There’s a fresh face in the fashion world – Alexander Wang has been named Balenciaga’s new creative director.  Neither the designer himself nor Balenciaga executives have made an official announcement, but word on the street is that they’ll be making one early next week.

In any case, Wang will take over for Nicolas Ghesquiere, who held the position at the French fashion house for nearly 15 years. During his time, the label has grown to have 62 storefronts worldwide, a fragrance represented by the infamous Twilight star, Kristen Stewart, and has multiplied in size by 11 times since it was acquired in 2001, according to PPR representatives. 

It goes without saying that Wang has big shoes to fill, but the Balenciaga team is confident that the label will continue to make headway with Wang on board. 

“We have huge ambitions and we have huge reserves of growth,” Balenciaga’s chief executive officer Isabelle Guichot said. 

Wang, though barely 30 years old, has a slew of experience under his belt. He was born and raised in San Francisco, Calif. and attended Parson’s School of Design in New York at merely 18. Wang created his first collection in 2005, was the winner of $20,000 from the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund competition and created his first official women’s wear line in 2008. A men’s collection followed soon thereafter. His ambition doesn’t stop there. Wang is now a proud proprietor of storefronts worldwide – ranging from his first located in Soho, New York and another 5,000-sqaure-foot shop in Beijing.  

The Taiwanese-American designer is known for his minimalist style, which is why some are skeptical about his installation as Balenciaga’s creative designer, a luxury line that is known for it’s heavier couture-like panache. 

Wang’s experience with hardware, his trendy charm and his youthful nature will undoubtedly give the half a century-old brand a modern approach to fashion. 

Read the full story at Who What Wear.

Reach Erika Ostroff here; follow her on Twitter here.