Alexander McQueen was one of the most influential and innovative designers in the history of fashion. You might associate him with the iconic fashion show in 1999 with Shalom Harlow, his signature bumster trousers, or other things, but what’s sure is that you’ve heard the name of Alexander McQueen.
This brand has a special meaning for us because this is where Giada Graziano, the founder of Glam Observer, carried her first internship. Let’s remember this fantastic British designer, who passed away in February 2010, and hallmark moments and collections in Alexander McQueen history.
History Of Alexander McQueen
Who Is Alexander McQueen
Born in London on March 17, 1969, to a father who was a taxi driver and a mother who was a teacher, Alexander McQueen grew up in a family of six. He left school at 16 to begin a journey in fashion, first as an apprentice at Savile Row (at Anderson & Sheppard and Gieves & Hawkes), where he learned traditional tailoring techniques, and then at Angels & Bermans, Japanese designer Koji Tatsuno, and Italian designer Romeo Gigli with all whom he learned about pattern-cutting. Actually, this strong background is what taught and inspired him to experiment with tailoring, cutting, construction, and draping once he became a fashion designer.
Upon his return to London, McQueen took an MA in Fashion Design at Central Saint Martins. Fun fact: the late fashion stylist Isabella Blow liked his graduate collection “Jack the Ripper Stalks his Victims” so much that she purchased all of it for £5,000 and, of course, he made a name for himself with it. She is the one who encouraged him to go by the name “Alexander” rather than his first given name “Lee”. The strong debut at Central Saint Martins pushed Lee Alexander McQueen to launch his namesake label in 1992.
Alexander McQueen Brand History
Alexander McQueen First Fashion Show
In 1993, McQueen shows his first collection in London called “Taxi Driver,” a reference to the movie of the same name by Martin Scorsese, and probably an homage to his father who was a taxi driver. In this very collection he introduced his famous “bumster” trousers – the low-waist jeans that were so popular in the 1990s and 2000s. “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,” shared the late Alexander McQueen with the Guardian after the first show.
Famous Alexander McQueen designs
McQueen’s designs were greatly inspired by cultural influences from abroad – like Africa, China, India, Turkey, and Japan. He worked with a diverse range of materials, such as feathers (see his famous fall 2006 “bird’s nest” headdress, the spring 2008 “butterfly headdress”, and the “Horn of plenty” fall 2009 dress), flowers (see “Sarabande” spring 2007 dress, “Widows of Culloden” fall 2006 dress), and glass (see “Eshu” fall 2000 dress), among others.
Besides the famous bumster trousers, some of McQueen’s iconic pieces include the skull scarf, the SS 2003 ‘Oyster’ dress, ‘The Girl Who Lived in the Tree’ dress, the armadillo boots, and many others.
Iconic Alexander McQueen Fashion Shows
McQueen was known for his extravagant, lavish, and rebellious fashion shows. Some of them were inspired by the films of Alfred Hitchcock, the book “Lord of the Flies,” and even psychiatric facilities.
FW 1995 “Highland Rape”
His runways often carried a strong political message. For instance, FW 1995 “Highland Rape” showed England’s abuse of power on Scotland.
FW 1996 “Dante”
They were staged in surprising locations, as the FW 1996 “Dante” show in a church. This collection was named after the 14th-century Italian poet whose Divine Comedy portrays an allegorical vision of the afterlife, and the show, as McQueen relayed to Women’s Wear Daily at the time, was about “war and peace through the years”. This show is the one that is considered to have catapulted the creative director’s career to international acclaim. The brand even staged a repeat fashion show in a synagogue in New York.
SS 1997 “La Poupée”
Lee Alexander McQueen’s runways were also daring and extravagant. The SS 1997 “La Poupée”, inspired by the erotic doll art of Hans Bellmer, is a good example.
SS 1999 “No 13”
The SS 1999 “No 13” was the innovative fashion show, where the model Shalom Harlow walked in a white dress which was then sprayed with red paint by robots.
SS 2010 “Plato’s Atlantis”
The SS 2010 “Plato’s Atlantis” runway explored the relationship between nature and technology and introduced the armadillo shoe.
Theatrical Fashion Shows
Above all, the shows of Alexander McQueen are remembered as being very theatrical. See the SS 2001 “VOSS” that was centered around a glass box that resembled a padded cell in a psychiatric hospital, the FW 2003 “Scanners” where models traversed wind tunnels suspended above the runway, and the FW 2006 “The Widows of Culloden” where one of McQueen’s favorite models Kate Moss appeared as an ethereal apparition within a glass pyramid, echoing a 19th-century stage trick, ‘Pepper’s Ghost’.
Alexander McQueen Projects
Besides his main line, the fashion designer also had a lower-priced, younger line called “McQ”, which was launched in 2006 but was suspended in June 2022.
Another notable launches of McQueen are his fragrances Kingdom (2003) and MyQueen (2005), a collection of cosmetics for MAC (2007) inspired by the actress Elizabeth Taylor in her film role as Cleopatra, and a collaborative collection with Puma on a special line of trainers in 2005.
Alexander McQueen Givenchy
While he kept working at his eponymous brand, let’s not forget that McQueen served as the head designer at Givenchy between 1996 and 2001. His debut show for the brand was the Spring-Summer 1997 couture show ‘Search for the Golden Fleece’.
“Because I was a tailor, I didn’t totally understand softness, or lightness. I learned lightness at Givenchy. I was a tailor at Savile Row. At Givenchy I learned to soften. For me, it was an education. As a designer I could have left it behind. But working at Givenchy helped me learn my craft.” Alexander McQueen
The British designer’s relationship with the French House was not always easy though; he often referred to this time as “feeling in a cage”, so they parted ways in 2001 .
Alexander McQueen Kering
Upon his return from Givenchy in 2001, Alexander McQueen sold a 51% stake in his company to the Gucci Group, now called the Kering Group.
Alexander McQueen Awards
McQueen had a strong influence in the fashion industry, and his talent was recognized even by people who disliked him. They called him “The hooligan of English fashion” and “L’Enfant terrible”, just like Jean Paul Gaultier. He was awarded the title of British Designer of the Year by the British Fashion Council 4 times. This was between 1996 and 2001. In 2003, he was awarded a CBE for his services to the fashion industry. Also, he was named International Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
Before he passed away in February 2010, he left behind £16 million ($19.7 million). He split it between various charities, his family, employees, and his dogs. His final collection was shown at Paris Fashion Week. There were only 16 pieces, and it was only 80% complete.
Sarah Burton Alexander McQueen
Since the founder’s passing in 2010, his legacy has been carried by creative director Sarah Burton. She also studied at Central Saint Martins and started as an intern to Alexander McQueen, and eventually became Head of Design for womenswear in 2000. She managed to maintain the prestige of the brand by launching impressive collections year after year.
On September 11, 2023, Sarah Burton announced she would be leaving the brand, and her latest Spring 2024 collection in Paris, dedicated to the founder, was her last one. Just a few days later, Kering officially announced Burton’s successor: Sean McGirr.
Who Is Seán McGirr?
Sean McGirr stepped into his new role as creative director of Alexander McQueen from JW Anderson where he was head of men’s and women’s ready-to-wear. If his name doesn’t ring a bell, you should know that he has built quite an impressive portfolio, having worked for many famous brands.
If we look at his beginnings in the fashion industry, Sean McGirr graduated from the prestigious Central Saint Martins fashion school with a Master of Arts in Fashion in 2014. The Irish designer started his career as a stylist in both Tokyo for Vogue Hommes and Paris. Then, he transitioned into fashion design and worked for brands such as Dries Van Noten, Burberry, and Uniqlo under the leadership of Christophe Lemaire at the brand’s studio in Paris. He has also worked as a writer for the trend-forecasting company Stylus.
Sean McGirr’s debut collection’s date is yet to be confirmed. We are curious to see how he will write the next chapter in the history of Alexander McQueen since he will be the first designer at the house not to have worked under Alexander McQueen. Gianfilippo Testa, chief executive officer of Alexander McQueen, said to WWD that “With his experience, personality, and creative energy, [McGirr] will bring a powerful creative language to Alexander McQueen while building on its unique heritage.” What do you think?
This is it for the history and evolution of Alexander McQueen for now. What’s your favorite piece, collection, or show of the brand?
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