Alexander Wang

Samantha Shorey / The USD Vista

Sometimes fashion designers can be, well, a little hard to relate to. They have Diet Coke butlers, wear sunglasses at all times and sell $200 rhinestone encrusted safety pins (Karl Lagerfeld). There is a reason Vogue doesn’t feature a section like US Weekly called “Designers: they’re just like us.” But, if you are searching for a designer with a few less degrees of separation, look no further than Alexander Wang.

Wang spent one year at Parsons School of Design before launching his line. What started as a small sophomore upstart centered around cashmere sweaters has grown into a full line of ready-to-wear, all before he could legally drink a beer. This fashion protege is part of your peer group, and it shows.

Wang’s runway looks more like a late ’90s Cranberries concert than a couture catwalk. His presentations are packed with high-end grunge girls and screaming fans. His spring 2009 featured long men’s style workshirts, sweatshirt-like tops and long hooded dresses. Sound familiar? The influence of his designs is so obvious at places like American Apparel it’s almost plagiarism. Wang is the leader for haute hipster designs.

There is something to be said for anyone who would shut publicity-prostitute Lindsay Lohan out of his shows. His focus is on the clothes, and the clothes are designed for you, the sartorial student. For those who like to be the first to dawn the next big downtown trend, Wang is where to turn. And, it’s not just me who thinks so.

This week, Wang won the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Fashion Fund Award, which gives $200,000 to an up-and-coming designer to further his or her line.

Wang’s fans include CFDA President Diane Von Furstenberg, Editor in Chief of Vogue Anna Wintour and Patrick Robinson, designer for Gap. Past winners and runners-up are now fashion household names, such as Proenza Schouler, Rogan, Rodarte and 3.1 Philip Lim.

This award can only mean good things for Wang’s dirty downtown fan base. There’s no such thing as “selling-out” in the fashion world and no one complains about a big Wang.