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Balenciaga Break-Up: "It Was Mutual"

Wang’s departure is a rare example of a drama-free, mutual break-up between a designer and a fashion house, says Imran Amed.
François-Henri Pinault and Alexander Wang | Source: Courtesy
By
  • Imran Amed

LONDON, United Kingdom — Perhaps the most notable thing about the week's biggest news in fashion — Alexander Wang's now confirmed departure from Balenciaga — wasn't that he was leaving. It was how amicable the break-up seems to have been. The fit between Balenciaga and Wang was tenuous from the start and the commercial and creative impact that parent company Kering expected has clearly not materialised since Wang took the creative reins of the storied French brand in December 2012.

Too often, when designers leave fashion houses, their departures are surrounded by drama and controversy. When Christophe Decarnin left Balmain, it was under a cloak of secrecy as the designer had reportedly had a nervous breakdown. Raf Simons was turfed out of Jil Sander so publicly that the fashion world was up in arms, indignant that he had been treated so disrespectfully. Nicolas Ghesquière's fiery exit from Balenciaga in 2012 has led to a lawsuit between the designer and Kering. And then there was the most controversial and incendiary exit of all: that of John Galliano, whose anti-Semitic comments, caught on a video that went viral, brought the drama out of the fashion bubble into the global mainstream.

Yet on Friday, Wang and Kering issued a joint press release with glowing comments from all, saying how much they enjoyed the collaboration, making it clear that it was a joint decision to end the partnership. Clearly, it is the right decision for both parties, as Wang can now focus on his own label and Balenciaga can try again to find the right talent to inject Balenciaga with the kind of creativity that can make it Kering's next billion dollar brand.

Enjoy our top stories for the week gone by:

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Top 10 Campaigns A/W 2015: A Season of New Faces
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Louis Vuitton to Stage Instagram-Friendly 'Series 3' Exhibition in London
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Imran Amed, Founder and Editor-in-Chief

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