An ingenious showman, Alexander McQueen enthralled all with his creativity and his flair for drama.
At the London Fashion Week in 1995, Alexander McQueen shocked the fashion contingent with his debut ‘Highland Rape’ collection. Unpredictable, in your face, but totally unforgettable – that was Alexander McQueen who wore the epithet ‘l’enfant terrible’ given to him with aplomb.
STARTING YOUNG
Lee Alexander McQueen was born on 17th March, 1969, in Lewisham, to a cab driver’s family. As a kid he was very interested in birds, which probably explains his inspiration to use feathers in most of his collections at a later date. While growing up, he designed dresses for his sisters and realised he enjoyed doing it. At the age of 16, he dropped out of school to do his apprenticeship with Savile Row tailors, Andersen & Sheppard, then Gieves & Hawkes, and later Angels and Bermans. It was here that he mastered 6 methods of pattern cutting, which later become a McQueen signature.
In 1989, he visited Milan to assist designer Romeo Gigli. Impressed by Alexander’s hard work and dedication, Romeo slowly taught him the business aspects of running a fashion label. On his return to London, Alexander decided to polish his designing skills and signed up for the Central Saint Martin’s elite master’s program. In 1992, he presented the ‘Jack The Ripper Stalks His Victims’ collection for his master’s degree at the institute, which was startling, yet elegant.
Isabella Blow, the then-editor of Britain’s Vogue magazine was impressed enough to buy the entire collection and later took him under her wing. Soon, he established his ‘Alexander McQueen’ label and metamorphosed from Lee to Alexander McQueen – a designer and a brand that became synonymous with meticulous craftsmanship and stunning originality.
He later presented his ‘Taxi Driver’ collection, which wowed the fashion fraternity. In time, people could not get enough of his collections that combined an in-depth working knowledge of bespoke British tailoring, the fine workmanship of French Haute Couture atelier and impeccable finish of Italian manufacturing.
ON THE GROWTH CURVE
In October 1996, when he was just 27 years, he was appointed Chief Designer at Givenchy where he worked until March, 2001. Here he displayed his flair for unpredictable genius, which got his bouquets and brickbats. He claimed his dreams inspired his designs and said, “If you’re lucky enough to use something you see in a dream, it is purely original.”
This originality extends itself to the male paradigm for the brand. The Alexander McQueen male is unabashedly vain and choosy. He is the English gentleman who wants razor sharp precision in his clothes, but also welcomes a bit of timeless romance. The Alexander McQueen woman defies the pressures of tradition and is coquettish, sensual yet demure.
Slowly, Alexander built up an enviable fan base, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Lady Gaga and Kate Moss. His multicolored print dress, worn by American actress Camilla Belle during the premiere of ‘Push’ movie was listed amongst the ‘100 Best Dresses of the Decade’ by InStyle Magazine.
During this period, 51 percent of Alexander McQueen was acquired by the Gucci Group, where he remained Creative Director. The brand’s collections by then included ready-to-wear, accessories, eyewear and fragrance and had flagship boutiques in New York, London, Milan, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
In 2003, Alexander launched his first fragrance, Kingdom and in 2005, he introduced his second fragrance, My Queen. In 2006, he launched the McQ clothing line and in 2007, he became the first designer to participate in MAC Cosmetics’ promotion of makeup created by fashion designers.
APPLAUSE AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Alexander’s list of awards had kept growing since 1996, when he had won the British Designer of the Year award from the British Fashion Council. He won this award three times further – 1997, 2001 and 2003. In 2003, he also received the International Designer of the Year from The Council of Fashion Designers of America, and was awarded a Most Excellent Commander of The British Empire (CBE) by the Queen. He was also awarded the GQ Menswear Designer of the Year in 2007.
The Alexander McQueen eyewear was launched in April 2004 and the designer’s quirkiness was evident in the 2012 Autumn Winter range when models walked the ramp wearing visors that covered most of their faces! The brand’s new collection highlights the brand’s classic yet unconventional aesthetic feel with iconic detailing and textures.
A LIFE THAT ENDED IN TRAGEDY
Tragedy met Alexander often in life. In 2007, he was dealt a big blow when Isabella Blow committed suicide. Three years later, he mother died. And 10 days later, Alexander was found hanging at his home. So strongly was his loss to the fashion world felt that when The Metropolitan Museum of Art held the ‘Savage Beauty’ exhibit for him, it broke all attendance records. Lady Gaga commemorated him while accepting her 2010 Brit Awards, while Björk sang ‘Gloomy Sunday’ at his memorial.
The abrupt end to such a brilliance, Alexander McQsueen’s life mirrored his designs – lyrical and melancholic
…the designer’s quirkiness was evident in the 2012 Autumn Winter range when models walked the ramp wearing visors that covered most of their faces!
