Alexander Wang adds power-packed fashion to H&M

The Alexander Wang x H&M collection features a lot of neoprene, mesh, and quick-dry material, but the designs transcend mere gym-wear.

Swedish retailer H&M makes high-fashion chic available to fashionistas with its latest collaborative partner, Alexander Wang.

What happens when high fashion and high street collide? When it’s Alexander Wang and H&M we’re talking about, the answer is “magic”.

Taking care not to reintroduce things that he has done in the past, the award-winning designer decided to offer something brand new in his collaboration with H&M. The result: A monochromatic Alexander Wang x H&M collection – almost everything is in black, white, and shades of grey – featuring athletic wear with real performance elements like wicking, making your Alexander Wang designer outfit gym-friendly for real.

The scene for the fashion show in New York stayed true to Wang’s penchant for basic black, with athletic touches like giant foam boxing gloves for the audience to wave, as well as Team Wang and Team H&M athletic tanks as a nod to the collection’s sporty theme.

Several celebrities were seen seated front row such as Eddie Redmayne, Kate Mara, Mary J. Blige and Justin Theroux amongst others.

The show kicked off with a blaze of energy, with a parkour performance that segued into the runway segment featuring very sportif-looking models clad in goggles, and rugby helmets, carrying hockey sticks and gym bags to appreciative applause from the audience.

The effect was akin to a futuristic, military-esque sports team, with its heavy use of neoprene, leather, mesh, and quick-dry fabric.

If working out is not your thing, fear not as versatility is the keyword here.

Materials usually reserved for gymwear were used to create intense dresses that would enable wearers to dance all night and still look Wang-derful. Think bold straps, curve-displaying dresses, the monochromatic colour scheme relieved by bright slashes of blue, that would suit the most confident of women.

“I love the idea of sports at night,” said Wang. “These clothes can translate to other events or situations where you need to be active and that means heading out to the club where you need to move and you sweat.”

Keeping things fresh

The challenge for this collaboration was how to excite the consumer, said Wang. “One of the ideas that was very close to me and I always wanted to try was performance wear and active wear,” he said, adding that it was also something H&M had yet to explore in their previous designer collections.

“I’ve always had an infatuation with how performance and active wear is made,” he said. This collection is “not fashion clothes where it has to just look good, they really have to have functionality as well.”

Melding the elements of form and function was a challenge that Wang was only too happy to tackle.

“The way the garments were produced and how they’re labelled, there’s a lot of explanation to that which was also exciting because I’ve never done such intense care labels before.”

The collection is packed with bold slogans, foam-injected neoprene sweaters – a core piece of any Alexander Wang collection – quick-drying t-shirts, mesh dresses and sports bras emblazoned with big, bold slogans. And let’s not forget its sports accessories: Boxing gloves, a yoga mat, and water bottle round out the range, so high-fashion fitness junkies can work out decked in head-to-toe Alexander Wang x H&M.

The boots, however, might make yoga a little tricky. Keeping true to his style, Wang has re-introduced the vertiginous boots from his Spring 2010 collection, updated to fit the athletic theme with neoprene and leather.

“It’s an honour to be able to join this amazing heritage of what H&M has done with these designer collaborations,” said Wang during the press conference. He is the first American designer to be collaborating with the Swedish fashion retailing giant, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

Previous collaborations include collections by Karl Lagerfeld, Isabel Marant, Roberto Cavalli, and now Wang, the 30-year-old award-winning creative brain behind Alexander Wang, T by Alexander Wang, and French fashion house Balenciaga.

> The Alexander Wang x H&M collection will be available at H&M Lot 10 & Avenue K from Nov 6. Go to their website for more details.