NEW YORK — The Rubicon — in the form of the East River — has been crossed.
Whether intended or not, Alexander Wang will be making a bold statement this New York Fashion Week by moving his runway venue — to Brooklyn.
Wang, who typically shows at Manhattan’s Pier 94 at 5 p.m. on the Saturday of fashion week, is set to present his fall collection at the Duggal Greenhouse at 63 Ship Ways Avenue. The venue is located at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
“We found this incredible space, and it corresponds very well to this season’s creative concept” is all Wang would say via e-mail.
The show will take place on Feb. 8 at 8.30 p.m., the last major show that day. After finding the location, Wang approached his friend and fellow designer Joseph Altuzarra to swap time slots. Altuzarra will now show his fall collection at 5 p.m. that day.
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“We moved our show to the end of the day, to ease the flow of the schedule,” a Wang spokeswoman said.
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It’s understood that this is a one-season switch, and Wang is expected to show in his regular time slot in September, though the location won’t be determined for some time.
Geographically, the Brooklyn Navy Yard might not be much further from Midtown than Wall Street, for example; psychologically, however, crossing into one of the boroughs always represented a barrier the fashion industry has so far refused to trespass.
If considered a success, the decision by Wang, one of the hottest tickets on the New York schedule, could potentially encourage others to follow suit, which could add another blow to the cacophonous map that comes with the Gotham collections season.
The move also comes at a time of continued talk about the nature of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week tents at Lincoln Center with several major names — i.e., Diane von Furstenberg, Vera Wang and Michael Kors — defecting from the centralized venue. Over the years, there has also been much conversation about the shortage of suitable fashion show venues across Manhattan.
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Access will be a major sticking point with any location. Those who won’t be relying on car services to get to Wang’s show next month should take note: According to the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s Web site, the development — which borders on the DUMBO/Vinegar Hill, Fort Greene and Williamsburg areas and is located between the Williamsburg and Manhattan Bridges — is a 15-minute walk from the A and C trains at High Street and the F train at York Street. There are buses and a shuttle service available at these stations.