Alexander Liang, founder of men's fashion, travel and lifestyle blog AlexanderLiang.com, is one of the friendliest, most personable and down-to-earth guys I've had the opportunity to get to know, not to mention one of the most stylish. Alex is the guy in the room who everyone wants to talk to, and he's the guy in the room talking to everyone. It's only natural that someone with his charisma and engaging personality would see his blog readership and social following grow to global influential status. We chatted recently about his career, his personal life and his style, and it's my pleasure to share more about him with you.
Looking back at Alex's educational and occupational background, it's not a surprise that he ended up in fashion & blogging. He left his hometown of Vancouver to attend a four year program in design and management at Parsons School of Design in New York, a unique program that combines both business and fashion. He took several internship opportunities from working for a PR agency to magazines such as Details and T Magazine, the New York Times Style Magazine. This came at a time when publications started to move towards digital; at T Magazine, Alex gained experience working on the editorial team, coordinating photoshoots and other creative work, so when a friend of his started a style magazine and asked Alex to join him it was a perfect fit. All of this collective experience gave Alex the skills and knowledge he would need to start his own magazine, KENTON, a fashion & lifestyle online resource for men and women. Feeling as though the industry has been propelling him with each endeavour, Alex's next move was to start a Tumblr showcasing his daily outfits, and, seeing the opportunities available to style bloggers, he turned this into the eponymous blog we know and love today.
After spending six years living in New York, Alex decided to move to Toronto instead of returning home to Vancouver – he had already made trips to visit Toronto for fashion week and decided that this was the place to be for working in fashion in Canada. It's also where he met his partner and fellow style blogger, Justine of Jetset Justine. Toronto's fashion scene is what brought them together in the first place – Alex discovered her on Twitter while browsing through fashion week event hashtags, they met through mutual friends and became friends at first themselves, and now they share a life together in their downtown condo with their adopted miniature schnoodle, Sofia. Even though Alex and Justine's main focus are their individual blogs, they also maintain a site between them called Style Together. The two of them are, in my opinion, Canada's IT fashion couple. It's always a pleasure catching up with them because they are both the loveliest people to be around; they compliment each other, and not just with their personalities but with their epic style!
Alex's style has a laid-back look that's equal parts edgy and casual-cool, and he always looks perfectly put-together. He gets his style inspiration from a variety of sources, like street style (and not necessarily from the most conventionally stylish person), from the mood of a piece, to things he sees online. He's especially inspired by travel, particularly how natural lighting differs by location depending on time of day and time of year, and the different perspective that offers. Everything Alex is inspired by culminates into his unique sense of style that he in turn shares on his blog to inspire others. He's continuously looking for new ways to inspire his audience, and in addition to style and travel posts he will have more video content coming that's meant to be fun, get behind the scenes, and share a little more of his personality. In the meantime, find out what Alex wants by downloading the Wantfolio app and follow his profile so you can see his want.boards. You can also follow his blog on Wantfolio so you never miss a post!
Want more? Here's what We Want To Know about Alex:
I can't start my morning without…my morning coffee. Drip coffee. Espresso comes later in the day!
I have a weakness for…french fries and chips.
Most people don't know that I…used to compete in track & field. 200m dash was my race!
Currently reading…the news, by way of Twitter.
I want...a shearling jacket for this upcoming winter.
Alex, thank you, for participating in #WeWantToKnow!
