Alexander McQueen: An Overview
Lee Alexander McQueen founded the iconic designer fashion brand, Alexander McQueen in 1992 after obtaining a degree from the prestigious Central St Martins fashion college. The brand would receive great acclaim as well as criticism during the 18 years Lee was the creative designer, so, let us take a look at the brand of Alexander McQueen and the man behind the magic.
Lee Alexander McQueen, 2009. Ed Kavishe/fashionwirepress
Born on March 17th 1969 in Lewisham, Lee McQueen grew up in a working-class area of London, his mum a teacher and his father a cab driver. He struggled through school, being bullied for his homosexuality and eventually left aged 16 with one O’level in art. After completing a course in tailoring, a skill that would become synonymous with the McQueen brand, Lee took on an apprenticeship on London’s famous Saville Row with Anderson and Sheppard. After completing his degree at Central St Martins fashion college in London, his graduating collection was bought in its entirety by influential fashion stylist Isabella Blow, and the Alexander McQueen brand was born.
A dress from Lee’s last collection.
The brand really took off, a testament to Lee’s obvious talent, and by 1996 Lee was designing for Bowie’s tours as well as designing the union jack jacket worn by Bowie on the cover of his 1997 album, Earthling. As well as working on the Alexander McQueen brand, Lee became chief-designer at Givenchy, just four years after graduating, an impressive feat. While working for Givenchy gave Lee connections in the haute couture world and allowed him to gain notoriety, the brand limited his creativity. Givenchy has always been a very classic and chic brand, ever since Hubert was designing for Audrey Hepburn. In contrast, Lee designed outlandish and extravagant pieces, this was not a partnership that was destined for longevity. Lee himself said of his time at Givenchy, “I treated Givenchy badly. It was just money to me. But there was nothing I could do: the only way it would have worked would have been if they had allowed me to change the whole concept of the house, to give it a new identity, and they never wanted me to do that.” Even with his hardships at the brand, Lee won the British Designer of the Year award 1996, 1997 and 2001. He left Givenchy in 2001.
One of the first big successes for the Alexander Mcqueen brand was the ‘bumster’, a style of low rise jeans that were extremely low cut and they helped to generate a trend in low-rise jeans. They were controversial but they were what helped to define McQueen as a new, influential brand. A brand that pushed the boundaries and challenged expectations. McQueen staged lavish runway shows that were as artistic and excessive as his clothing designs. Spring 2005 saw a human game of chess, Spring 2003 was based around a shipwreck, Spring 1999 saw supermodel Shalom Harlow be spray painted by robots and my personal favourite show, ‘Joan’ of Autumn 1998, saw models surrounded by fire. (Perhaps I will have to write an article about this show, it takes my breath away.) His shows were absolute spectacles.
In 2000, Gucci bought a 51% stake in the Alexander McQueen company and provided the tools and money for Lee to expand the business. I suspect this is one of the main reasons why Lee swiftly left Givenchy after this deal was signed. With help from Gucci, Alexander McQueen began to skyrocket as an international brand as stores opened in London, New York, Milan, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. After being purely a womenswear brand (although, of course, fashion is genderless) Alexander McQueen launched its first menswear collection is 2005 and it has proved to be a great venture, with McQueen being popular with a full array of folks. The brand was clever and saw the way the high street was unfortunately headed, and in 2008 Alexander McQueen launched their US online store, with a UK online store following suit in 2010.
The wedding of Kate Middleton to Prince William. Getty images
On the 11th February 2010, Lee was found dead in his apartment in Mayfair. He had committed suicide, just one day before his own mothers funeral. Around the time of his death, Lee is said to have been greatly unhappy and abusing drugs. He had been suffering from depressive and anxiety disorders for at least three years and had previously taken two drug overdoses. His ashes were scattered in the Isle of Skye, Scotland, a place which had always been special to him and influenced many of his designs.
In May of 2010 it was announced that Sarah Burton was to become the new creative director of Alexander McQueen. Her first collections at the brand received generally positive reviews, with her work having a lighter approach and a more feminine touch. In 2011 Sarah designed the iconic wedding dress of Kate Middleton to the future king, Prince William. At the time of Lee’s death, the brand was £32 million in debt, however, designing the wedding dress for the future Queen surely helped this. The Duchess Effect, where clothing and brands the Duchess of Cambridge chooses to wear generally end up flying off the shelves, is vital to Alexander McQueen, with Kate choosing to wear the brand often.
Lee was a man of innate talent and his ability to create works of art has changed the fashion industry forever.
