Who Should Take Over for Alexander Wang at Balenciaga?
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Now that Alexander Wang and Balenciaga are officially splitting up, it’s time for the most fun part of following fashion news — the rumor-mongering and Twitter spitballing that takes place every time a talent vacates a huge house. Making things extra interesting this time is the fact that, according to a WWD source, parent company Kering might opt for a little-known candidate, as it did by hiring Alessandro Michele at Gucci. That means the playing field is wide open. We compiled our dream list of heavy hitters, including some names that are admittedly straight out of left field, because — well, why not? Kering, consider us your pro bono HR department.
Julien Dossena Dossena, whose name has already been bandied about, has won acclaim at Paco Rabanne, where he's been for two years. He's excelled ...
Julien Dossena Dossena, whose name has already been bandied about, has won acclaim at Paco Rabanne, where he's been for two years. He's excelled at taking the house's groovy '60s DNA and creating results that feel in line with the archives, without being too Barbarella. One possible sticking point: Dossena worked under Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga, so the house may not feel like revisiting him, or vice versa. Photo: © Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
Christopher Kane Kane is already under the Kering umbrella for his signature label, and while he hasn't helmed a major house, he did do a stint i...
Christopher Kane Kane is already under the Kering umbrella for his signature label, and while he hasn't helmed a major house, he did do a stint in the rotating cabal of Versus designers. Plus, he was reportedly a candidate back in 2012 before Wang was eventually hired. Le Nouvel Observateur even deemed him "the new designer of Balenciaga" in a sort of "Dewey Defeats Truman" fashion. Kane could add a touch of the sexy subversion he's known for.
Photo: Stuart C. Wilson/2015 Getty Images
Olivier Theyskens Give this man a job! Theyskens excelled at brooding, dramatic designs in his Rochas and Nina Ricci days. Since parting with The...
Olivier Theyskens Give this man a job! Theyskens excelled at brooding, dramatic designs in his Rochas and Nina Ricci days. Since parting with Theory, he's been a free agent — surely, someone wants to corral him. We miss seeing his flowing locks on the runway.
Photo: Matteo Prandoni/BFAnyc.com/BFA NYC
Josep Font A Spaniard like house founder Cristóbal Balenciaga, Font is a bit of an outlier, with otherworldly designs that often draw on c...
Josep Font A Spaniard like house founder Cristóbal Balenciaga, Font is a bit of an outlier, with otherworldly designs that often draw on cocoonlike shapes. Photo: Vivien Killilea/2014 Getty Images
Bouchra Jarrar Jarrar was once the studio director at Balenciaga, and she has gained steam after showing her self-titled line in couture week. Sh...
Bouchra Jarrar Jarrar was once the studio director at Balenciaga, and she has gained steam after showing her self-titled line in couture week. She has the experience and the critical interest, and she's one of the rare female designers in the field. Photo: Joe Schildhorn /BFAnyc.com/BFA NYC
Alber Elbaz Elbaz doesn't seem likely to leave Lanvin — he's been there since 2001 and is thought to have equity — so this se...
Alber Elbaz Elbaz doesn't seem likely to leave Lanvin — he's been there since 2001 and is thought to have equity — so this seems unlikely. But if the house wanted to go for a seasoned pro over a young gun, Elbaz could fit the bill nicely.
Photo: Stephane Cardinale/Stephane Cardinale/People Avenue/Corbis
Erdem Morialioglu To call Erdem's collections "pretty" isn't to damn them with faint praise. No one does fairy-tale elegance bette...
Erdem Morialioglu To call Erdem's collections "pretty" isn't to damn them with faint praise. No one does fairy-tale elegance better than the bespectacled Canadian, who also happens to be one of the nicest guys in the industry.
Photo: Gareth Cattermole/2015 Getty Images
Guillaume Henry He recently accepted a new post at Nina Ricci, but Guillaume Henry's work at Carven showed that he knows how to walk that fine li...
Guillaume Henry He recently accepted a new post at Nina Ricci, but Guillaume Henry's work at Carven showed that he knows how to walk that fine line between paying tribute to a house and adding youth appeal. Photo: PATRICK KOVARIK
Joseph Altuzarra Like Kane's, Altuzarra's namesake brand is owned by Kering, and he came up as a rumored Gucci candidate for the same reason. How...
Joseph Altuzarra Like Kane's, Altuzarra's namesake brand is owned by Kering, and he came up as a rumored Gucci candidate for the same reason. However, Wang and Altuzarra are basically besties — would there be any hard feelings if he came on?
Photo: Grant Lamos IV/2015 Grant Lamos IV
Giambattista Valli Valli Girls from Lee Radziwill to Rihanna worship the Roman designer for his grasp of the feminine, slightly '50s silhouettes ...
Giambattista Valli Valli Girls from Lee Radziwill to Rihanna worship the Roman designer for his grasp of the feminine, slightly '50s silhouettes they want to wear. This could give him a bigger customer pool to work with.
Photo: Andrew Toth/2015 Getty Images
Osman Yousefzada Like the house founder, Yousefzada originally became interested in fashion via his dressmaker mom. The London-based designer has...
Osman Yousefzada Like the house founder, Yousefzada originally became interested in fashion via his dressmaker mom. The London-based designer has earned the approval of Beyoncé and Diane Kruger, but his name has never seriously come up in discussions about taking over a luxury house, which could make him just the kind of under-the-radar candidate they're looking for. Photo: David M. Benett/2014 David M. Benett
Rosie Assoulin Like Wang, she's a young American designer, but her references are far more Old World, drawing on Charles James and Jeanne Lanvin....
Rosie Assoulin Like Wang, she's a young American designer, but her references are far more Old World, drawing on Charles James and Jeanne Lanvin. It's not easy to make those kinds of historical anvils feel feather-light, but Assoulin manages to with witty innovations like exaggerated skater pants for evening.
Photo: Matteo Prandoni/BFAnyc.com/BFA NYC
Simon Porte Jacquemus The Paris enfant terrible's reference points seem more Courrèges than Cristóbal, but since the former already...
Simon Porte Jacquemus The Paris enfant terrible's reference points seem more Courrèges than Cristóbal, but since the former already tapped the designers of Coperni Femme, this could be an opening for him. According to Fashionista, he's already been mentioned among insiders as a candidate. Photo: Francois G. Durand/2015 Francois G. Durand
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