Alexander Wang feels honoured to have designed a range for high street brand H&M, a collection filled with sporty pieces he wants people to wear to the gym or on a night out.
The Alexander Wang collection for H& is edgy
The Balenciaga creative director has always been a fan of the high street retailer and has promised his pieces for the store are both "good-quality" and have integrity.
He told Grazia magazine: "I have always shopped there and it was such an honour to be asked to collaborate.
"I wanted to design new pieces of performance and sportswear, making good-quality pieces with their own design integrity."
To launch the collection there was a high-energy party held in New York which saw Mary J Blige, Jessica Chastain and Dakota Fanning attend, Missy Elliot perform and in addition to the that fans of both brands attended. They had won invites to the launch event through a golden ticket initiative via vending machines, held in selected H&M stores around New York.
"Tonight's event for the launch of Alexander Wang x H&M was about high energy and a full experience that goes beyond fashion; from the attitude and speed of the show, to the pop-up store in a locker-room setting, and the performances by Missy Elliott and Sharaya J at the after party," says Alexander Wang. "I wanted for everyone to be able to just let go and have fun and hopefully we achieved that tonight."
For the designer, the most appealing aspect of the collaboration was making his clothes accessible to those who usually wouldn't be able to afford them and he "can't wait" to see them on everyday people.
He said: "It's not just the desirability of the product, but the way the collaborations become such a worldwide event, making designer fashion so democratic.
"I cannot wait to see people wearing the collection, from the street to the gym to a night out."
Jessica Chastain is certainly a fan, she said: ""I love Alexander. I love how he takes street clothes and turns them into fashion. It's great how H&M's collaborations make designer fashion on a scale that people can afford."
Mary J Blige also showed her love for the designs: "The collection is hot. It's fly, it's edgy, it's everything. I love it."
Speaking to Vogue.co.uk Alexander said: "It's also a collection that touches many different tiers for many different audiences. It doesn't matter if you're a luxury customer or an H&M customer - if you need gym clothes, if you work out, if you're active, there's a piece for everyone."
And he admits that he wants to design more sportswear and make it a more permanent feature in his collections.
He told Vogue.co.uk: "Approaching active wear was exciting for me as I've always wanted to do it, but having that access to the resources - the factories and the garment mills - was a completely different process to what I usually do.
"It's a whole new skill set. You have to do your due diligence and testing, but it is something that I have so much passion and love for, that I'd love to have a future opportunity to do something like this that is more permanent."