tech fabrics, but to use iconic shoe silhouettes and brands as the blueprint for the clothing put him in a place of originality he hasn’t occupied in a long time.
The concept is a two-for marketing boom, too. High fashion is charmed by the idea and energy of the collection while streetwear and sneaker blogs are over the moon that low-key sneaker head Wang has given them a conspiratorial shout out via design references to two of sneaker culture’s faves, Adidas Stan Smith and Jordan 3 “Cement (image above).” Wang also had a bit of fun adding Nike’s well known vis-air detailing to Stan-Smith themed bags–Adidas and Nike, together at last. In addition to iconic silhouette references the collection also includes high-tech dresses that reference the color, knit and upper detailing of lightweight running shoes. Popular sport detailing including mesh, perforation, and contrast stitching are prominent throughout the collection and one of the more charming shoe silhouettes features a Nike-esque “Woven” upper.
