Alexander Wang at his headquarters in Manhattan's Seaport neighborhood.

In 2021, Alexander Wang was accused of assault by 11 men. Though he initially denied the claims, he later met with his accusers and issued a public statement in which he expressed regret for his behavior.

Wang’s Manhattan headquarters, which Tashjian likened to a medieval fortress, is located in Seaport and marked by eight imposing black flags bearing his name. His minimalist office sits in the middle of it all. Behind his stark desk, a portrait of the matriarch herself, Alexander’s mother Ying Wang.

“I feel like what I really want to focus on is the signal, not the noise.”

In this story for The Washington Post’s Style supplement, writer Rachel Tashjian describes our present moment as, “a time of magical uncancellations.”

After initially denying the claims against him, Wang met with his accusers and posted an apology on Instagram, “I regret acting in a way that caused them pain.”

Tashjian interviewed Wang days before the launch of his new collection, titled The Matriarch.