Alexander McQueen

mspagnoli
Feb 28, 2019
2 min read

Alexander Mcqueen was born in Lewisham, London in 1969. He first got exposed to fashion when he dropped out of high school and began working on made to order suits. As McQueen learned more about the industry he moved on from suits and made his way into costume wear. Alexander McQueens aesthetic is clearly heavily influenced by his years in working in costume. After receiving his M.A in fashion design, he created his own business designing women clothes. Four years later McQueen was named Chef Designer of Louis Vuitton-owned Givenchy. After feeling restictred not being able to create a new look for the fashion house, McQueen then left Givenchy in 2001. By 2003, McQueen was named International Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America. McQueen is known for his avant-garde creations that bring fourth a slew of emotions and clear passion. However, there was something much deeper behind his bold styles. Alexander McQueen committed suicide on February 11th, 2010, just a day after his mother passed. Clearly, McQueen put his heart and soul into each and every collection he created and his undeniable passion and innovation shines through his collections, then and now.

McQueen: Then vs. Now

I want to begin by explaining McQueens philosophy behind his most iconic collections. In his A/W 1995 collection titled "Highland Rape" he wanted to shed light on the issues of sexual violence and genociede, although many people missed that and critized the collection heavily.

"Its a Jungle out there", McQueens A/W 1997 collection was a tribute to how he felt being bombarded by french fashion houses and elite critics.

No. 13 in his S/S1999 collection, he featured Shalom Harlow at the center of the runway being sprayed by yellow and black paint on her white dress by machines. This was a very emotional scene that actually wasn't rehearsed and represented "Man/Woman vs the Machine".

Comparing his past collections, to ones created by Creative Director, Sarah Burton, his punk ways are still very present. His atheistic is clear in his newest collections, however they are not as filled with passion and expression as they once were. Here is a look from his most recent S/S 19 collection:

I do not believe Alexander McQueen got the legacy he did by following trends. He did everything against the book and let critics say what they wanted to. He had stories to tell through his collections and spoke out about important issues like sexual violence, androgyny (featuring Mr. Pearl in his "The Birds inspired collection). He tackled body image when he placed Aimee Mullins, an athlete with an aputated leg, on the runway with a hand crafted McQueen wooden leg that brought a sense of power to that show. I understand that fashion is a business and money needs to be made, however, what is featured on McQueen's website are trendy accessories and shoes that every designer has a version of. Personally, I think McQueen might be turning in his grave knowing something trendy has his name on it. I feel that though the years passion has dissolved from his brand and should be brought back to life by rebellion and pushed boundaries.