Alexander Wang leaving Balenciaga

[tentalicious]

Terrible news.
I am shocked.

 

[Marc10]

This is Raf out of Jil Sander all over again, only 10x more shocking. Nicolas at Balenciaga seemed to be the most established job in fashion alongside Alber at Lanvin and Karl at Chanel. Every single season he delivers critically and commercially successful collections, created such a strong, recognizable and borderline iconic look for the brand. I just really can't see why he decided to leave (and I refuse to think he was fired). And I can't picture him in any other house, nor anyone else at Balenciaga.

Wow. This will keep us going for a while.

 

[Wolkfolk]

OMG

I read the news as I was in class and literally screamed "F*ck Me" !!. This is really unexpected and shocking, even if some of his latest collections haven't been what they used to be I can't imagine Balenciaga without Nicolas. I can't imagine fashion without him. And I'm certain there wasn't any selling problems. So why does he leaves so abruptly. That means he won't be involved in the pre-fall or fall collections right ??

God this news just ruined my day . Wondering how Anna W feels about that.

Well if you want to invest into something, I think it's the perfect time to look for some Ghesquière archives

 

[TianCouture]

It's from PPR. They do the PR for Balenciaga. It's on their site. This is so very shocking. I really do not understand this at all...

 

[dodencebt]

My happy Monday got officially ruined. I knew good Mondays didn't exist.
I seriously can't understand the reason why he would quit Balenciaga. 15 years of extremely captivating and reviving work.. and now it's over?

 

[Scott]

PPR is actually the shareholder of balenciaga.

it does make one wonder though if he's retiring altogether. it just seems so out of nowhere and there doesn't seem to be any indication there were issues within the company.

 

[SugarMe]

As surprised as I am about this, I'm strangely unmoved by it. Though I am very excited about the change in general and waiting to see what happens next.

 

[mikel]

I wonder what he will do next. I can't imagine Ghesquire working for another label.

 

[mistress_f]

I know what PPR is
I just meant that I didn't know how to properly credit the image. This is very shocking, it's also weird cause after a few 'off' seasons resort + spring summer were just amazing. What is going on?

 

[Deleted member 7575]

I'm honestly shocked. Though Ghesquiere's collections are constantly copied on the runways, he's never really made any innovations as far as real women's dress goes. And I can't imagine his RTW is all that profitable. But I always thought the solution was in smarter product development, not a change of creative direction.

But maybe he's leaving of his own accord? Perhaps he's finally ready to move on? He's always said he had wanted to use his own name for a truly special project, perhaps that time has come? Or maybe everything just came to a head and no one involved was happy with the arrangement?

I believe the fashion industry can only honor Ghesquiere, despite that I haven't liked any of his collections since a few key assistants left his team. He not only reestablished Balenciaga as a creative and luxury market powerhouse but he established a new way of thinking about color, material, he is the king of retro-futurism, and he really made that language a part of the contemporary discussion in a major way. His contribution is immense.

I'd like to think PPR has a plan for all of this. Given the timing and lack of rumors surrounding this, it sounds like it was planned for and feels relatively amicable. My first reaction was "oh my god, who on earth could fill his shoes?" But then if you look around, if you really look, there are some options, the most obvious being some of those former assistants...

 

[educo]

I'm having a stroke.

Took the words right out of my mouth. This is the shock of a lifetime. Ghesquiere IS Balenciaga. Well this at least explains why his work wasn't up to par as of late.

 

[Miss Dalloway]

It says it was a "joint decision"?! That is probably is just some PR bs for the small print! I wonder if he decided not to renew his contract so they are saving face now. I cant see him being fired, unless there were some new regulations put upon him which doesnt make sense either. Man, that is so much talent, i hope he starts his own brand.

As for Balenciaga, we will see how long it takes them to appoint his replacement, because if this was a shock to them, it will take a while like at Dior.

Waiting for Horyn to get the scoop, and write all about it......

 

[ALAUU]

I'm shocked, but I understand his decision. Didn't he give an interview years ago saying that he wanted to help Balenciaga rebuild and then go off and do his own label. Maybe he'll pull a Tom Ford and create his own line. That would be fantastic.

 

[Wolkfolk]

BTW guys I think the mayans were right... 2012 really is the end of all

 

[ScarlettLover]

WHAT. I hate this but I hope he does go on to his own label. I wish him good luck, he is very talented.

I can't begin to imagine who would replace him?

 

[liberty33r1b]

strangely I don't feel particularly sad about this. when Raf left Jil Sander it was like the world is exploding, but this just feels different. I'd suspect it was his sole decision to leave, maybe because of the stress that came with the job? it will be very interesting to see who they pick to succeed him, I'm already anxious to know

 

[Nepenthes]

Right when I thought I was having a good day.

 

[cottonmouth13]

No effin way! He totally transformed Balenciaga into something that's really relevant and made some iconic collections throughout that 15 years. This is just sad..

 

[SabrinaNicole]

Yes, upsetting.

 

[Lolaa]

I'd like to know more details about this, did he really want to leave or did they fire him?