Wang's World

When Robin Kramer was commissioned to design the first retail store for Alexander Wang—the 27-year-old fashion school dropout whose knack with shears has built him a $25 million empire—she could have served up the usual downtown Manhattan treatment of big white box with nothing in it. But fortunately for Wang, Kramer—former Calvin Klein creative vp and now president of Kramer Design Group—has branding religion and preaches a gospel many labels have yet to grasp. “There’s a difference between just a pretty space and one that captures your brand’s vision,” Kramer says.