Alexander Wang has flown into town for just 24 hours before heading back to New York to work on his resort collection. His short stay includes back-to-back press calls before hosting a late-night party to mark the opening of his first Hong Kong store, at Harbour City. Such a packed schedule would exhaust most people, but Wang seems to be having the time of his life.
'I love coming back to China. There is this certain fascination with Chinese designers who have made it in America and I don't get this response anywhere else in the world. It's amazing to be welcomed with open arms,' he says.
Dressed in his uniform of slouchy black sweatshirt and trainers, with wavy black hair brushing his shoulders, Wang looks like any youngster off the street. In reality, the 28-year-old is one of New York's hottest designers, who has built a lifestyle empire estimated to be worth US$25 million.
'In the fashion world, five years is a long time. People are always talking about my age, so I feel I have to constantly reinvent myself,' says Wang. 'It's hard because when I say I like something they spin it into the brand. In the early days, I liked the slouchy, easy look that models loved - then I was pigeon-holed into only dressing models. Now I am careful of describing my aesthetic and the collections. It's been one of my biggest learning experiences.'
Born and raised in San Francisco, Wang is the son of Taiwanese immigrants. By the time he was a teenager his parents had built up a successful plastics manufacturing business, allowing them to send their son to a private school, where he rubbed shoulders with wealthy heirs including Vanessa and Victoria Traina, daughters of romance novelist and couture aficionado Danielle Steel. He hosted his first fashion show at 15.
'I always had a natural inclination to create. This magnified when I met the Trainas,' he says. 'The girls were exposed to high fashion from a young age and I loved their viewpoint. They would receive racks of expensive clothing; but then they would cut off a sleeve or a shoe strap, even if the shoes cost US$4,000. I became infatuated with this kind of disregard.'