“Fashion should be a form of escapism, and not a form of imprisonment.” – Alexander McQueen
Brief Overview:
- British Luxury Fashion House
- Founder: Lee Alexander McQueen CBE (1969-2010)
- Founded: 1992
- Innovations:
- Controversial approach to fashion revolutionised the industry an normalised trends that were once the subject of outrage.
- Challenged boundaries through refined tailoring techniques and boldly, daring cuts.
- Created conceptual silhouettes and unconventional designs.
- Daring, Conceptual & Shocking
Alexander McQueen Quotes:
- “There comes a time in your life when you focus solely on what you believe is right, regardless of what everybody else is doing.” – Alexander McQueen
- “I find beauty in the grotesque, like most artists. I have to force people to look at things.” – Alexander McQueen
- “It’s a new era in fashion- there are no rules.” – Alexander McQueen
The History of Alexander McQueen
Lee Alexander McQueen, born in 1969, grew up in London, England. McQueen left education and began his fashion career by working at Anderson & Sheppard at 16. McQueen continued to expand his tailoring skills at Gieves & Hawkes and even went on to tailor suits for Prince Charles and Mikhail Gorbachev.
McQueen continued to build his skills when he left tailoring to pursue an opportunity working with theatrical costume designers Angels and Bermans, where he developed his knowledge by learning six different methods of pattern cutting. With his newfound knowledge, McQueen continued to explore the industry, and when he was 20 years old, he was employed as a pattern cutter for Koji Tatsuno.
Shortly after, McQueen moved to Milan and worked as a design assistant to Italian fashion designer Romeo Gigli. McQueen returned to London in 1994 and pursued the MA Fashion course at Central Saint Martins. The fashion show he presented as his thesis impressed Isabella Blow (A stylist in London), who went on to buy McQueen’s the entirety of Mcqueen’s first collection. This shocking move highlighted McQueen as one to watch, put him at the centre stage of the international fashion press, and cemented his name in the industry.
Due to the rare opportunity presented to Alexander McQueen because of his thesis’s success and the brand recognition it attained him, he capitalised on the fame. He launched his eponymous label upon graduating from university and with great success.
Mcqueen’s designs rose to popularity due to the controversy he caused with his borderline offensive, indecent but conceptual designs. Although criticised, no one could deny his ingenuity in fusing different cultural fashion approaches into his works to create holistically stunning pieces. He incorporated British, Italian and French styles of tailoring, manufacturing and craftsmanship to ensure exquisitely crafted pieces that soon caught the eye of many big players in the industry.
Four years after the launch of his brand, McQueen replaced John Galliano as chief designer at Givenchy. He remained in the role until 2001 while working on collections for his brand. In 2000, his namesake label was acquired by the Gucci Group, but McQueen remained his brand’s creative director.
After leaving Givenchy due to the lack of creative control, McQueen focused his efforts on his own label, and it flourished with the help of the Gucci Group (now owned by Kering), who now had a 51% stake in the brand. The label increased its collections to include; womenswear and menswear ready-to-wear, accessories and fragrances. Alexander Mcqueen also opened boutiques in international locations, including Milan, LA and New York.
McQueen incorporated lighter, pretty and “commercially friendly” aspects within his signature dark designs. Soon, the former Enfant Terrible of British fashion won the hearts of many international buyers and Vogue’s editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour.
Tragically, Isabella Blow passed away in 2007, and McQueen dedicated his SS08 collection to his friend’s memory. Three years later, McQueen launched his widely regarded SS10 collection but suffered through his mother’s death. Several days after the loss of his mother, Lee Alexander McQueen was tragically found dead of suspected suicide on 11 February 2010. Sarah Burton, who worked alongside Alexander McQueen for 14 years as the head of womenswear design, succeeded McQueen as the Creative Director and has continued her tenure for over a decade.
Signature Styles & Iconic Designs
Bumsters, SS94
Lee Alexander McQueen hit the ground running when he cemented his reputation as a provocative risk taker in his SS94 collection, in which he debuted the ‘bumsters.’ Critics mocked the designed and compared them to the accidental ‘builder’s bum,’ the stereotypical name given when bum cracks are visible due to a wearer not realising their trousers are too low.
However, the bumsters revolutionised fashion; the 90s and 2000s were particularly fond of the low-rise style; even today, the style has made a repeat in the fashion scene. Although it seemed like an erotic statement, McQueen defended his design cited “It wasn’t about showing the bum. That part of the body – not so much the buttocks, but the bottom of the spine – that’s the most erotic part of anyone’s body, man or woman.” Since their debut, the bumsters continued to manifest in various forms, from trousers to skirts in Mcqueen’s collections over the years.
Spray Painting Robots, SS99
During the finale of Mcqueen’s SS99 runway collection, Shalom Harlow wore a white strapless tulle dress and twirled on a spinning turntable. To the audience’s shock, two industrial robot sprayers sprayed her with black, yellow, and green paint as she flailed around and stained the once-white dress. Harlow said she did not have conversations about the moment beforehand with McQueen and believes it was because he wanted the experience to be as spontaneous and genuine as possible. When interviewed about the show-stopping scene, McQueen stated that moment was inspired by the artist Rebecca Horn’s work on an installation of two shotguns firing blood-red paint at each other.” Although Harlow was unaware of the specific details, McQueen stated in ArtReview, 2003, “It was really carefully choreographed, and it took a week to program the robots.” Most recently Coperni paid homage to the scene during their SS23 show were they sprayed a dress onto a model using Fabrican’s sprayable, liquid fibre.
Kate Moss Hologram, AW06
During the finale of the AW06 collection: ‘The Widows of Culloden, Kate Moss appeared as a hologram wearing a delicate organza dress as she danced along to Schindler’s list. Alexander McQueen was the first to use this technology as part of a fashion show. The finale was a tribute to Kate Moss when the supermodel had fallen victim to a significant drug scandal. It poignantly makes sense that Kate Moss adorned the dress once more to pay homage to the late great designer in Harpers Bazaar’s 2011 double cover May issue.
Alexander McQueen Biographies
Books
- Alexander McQueen – Claire Wilcox
- Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty (Fashion Studies) – Andrew Bolton
- Alexander McQueen: Blood Beneath the Skin – Andrew Wilson
Movies/Documentaries
- McQueen, 2018
- McQueen and I, 2011
