美国国家公共电台 NPR Alexander Wang Discusses Why He's Leaving NYFW And His New Business Model

 

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

If you follow the fashion world, then you know this about designer Alexander Wang. Expect the unexpected. Wang is shaking things up again next month. That would be when New York Fashion Week gets going, and Wang will be there for the last time. He has announced that going forward, he is ditching the traditional New York fashion calendar. Instead, he's going to host his own shows in June and December, which would traditionally be the off-season for the fashion world.

Alexander Wang is on the line from New York to tell us why. Welcome to the program.

ALEXANDER WANG: Thank you - happy to be here (laughter).

KELLY: We are so glad to have you here. And let me start right there with the obvious question. Why is this going to be your last New York Fashion Week?

WANG: You know, it really goes back to the customer and the consumer. We've been really focusing the last couple years on how we can make our process more efficient, simplified and bring our collection with a shorter amount of time to our customer who demands that now and being able to deliver monthly drops that can service our customer better.

KELLY: OK, now you just said a key word - monthly drops. I mean, this has been the challenge of these huge runway shows since the beginning - right? - is that people would go. They would see these beautiful clothes, and then they couldn't actually get their hands on them for months, right?

WANG: Yeah, so traditionally (laughter), you would, you know, see, you know, our show in either February or September, and you'd have to wait about six months in order to see the product in store. So we are essentially¹ cutting that time in half. By showing in June, the product will already start shipping² in early October. So what you see will be a much shortened time frame of being able to get your hands on the product.

KELLY: Is this something particular to New York? Are you still going to do the big shows in Paris and Milan and LA?

WANG: Well, we actually only show in New York, so nothing really changes in terms of the scale or the format³ of how we show. It's really just the timing⁴.

KELLY: But you won't have the crowd that assembles twice a year in New York for Fashion Week if you're doing it on your own calendar. So what are you losing by walking away from this?

WANG: What are we losing? Well, there's always a risk of course. You know, I feel that if I'm going to fail, I want to fail big. So you know, when people watch a show now, essentially anyone can - doesn't really have to go to a show. The editors, the buyers can reference everything from the Internet or social media. So it's really about creating an experience and how we can communicate our brand DNA⁵ to the world.

KELLY: Now, you're not the only big-name designer to decide to ditch New York Fashion Week. I noticed that Tom Ford⁶ and Vera Wang and Tommy Hilfiger and others have all at one point or another decided⁷ to skip it. I wonder. I mean, do you all talk amongst yourselves and compare strategies, how this might play out?

WANG: (Laughter) You know, it's something that we've been thinking about for a long time as a brand. You know, we are very grateful to have the support of the CFDA behind us.

KELLY: CFDA is...

WANG: The CFDA is the Council of Fashion Designers America.

KELLY: OK.

WANG: And so they also want to be able to think about how we can start evolving the traditional fashion week and have also mentioned that there might be some other brands that will hopefully follow us into June and December.

KELLY: The window you described - you do a June show, and then you said the clothes would be available in October. Is that right?

WANG: Correct.

KELLY: So that's still a window of several months. Is your goal to keep narrowing that, to get closer to the kind of see-now, buy-now method of showing high-end designer clothes, haute couture?

WANG: I would say not, not for right now. I think the see-now, buy-now, you know, obviously was a very hot topic, you know, a couple of seasons ago. And I believe that it only works for a certain price point and a certain type of product.

KELLY: Does shortening the lag time between when your clothes are shown, when you do a show and when they're actually available for purchase - does getting closer to the season change the way you design at all? I mean, you know, it's that sense of, like, you're sitting in winter, trying to imagine what you would possibly want to wear in summer. And it's just so hard to imagine. Do you struggle with that?

WANG: (Laughter) Our life is so hard. No, I'm kidding. You know, that's one of the things that really feels outdated⁸ - is these labels of seasons. Being able to think about the product much more by the month enables us to think a little bit more neutrally about the seasonality⁹ of the product.

KELLY: You are known for enjoying and for throwing a good after-party at Fashion Week. Can people still expect those at your off-season shows?

WANG: Of course. Don't forget about Wangfest (laughter).

KELLY: Wangfest - this was the infamous¹⁰ one last year.

WANG: This was the infamous one last year. I mean, we actually started it a few years ago, and it reincarnates¹¹ itself every season. So yes, that will definitely be something that will be returning. But you have to expect the unexpected.

KELLY: Thank you very much.

WANG: All right, thank you so much.

KELLY: We've been talking with fashion designer Alexander Wang about his decision to make next month's New York Fashion Week his last.

1 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

2 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

3 format   

n.设计，版式；[计算机]格式，DOS命令:格式化(磁盘)，用于空盘或使用过的磁盘建立新空盘来存储数据；v.使格式化，设计，安排

参考例句：

• Please format this floppy disc.请将这张软盘格式化。
• The format of the figure is very tasteful.该图表的格式很雅致。

4 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

5 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

6 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。

9 seasonality   

季节性

参考例句：

• a high degree of climatic seasonality 明显的季节性气候变化
• Confinement. Seasonality of tourist trade, animals often 'contracted' to work. 限制，在旅游旺季时，动物们通常都得被迫“上工”。 来自互联网

10 infamous   

adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的

参考例句：

• He was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.他因反对女性主义而声名狼藉。
• I was shocked by her infamous behaviour.她的无耻行径令我震惊。

11 reincarnates   

v.赋予新形体，使转世化身( reincarnate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：