Alexander Wang has announced plans to launch a denim line that includes three cuts in three washes, light indigo, medium indigo and black. It will hit stores on December 8th in stores and online with prices ranging from $225-$295. Wang in an interview with WWD acknowledged that the denim market is over-saturated but said that adding denim is part of the brand’s overall strategy of creating a lifestyle brand, which includes having a total of 21 stores by year end. According to the article, the three cuts (see images below), called 001, 002 and 003, come in a range of silhouettes:
“The Wang 001 is not a “skinny” jean per se, but a “slim” with a high rise to sit at the waist as well as 1 percent stretch for the two indigo washes and 2 percent for the black wash. The Wang 002, or relaxed fit, has zero stretch and is based on a classic men’s fit, but cut for a woman’s body. Then there’s the Wang 003. “We’re not calling them boyfriend jeans,” he said of the boy cut, which rides low and has a wider yet tapered leg. “I hate it when you roll them and your ankle is swimming, so I cut it so you roll it twice and it stays pegged.”
The announcement included ad imagery featuring model Anna Ewers as shot by Steven Klein. Ewers is posed as though in mid-masturbation with the actual jeans worn around her ankels or pushed past her crotch. If if reminds of Calvin Klein’s provocative denim ad images of yore, that is not an accident, Wang said that he used to tear out ad images from magazines and hang them on his wall. He also admitted that he was hoping to create a stir.
Thus far on the Alexander Wang Instagram, the number of likes is above average, as are comments, which range from appreciation and applause to disgust with the raunch factor and complaints of female exploitation. Some have also criticized the ads for lack of originality. And yes, while the images don’t feel all that fresh (though what’s with all the body oil), in a category in that is overflowing with offerings perhaps using a reliable trope to rise above the fray isn’t such a bad idea, after all.
