The Late Alexander McQueen is quite rightfully known as the most established designer in Britain, born Lee McQueen he started off at a young age running up dresses for his 3 sisters, instigating his passion to become a top designer despite his parents disapproval, who wanted him to have a ‘normal job’. But McQueen went on to leave school at 16, to then land himself an apprenticeship at saville row tailors Anderson & Sheppard followed by Grieves and Hawkeswhere he reportedly once embroidered a suit for the Prince of Wales with the words "I am a c**t" (in the lining). Shortly after McQueen even had the opportunity to work for Koji Tatsuno & then moved to Milan to work withRomeo Gigli. With all this experience under his belt McQueen decided to apply to London’s most prestigious fashion school; Central St Martins college of Art & Design for a master’s degree. Even without any formal education McQueen was enrolled on the spot after one look at his portfolio, leading him to graduate in 1991. The entire collection he produced for his master's thesis was bought by English style icon Isabella Blow- a remarkable accomplishment for a young graduate.
The Fashion designer quickly earned the title of ‘The hooligan of English fashion’ following his controversial styles. His outrageous designs attracted a small yet loyal clientele. It’s rumoured McQueens name came from when he was receiving benefits during his climb to fame and it was at his 1st show that he changed his name from Lee McQueen to Alexander McQueen, so he could still continue receiving his benefit cheques. It was in 1996 where McQueen’s work was fully acknowledged when the president of LVMH Bernard Arnault instated him as the head designer atGivenchy.
McQueen caused a huge stir in his 1999 Fall show, which included robots spraying paint over white cotton dresses and a disabled model strutting down the catwalk on carved wooden legs. He achieved so much and caused such an impact in the world of fashion in a small amount of time and still continues to inspire people today.
Alexander McQueen has put his stamp on fashion achieving awards such as British designer of the year in 96, 97, 2001 and 2003. He has also received International designer of the year at the council of fashion designer awards. 2000 saw a new partnership for McQueen with Gucci, serving as creative Director. At the end of McQueen’s spring/summer 2005 show McQueen once again broke barriers and amazed the fashion world, as the models became human chess pieces, whose moves were directed by a disembodied computerised voice. As each ‘piece’ was knocked out of the game, the corresponding model left the stage:
In 2006 McQueen announced his collaborative partnership with Puma, both ideal partners known for pushing the boundaries and their intricate craftsmanship. He followed on to create his own perfume range and expanded by opening more boutique stores worldwide in New york, London, Milan, Tokyo and many more. However, despite all of this success in his life, McQueen often suffered with depression, with life eventually becoming too tough for him after the death of his mother. Alexander McQueen committed suicide on the 11th February 2010, just one week after his mother’s passing. Since his death, many tributes have been paid to the designer. A limited edition book was published by Visionaire and legendary photographer Nick Knight who also made a video to the late designer’s work, which featured a track especially written for the piece by Björk. The catwalks for Autumn/Winter 2010 saw McQueen’s final collection, which took baroque and digitial prints in a rich palette of red and gold. Alexander is truly an inspirational designer and one of the most respected and creative minds in fashion.Alexander is truly an inspirational designer and one of the most respected and creative minds in fashion. McQueen has shown all you need to achieve your dream is passion and focus.
Kal
For any comments and queries drop me an email at Avantgarde.online@rocketmail.com.
McQueen caused a huge stir in his 1999 Fall show, which included robots spraying paint over white cotton dresses and a disabled model strutting down the catwalk on carved wooden legs. He achieved so much and caused such an impact in the world of fashion in a small amount of time and still continues to inspire people today.
Alexander McQueen has put his stamp on fashion achieving awards such as British designer of the year in 96, 97, 2001 and 2003. He has also received International designer of the year at the council of fashion designer awards. 2000 saw a new partnership for McQueen with Gucci, serving as creative Director. At the end of McQueen’s spring/summer 2005 show McQueen once again broke barriers and amazed the fashion world, as the models became human chess pieces, whose moves were directed by a disembodied computerised voice. As each ‘piece’ was knocked out of the game, the corresponding model left the stage:
In 2006 McQueen announced his collaborative partnership with Puma, both ideal partners known for pushing the boundaries and their intricate craftsmanship. He followed on to create his own perfume range and expanded by opening more boutique stores worldwide in New york, London, Milan, Tokyo and many more. However, despite all of this success in his life, McQueen often suffered with depression, with life eventually becoming too tough for him after the death of his mother. Alexander McQueen committed suicide on the 11th February 2010, just one week after his mother’s passing. Since his death, many tributes have been paid to the designer. A limited edition book was published by Visionaire and legendary photographer Nick Knight who also made a video to the late designer’s work, which featured a track especially written for the piece by Björk. The catwalks for Autumn/Winter 2010 saw McQueen’s final collection, which took baroque and digitial prints in a rich palette of red and gold. Alexander is truly an inspirational designer and one of the most respected and creative minds in fashion.Alexander is truly an inspirational designer and one of the most respected and creative minds in fashion. McQueen has shown all you need to achieve your dream is passion and focus.
Thanks for taking time out to read this post, keep it locked to AVG for more from me and my views on fashion...“I think the idea of mixing luxury and mass-market fashion is very modern - wearing head-to-toe designer has become a bit passe. It's a new era in fashion - there are no rules. It's all about the individual and personal style, wearing high-end, low-end, classic labels, and up-and-coming designers all together.” - Alexander McQueen.
Kal
For any comments and queries drop me an email at Avantgarde.online@rocketmail.com.
