Alexander Wang’s New Three-In-One Role!
Alexander Wang’s New Three-In-One Role!
The fashion industry’s musical chairs game, this year, has been very engaging and the latest move comes from Alexander Wang, who has taken over as CEO and Chairman of his eponymous label effective immediately.
No- this doesn’t mean that Wang will be stepping down from his position as the brand’s creative director, it’s just that he will now have the added responsibility of two more key roles. With this development, Wang will be succeeding his mother Yin Wang and sister-in-law Aimie Wang, who held the positions of CEO and chairman, respectively. It doesn’t however bring an end to their journey with the brand, as both will remain to be the company’s shareholders and board members.
Alexander Wang in a statement thanked both his family members for their tireless efforts towards getting the brand where it is today. “I want to thank my family, Ying, and Aimie for their tireless efforts toward building the business, we have today. The business side has always come naturally to me, and with my full-time return to New York, I want to focus on my brand’s strategic growth. Now is the right time to fully synchronize the creative and business aspects of the company and to continue strengthening the dialogue we have with our customers,” he added.
Following this, there are going to be more structural changes, as the company has made two key appointments. First one being that of Mary Wang, who has been appointed as the company’s new executive Vice President. Going by her last name, many would assume that Wang is related to the designer but she is definitely not. Prior to her joining, Wang served as the President of DKNY and also has over 20 years of experience of working with Donna Karan.
The second appointment proves that family is still important for Alexander Wang, as he has brought in his aunt Caroline Wang to be the company’s new executive Vice Chairman. Caroline Wang has over 30 years of experience in the field of business and technology, as she previously served as the Vice President of marketing, information technology and business transformation for IBM’s Asia Pacific branch. These hires come not so long after the company’s president Rodrigo Bazan resigned from his position to join Thom Browne.
However, this isn’t the first time that a designer has chosen to take on both the design and business part of the brand. Ralph Lauren and Christopher Bailey are the living examples; both have served as the creative director and CEO of their respective brands. Though, Ralph Lauren did hire a Stefan Larsson as the label’s new CEO last year.