Beat the heat with Alexander Wang
Put on the layers this summer to air it out
Uniqlo collection uses cooling technology.
Alexander Wang wants you to be cool for the summer.
A designer favorite of celebs including Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Beyonce, the longtime fashion force has teamed with Uniqlo for a third time to debut a collection of silky, cooling innerwear and outerwear for men and women.
The 15-piece collection, which hits stores April 11, “pushes the boundaries of the psychology of how people think about cooling down,” says Wang, who used Uniqlo’s AIRism clothing technology for the new line of moisture-wicking undershirts, camisoles, undergarments and slips.
“The idea of putting on a layer to actually stay cool – that notion was something I found really inspiring,” he says, especially “in how to create these additional layers during the warmer temperature months, when all you want to do is start taking things off.”
The collection is light on the wallet, too, ranging from $9.90 to $29.90, and is meant to work with the wardrobe you already have, Wang says.
The women’s line includes everything from silky leggings to bras, slips and cami tops. The men’s collection of tanks, boxer briefs and crew shirts is made with a cooling fabric that feels akin to “when you put your hand on real stone or real marble,” the designer says.
How best to wear the new line? As you like, says Wang. Embracing innerwear as outerwear is “something that I’ve always really believed in,” he says.
Long a fan of simple, artful T-shirts, Wang’s personal layering style is a bit looser than the traditional Wall Street type. “When I wear button-ups, mine are usually a little heftier, cut a little roomier,” he says. “So when I wear my layering pieces underneath, I want to wear the shirt unbuttoned – they kind of
UNIQLO
UNIQLO
go together.”
Wang recognizes that dress codes and work environments are rapidly changing for a new generation.
Given the changing culture of offices, along with more mobile spaces, such as WeWork, “the idea of versatility is very important,” he says. “So I always like to not be so literal when I design, because it allows a T-shirt to be dressy enough to go into work meetings or a tailored jacket to be casual enough to be worn around on the street.”