Balenciaga and Alexander Wang in contract discussions

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Jul 3, 2015

The rumours are growing louder about a possible separation between Balenciaga and its current artistic director Alexander Wang. When we spoke with Kering, which owns the luxury Parisian house, they said that "discussions for the renewal of his contract are underway."

According to the trade press, the young American designer could leave Balenciaga, where he has successfully been fulfilling his role as artistic director since December 2012, succeeding Nicolas Ghesquière who left for Louis Vuitton. Indeed, Balenciaga hasn't stopped getting stronger, recording double-digit growth these past two years.

Is it a strategy by the designer, who is also a favourite on the New York scene with his own Alexander Wang line, to increase the stakes or has he been contacted by another fashion house? At this point, anything is possible.

Whatever the case may be, playing a double role is never easy. According to WWD, the designer is looking for an investor for his own brand.

Committing to two totally different creative worlds can sometimes become too much to handle. Some before him have tried and failed, throwing in the towel when it got to be too much. Such as Belgian designer Kris Van Assche, who just recently decided to stop his ready-to-wear men's line to concentrate on Dior Homme, where he has been artistic director since 2007.