Alexander Wang Denim - Too much Skin?

Alexander Wang is a Taiwanese American fashion designer and was the former Balenciaga’s creative director (Bustle, 2014). Wang now runs his own fashion brand that is sold in more than 700 stores across the globe, such luxury stores including Bloomingdales and Barney’s New York. Wang is well known for his urban designs on his clothing range and pushing the limits of what we consider as acceptable in his advertising campaigns (Bustle, 2014).


Credit: Alexander Wang Official

Alexander Wang advertising campaign of denim clothes in 2014, the campaign itself is very innovative and simply shows naked woman in sexual position while wearing very little denim. The controversial advert see’s model ‘Anne Ewers’ with the jeans around her ankles and her hand on her crotch, simply the model pose in the advert is enough to simply shout out sex within the advertising campaign graphic (Huffingtonpost, 2014). Alexander Wang suggests this advert was to provoke a shock response from the viewers (Huffingtonpost, 2014), to not only receive that shock value but to remember this campaign and hence start conversation around this brand, increasing brand awareness for Alexander Wang as a result. Ewers (Model) is posed in a sexual way and being sweaty in the advert, adds to the sexual attraction of this sexual campaign but is seen to be touching herself pushes the limit (Bustle, 2014). This advert is simply to sell Alexander Wang jeans, so why does Wang and his creative team decide it is best to promote Wang products by showing very little denim and have the girl almost masturbating in the advert (Huffingtonpost, 2014), which is clearly the focus point of the advert graphic. Can you even see the bathtub in the campaign photo above? This advert is clearly pushing the boundary of what we consider acceptable and what is simply porn (Huffingtonpost, 2014). The advert is very suggestive and does push the limits of what we as consumers can or not accept from a fashion advertising campaign. Is this advert just simply artist/ creative or simply offensive to the public watching suggestive porn? Consumers acted negatively around this advert as the graphic simply shouted sex and could not be seen from a fashion perspective, decreasing brand respect from consumers due to the advert nature (Huffingtonpost, 2014). But the message of the campaign being centred around sex, will get consumers talking and attract consumers to be as sexy as the model in the advert.


Credit: Alexander Wang Official

Alexander Wang uses this type of advert, in a pornographic style to make consumers think if they buy this product, they will be like the model posing (Bustle, 2014). This advertising campaign USP is, you are buying the idea of Alexander Wang and not just the product, you are buying the lifestyle of being hot and sexy. If you buy a pair of Alexander Wang jeans you will get this hot and sexy life in the advertising campaign like the model posing. Sexual advertising resorts to our primeval instincts of needing sex and having the urge to have sex, so exploiting this message is a smart way of showing off your products in an advertising campaign (Bustle, 2014). Sex truly does sell and works to provoke a response from the public and make conversations about this advertising campaign from the consumers. 

References

Bustle, 2014., Bustle Articles. [Online}. [viewed 11th November 2016]. Available: https://www.bustle.com/articles/52154-why-alexander-wangs-sexy-new-denim-campaign-is-more-like-alexander-wangs-dull-new-denim-campaign

Huffingtonpost, 2014., Huffington Post. [Online}. [viewed 11th November 2016]. Available: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/12/04/alexander-wang-s-debut-denim-campaign-is-provocative-but-not-innovative_n_7319070.html

W24, 2014., W24 articles. [Online}. [viewed 11th November 2016]. Available: http://www.w24.co.za/Archive/Alexander-Wang-debuts-extremely-pornographic-ad-campaign-NSFW-20141204

Inspiration Feed, 2016., Inspiration feed Sex-Sells. [online]. [viewed 22nd November 2016]. Available from: http://inspirationfeed.com/inspiration/sex-sells-50-creative-sexual-advertisements/