Alexander McQueen

Fashion designer

• Born: March 17, 1969
• Place of Birth: London, England
• Died: February 11, 2010
• Place of Death: London, England

Education: Central Saint Martins, London, England

Significance: Alexander McQueen was an English fashion designer known for his brash designs and outrageous shows that played on controversial themes. He began his own fashion label, Alexander McQueen, and worked for the French fashion designer Givenchy.

Background

Lee Alexander McQueen was born on March 17, 1969, in London, England, son of Ron McQueen, a taxi driver, and Joyce McQueen, a social science teacher. He was the youngest of six children. He later dropped his first name in favor of his middle name. His parents hoped he would become an electrician or plumber. McQueen had only one interest: fashion.

McQueen was often picked on at school, and he dropped out when he was sixteen. He then acquired apprenticeships with the tailors Anderson & Sheppard and Gieves & Hawkes, where he embroidered suits. He then made theatrical costumes for Angels & Bermans. When he was in his twenties, he worked for several designers, including Japanese designer Koji Tatsuno and Italian designer Romeo Gigli. He moved to Italy for a time.

McQueen returned to London to attend Central Saint Martins design school. Isabella Blow, a magazine editor and stylist, took note of McQueen's designs at the time he was finishing his master's degree in fashion design. In 1991, his graduate project, "Jack the Ripper Stalks His Victims," caught her attention, and she bought the entire collection. McQueen graduated the following year, and he and Blow became close friends.

Life's Work

After graduation, McQueen started his own label in London. He became the subject of many newspaper headlines not only for his controversial designs but also for his brashness and attitude. At his show in 1993, the models wore clothing covered in blood and flashed their middle fingers at the crowd. One of his first creations was a pair of trousers so low slung that they showed part of the wearer's buttocks. The pants were called "bumsters" and later were credited with the low-rise fashion trend that jean makers adopted in their styles.

His 1995 spring collection featured crisp, tailored suits. However, he received notice for his 1995 fall fashion show. He featured models who appeared to be beaten and tortured. Their dresses were ripped, they had fake bruises and other wounds, they wore opaque contact lenses in their eyes, and their hair was a mess. The fashion designer called the show "Highland Rape," and he was criticized for what many believed was the romanticizing of rape. McQueen defended his designs and said that the show was inspired by the historical wars between England and Scotland that left the latter country ravaged and in ruins. McQueen, who was of Scottish descent, used his family's tartan in many of his designs.

McQueen received much attention for the show, and in 1996, he was named the head designer for the French label Givenchy. Up until this time, McQueen had been struggling financially. He worked for Givenchy for the next five years, but he often fought with management. His 2000 fashion show for his own label featured models with their heads bandaged and in a glass room to look like they were in a mental ward. McQueen again fought back against his critics and said he based many of his themes on historical events, films, and paintings.

In December of 2000, McQueen sold 51 percent of his Alexander McQueen label to Gucci Group, which at the time was his employer's rival. He eventually left Givenchy in March of the following year to concentrate on his label, working as creative director. In the years that followed, he was recognized for his designs, winning the best international designer award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). He was also named British designer of the year by the British Fashion Awards four times and named men's wear designer of the year in 2004.

McQueen opened numerous stores throughout the world. He also launched a fragrance line and a more affordable collection called McQ. He paired with Puma and designed a sneaker and suitcase collection. His first Puma designs featured a spine-shaped suitcase and a clear-soled shoe with an embedded image of his bare foot. In 2007, his friend Isabella Blow died, which deeply affected the designer. He dedicated his spring/summer 2008 collection to her. His 2010 spring collection, "Plato's Atlantis," was based on his love of scuba diving.

McQueen faced many demons in his personal life. The deaths of his friend and mother left him depressed. He committed suicide in February 2010. A documentary featuring a great deal of behind-the-scenes and candid footage, McQueen, was released in 2018.

Impact

McQueen's styles left an everlasting mark on the design world. His controversial shows that pegged him wrongfully as a misogynist continued to garner attention throughout the years. He was called "enfant terrible" and "the hooligan of English fashion." Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, which was presented in 2011 and 2015, was the first major retrospective exhibition after his death. Queen Elizabeth II recognized him for his work by naming him a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his contributions to the fashion industry. In 2015, writer Andrew Wilson published Alexander McQueen: Blood Beneath the Skin, a biography of the late fashion designer. Although McQueen died in 2010, his designs lived on through his fashion label. Interest in his work remained high more than a decade after his death. An exhibition opened April 25, 2022, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in California. Lee Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse was the first exhibition on the designer on the West Coast of the United States. It featured garments by McQueen displayed with art from the museum's collection to provide context. About half of the exhibition then was displayed in Melbourne, Australia, at the National Gallery of Victoria, which added fifty-six items from its archives. A companion book of the same title was published in 2022.

Personal Life

McQueen's mother died on February 2, 2010, nine days before McQueen committed suicide. His father and siblings survived him.

Bibliography

Davidson, Emma Elizabeth. ""How McQueen's Candid Moments Made It to the Big Screen." Dazed, 6 June 2018, www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/40267/1/alexander-mcqueen-new-documentary-directors-interview-ian-bonhote-peter-ettedgui. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.

Gabbatt, Adam. "Alexander McQueen: A Life in Fashion." Guardian, 11 Feb. 2010, www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/feb/11/alexander-mcqueen-career-profile. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.

Koski, Lorna. "'Alexander McQueen': A New Life of the Controversial Designer." WWD, 28 Aug. 2015, wwd.com/fashion-news/designer-luxury/alexander-mcqueens-life-10208198. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.

Milligan, Lauren. "Alexander McQueen." Vogue, 12 Apr. 2010, www.vogue.co.uk/article/alexander-mcqueen-biography. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.

Thurman, Judith. "Dressed to Thrill." New Yorker, 16 May 2011, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/05/16/dressed-to-thrill. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.

Tonti, Lucianne. "The Mind of McQueen: 'No Designer I've Ever Worked for Could Think Like This.'" The Guardian, 9 Dec. 2022, www.theguardian.com/fashion/2022/dec/10/the-mind-of-mcqueen-no-designer-ive-ever-worked-for-could-think-like-this. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.

Wilson, Andrew. Alexander McQueen: Blood Beneath the Skin. Scribner/Simon & Schuster, 2015.

Wilson, Eric, and Cathy Horyn. "Alexander McQueen, Designer, Is Dead at 40." New York Times, 11 Feb. 2010, www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/fashion/12mcqueen.html?pagewanted=all&‗r=0. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.