He was once one of the most beloved designers on the globe. But overnight, Alexander Wang’s fashion empire crumbled.
Wang was accused of sexual assault by multiple people in late 2020 and early 2021. Some of the accusers claimed that they had been groped by him, while others allegedthat Wang drugged their drinks without their knowledge.
And while he has maintained that he never drugged or touched anyone inappropriately and has since met with his accusers and apologized, the shocking allegations unsurprisingly had a huge impact on his career.
He retreated largely from the spotlight for years; his once gleaming image as the fashion industry’s golden boy seemingly ruined.
It was one of the most shocking falls from grace the fashion industry has ever seen, and likely would have been the end of many stars’ careers.
But now, Wang, 41, is set to make his return to New York Fashion Week for the first time since 2018.
He will showcase his spring 2026 collection at a fashion show on Friday night – but will this pose as his big comeback after years of being MIA from the fashion community or is it a little too late for the designer?
PR expert Jon Harris, 56, from Chicago, Illinois, believes this could be the beginning of a massive resurgence for the once-beloved designer.
He was once one of the most beloved designers on the globe. But overnight, Alexander Wang’s fashion empire crumbled amidst sexual assault allegations. He’s seen in 2018
Now, Wang (seen with Bella Hadid in 2018), 41, is set to make his return to New York Fashion Week for the first time since 2018
He praised the way Wang handled the fallout from the accusations, and pointed out that how someone reacts to a scandal is key if they want to make a comeback later on.
‘I think Alexander Wang’s comeback is possible – and honestly, he’s already well on his way,’ Harris told the Royale exclusively.
‘From a PR point of view, he handled it about as well as anyone could after something that serious.
‘First, after initially denying the accusations (obviously, a mistake), he came forward with a public apology in March 2021 and faced it head on and sat down with some of the accusers and their lawyer. Owning it and listening directly is the only way you even start to rebuild trust.’
In late 2020, model and graphic designer Owen Mooney shocked the globe when he shared a video to TikTok accusing Wang of touching him inappropriately.
He claimed Wang groped his crotch during a concert in New York City years prior in 2017.
Industry watchdog S**t Model Management (SMM) went on to share over a dozen posts on social media which included screenshots of allegations sent in by anonymous users.
Some of the accusers, which included transgender men and women and cisgender men, told stories resembling Mooney’s. Others claimed that Wang drugged their drinks with MDMA without their knowledge.
Will this pose as his big comeback or is it a little too late for the designer? Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are seen at an Alexander Wang show in 2015
Kylie Jenner is seen at an Alexander Wang show in 2017
PR expert Jon Harris, 56, from Chicago, Illinois, believes this could be the beginning of a massive resurgence for the once-beloved designer, seen here in 2018
Wang released a statement denying the ‘grotesquely false’ claims in January 2021 – but that didn’t stop others from coming forward.
In February 2021, fashion design student Keaton Bullen alleged that he was sexually assaulted by Wang at the Fishbowl club in Midtown Manhattan on August 24, 2019.
‘All of a sudden he unzipped my trousers, put his hands in my pants and started grabbing my penis in front of a bunch of people,’ Bullen told the BBC at the time.
‘I completely froze. He then said: ‘I want to take you home with me,” Bullen alleged.
Bullen said he was taken aback and ‘removed himself from the situation as fast as possible.’
Another allegation was made by DJ Gia Garrison, 24, who claimed that she met Wang in the VIP area of the club Slake in Manhattan in February 2017.
She told BBC that she was ‘dancing near him when he reached out his hand, grabbed my bikini bottoms and dragged it downward in front of everyone.’
‘As a trans woman with discomfort about certain parts of myself that I’ve since grown to love, I don’t want someone to expose my entire body like that,’ she said.
In late 2020, model and graphic designer Owen Mooney (seen) shocked the globe when he shared a video to TikTok accusing Wang of touching him inappropriately
Another allegation was made by DJ Gia Garrison (seen in 2017), 24, who claimed that she met Wang in the VIP area of the club Slake in Manhattan in February 2017
In March 2021, Wang released a statement on Instagram acknowledging the sexual assault allegations against him, while disagreeing with some details, and promising to ‘do better’
In March 2021, Wang released a statement on Instagram acknowledging the sexual assault allegations against him, while disagreeing with some details, and promising to ‘do better.’
Wang struck a more apologetic tone in the social media post, where he said he supports the accusers’ right to come forward but still refused to admit wrongdoing.
‘A number of individuals have come forward recently to raise claims against me regarding my past personal behavior,’ he wrote.
‘I support their right to come forward, and I’ve listened carefully to what they had to say.
‘It was not easy for them to share their stories, and I regret acting in a way that caused them pain.
‘While we disagree on some of the details of these personal interactions, I will set a better example and use my visibility and influence to encourage others to recognize harmful behaviors.
‘Life is about learning and growth, and now that I know better, I will do better.’
His accuser’s lawyer, Lisa Bloom, revealed that same month that Wang secretly met her clients and apologized.
Bloom said that her clients had ‘[spoken] their truth’ to the fashion designer and ‘expressed their pain and hurt’ in the meeting with Wang.She said they ‘acknowledge[d] Mr. Wang’s apology’ and ‘are moving forward.’
Harrispraised the way Wang (seen in 2019) handled the fallout from the accusations, and pointed out that the way someone reacts to a scandal is key if they want to make a comeback
Wang was interested in fashion at a young age, and at age 18, he moved to New York City to attend Parsons School of Design. He’s seen in 2004
But he left the program after two years to launch his eponymous fashion label in 2005. He’s seen in 2006
Wang’s career came to a screeching halt afterwards, but in April 2022, a year and a half after the first accusation came out, he quietlyheld a runway show in Los Angeles’ Chinatown district.
The designer was met with screams of, ‘This is amazing,’ and, ‘I love it,’ from admirers in the audience as his models took to the runway
But A-listers notably stayed away from the event – with Real Housewives stars Lisa Rinna and Kimora Lee Simons the biggest stars who attended the event.
In February 2023 he held another show, this time in New York, which saw actress and model Julia Fox hit the runway.
The event was not widely publicized and was not included in the official guide to NYFW; despite this 150 people, including Anna Wintour who was sat in the front row, attended.
It was followed by another low-key show inJune 2024, which was attended byIce Spice andKim Cattrall.
PR expert Harris said that Wang taking some time away from the public eye was a vital move.
‘In an industry that moves as fast as fashion, that breathing room gave people time to cool off and showed he wasn’t trying to brush it under the rug,’ he explained.
‘He clearly was taking these accusations and the situation quite seriously.
‘When he finally staged his first events … his return was smartly low-key: all about the clothes and his team, without any spin that could look like he was downplaying what happened.’
Wang’s career came to a screeching halt after the accusations, but in April 2022, he quietly held a runway show in Los Angeles’ Chinatown district (seen)
Amelia Hamlin, whose father is Harry Hamlin, walked the runway (seen here), but A-listers notably stayed away from the event
It was followed by another low-key show in June 2024, which was attended by Ice Spice and Kim Cattrall (seen)
When it was first revealed that Wang was planning a NYFW catwalk show by Vogue Runway last week, the announcement was met with fierce criticism from fans.
‘Yikes,’ read one comment, while another said, ‘Hi I believe survivors, thanks.’
‘No thanks,’ someone else penned. A fourth user wrote, ‘Shouldn’t predators be banned from fashion week?’
Now, his first official NYFW event since the scandal is just hours away and only time will tell if he can win over the hoards of fans who shared their disdain over the announcement.
But Harris believes Wang has set himself up for a successful return.
‘Not everyone will forgive or forget, but those moves – acknowledge, engage, step back, then re-enter carefully – set him up for a real second act,’ he stated.
‘If he keeps his head down and delivers great work, the reception at NYFW shows the industry is already letting him back in. And let’s face it, everyone loves a comeback.’
Ahead of his NYFW show, Wang told the the Washington Postthat he’s feeling hopeful.
‘I think there’s a lot of people that probably don’t believe that I deserve to be in business,’ he said.
‘But I do believe, more so than ever, that … I can do more good by creating positive impact. I think that’s what really drives me and that’s what I tried to stay focused on.
‘I think, as you know, time passes and time heals everything, and as you get further away from kind the nucleus of the things, you realize that everything that was meant to happen happened for a reason.
‘I’m on a path now where I feel completely energized about what the future looks like, and I also feel like if you can’t walk through the valleys, how are you supposed to enjoy the peaks?’
The designer added that he’s not focused on the ‘noise’ and plans to ‘go forward’ rather than ‘stay in the past.’
‘If I’m always just held back by something that someone said … that’s just quitting,’ he continued.
‘I feel like I have a mission and a purpose that feels so much bigger than my individual self. And that’s really what drives me.
‘Luckily, I feel very blessed that there is still a strong demand for the product that we create.’
