Alexander Wang’s return to the NYC runway has the fashion world abuzz.
The designer will premiere his spring 2026 collection on Friday — Wang’s first official New York Fashion Week appearance since 2018 and, notably, his biggest local splash since being accused of groping and drugging male and transgender models in late 2020.
Those claims, which Wang initially deemed “baseless” before issuing a mea culpa in 2021, prompted calls for the designer to be canceled.
But will this NYFW be his comeback?
Wang, 41, did not respond to The Post’s requests for comment — though local industry insiders had plenty to say on the designer’s campaign.
Mars Scott, an NYC-based fashion expert, predicts Wang’s NYFW reappearance will be well-received by diehard fans and critics alike.
“Fashion icons don’t really get canceled — they just get called out for a little bit,” Scott told The Post. “Redemption is almost always on the table because of how quickly news cycles and social media movements change — it’s easy for people to forgive [and forget].”
Scott also credits A-listers like Rihanna, Tate McCrae, Ice Spice and Tyla for keeping Wang’s clothes de la mode — despite the accusations.
“Once certain celebrities begin supporting a designer or brand, a cancellation won’t stick,” he added.
And Wang — who’s hosted several runway shows in the years since the fuss, including two off-schedule Fashion Week fêtes — is already whetting the appetites of tastemakers with tidbits about his latest looks.
At the top of the month, the couturier teased the title of the collection, “The Matriarch,” to his 5.7 million Instagram followers, writing, “The Matriarch show is dedicated to every woman who embodies strength, complexity and power.”
He told Vogue that the fits will pay homage to “alpha females,” like his mother, Ying Wang, who possesses “that attitude and that sensibility of just being in control.”
“It’s not defined by masculine codes, but by their own kind of feminine strength,” Wang explained of his newest work, which will take center stage at 58 Bowery. It’s the former HSBC building in Chinatown, opposite the Manhattan Bridge, that Wang reportedly purchased for $9.5 million last month.
Wang — whom Scott recalls being the city’s hottest “It” designer of the 2010s, owing to his signature ripped jeans, ribbed tanks and leather outerwear — is known for speckling his shows with superstars.
But he has remained tight-lipped on which — if any — of the “who’s who” might be in attendance, either on the runway itself or in the front row.
Over the years, the visionary has previously tapped everyone from top models like Gisele Bündchen, Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner to Hollywood heavyweights including Paris Jackson and Dennis Rodman for his over-the-top, ultra-immersive productions.
But for his NYFW resurgence, Wang may be placing more emphasis on the message he hopes to convey through his clothes — rather than the glitterati who wear them.
His “Matriarch” is, somewhat aptly, symbolized by the Mandarin character for a female phoenix, a mythical creature that dies in flames, but rises from the ashes with renewed strength — a revival that any fashion idol, fallen from grace, would likely want.
And most of them get it — eventually.
John Galliano, former creative director for Givenchy, Dior and Maison Margiela, was given a second chance in the spotlight after making antisemitic remarks, resulting in a hate crime conviction in 2011.
Galliano, now 64, has since reclaimed his VIP status, recently dressing hotshots like Kim Kardashian, Zendaya and Bad Bunny in Margiela for the 2024 Met Gala.
Dolce & Gabbana also escaped numerous calls for its cancellation, including a 2015 “#BoycottDolceGabbana” charge, led by Grammy winner Elton John, sparked after the designers called children born to gay couples via IVF “synthetic.”
Efforts to blacklist the Italian fashion house resurfaced in 2018, triggered by claims of cultural appropriation and the promotion of racist stereotypes in an ill-fated ad.
Still, bigwigs like Sabrina Carpenter, Benson Boone, Kim K and Lauren Sanchez — who wore a custom, mermaid-line bridal gown by the brand for her multimillion-dollar June nuptials to Amazon mogul, Jeff Bezos — routinely rock D&G garb.
The indestructibility of the luxe labels and the masterminds behind them doesn’t come as a shock to cancel culture skeptics such as pop culture historian Kathryn Lofton.
The Yale University professor told The Post that an effort to permanently snub a haute house of couture or a designer, like Wang, is virtually futile in a society prone to hero worship.
“People become icons because other people draw power from what they represent,” said Lofton, noting the allure of Wang’s effortlessly cool aesthetic — a Y2K-era style that’s currently regaining popularity with Gen Zers. She says the posh powers-that-be might fully re-embrace Wang with open arms.
But only if his NYFW garb hits the mark.
“Being an icon has very little to do with facts and everything to do with fantasy,” said Lofton. “The question will be if people still want the fantasies Wang designs.”
But as he awaits the verdict from critics and trendsetters who’ll decide if his Fashion Week return was either a hit or a miss, Wang seems to be doing his best to leave the scraps of his sexual misconduct chaos on the cutting floor.
“You can’t enjoy the peaks if you can’t navigate the valleys,” he told Glossy this week. “We’ve had low moments, and we’ve had high moments, but you’ve got to always move forward.
“That’s what I focus on.”
