Denim. It just can’t stay out of trouble for too long. We all remember when ad campaigns for Levi’s flirted with controversy, and who could forget the provocative, yet now iconic words Brooke Shields whispered: “nothing gets between me and my Calvins” in her Calvin Klein ad? And now we have Alexander Wang entering the foray, with the launch of his women’s denim line, Denim x Alexander Wang. Accompanied by the highly risque campaign, this is a collection that will undoubtedly have heads turning (and not just to check out the jeans).
MORE: Forever 21 Finally Lands In Sydney
The denim line itself will consist of three style: Wang001, a slim leg, high waisted fit; Wang002, a relaxed men’s style but cut for a woman’s body; and Wang003, essentially the boyfriend jean of the collection, with a low crotch and wide, but tapered leg. All the styles will be available in washes of light indigo, medium indigo and black, and will range in price from $225-$295.
A denim collection for Wang was always the next logical business step. The success of both his own label and diffusion line, the hysteria created by his collaboration with H&M, and his continuing reign as creative director at Balenciaga have put Wang in a strong fashion position. This has essentially allowed him to go all out for his denim campaign, recruiting photographer Steven Klein and model Anna Ewers to help bring this sexually charged vision to life.
MORE: Alexander Wang x H&M Collaboration
If it wasn’t for the Wang logo (strategically placed over the nipples to maintain a certain level of censorship – ha!) that specifically mentions the denim line, we would be forgiven for mistaking this for just another high fashion, albeit provocative one, editorial shoot. The jeans themselves are hardly the focal point of the campaign, which makes it hard for potential buyers to get a good look at the denim. As Wang states however, “Once you see it you can’t stop thinking about it” and with images like these it’s true, the hype surrounding the line has now increased tenfold, regardless of what the jeans actually look like.
MORE: Alexander Wang x H&M Sells Out
Model Ewers is divine, and owns every photo regardless of her state of nakedness. It’s sweaty, gritty and oily, with each image outdoing the previous in terms of raunchiness. Topless, legs splayed and jeans unbuttoned (or around the ankles) the positions are compromising to say the least, topped only by the most controversial image of the collection; a close up of Ewers crotch, jeans rolled down and her modesty protected by her hand in a very suggestive manner. It’s very NSFW and definitely threatens the line of a lot of standard media and print boundaries.
Explicit and confronting as this may be, it’s merely an old-school advertising exercise in drumming up attention before the line hits his New York store and U.S. online store on December 8th. And considering no one can stop talking about, or viewing the images, the success speaks for itself. Wang is in his own league of fashion eliteness, and the images, hot and heavy as they may be – are beautiful shots. The man can do no wrong, and we, like the rest of the fashion tragics out there, can only wait with bated breath and credit cards in hand to see what he does next.
Images via style.com, wwd.com
