ALEXANDER McQUEEN

2.1 The Rise of McQueen

Alexander McQueen and his brand were the epitome of British fashion when in its prime. A man who came from humble beginnings, leaving school with just two qualifications and taking a job on Saville Row to train as a tailor (1984-7), who then turned into one of the worlds most renowned fashion designers (Polan & Tredre, 2020). His work reflected historic garments and featured tailored construction throughout. Seen as a fashion disruptor in the industry, his work was not always welcomed by the public (English & Munroe, 2022). His graduate show in the 1990’s inspired by Jack the Ripper, which inevitably lead him to meet his mentor Isabella Blow, was a turning point for McQueen (Anderson, 2021). In 1996 McQueen started his role as head designer at Givenchy, a pivotal position which he stayed in until 2001 (Anderson, 2021).

With McQueen being seen as a fashion disruptor, and his earlier runways highlighting this, they were not always well received, especially from a female audience. Featured are some of his key runways, when he was in the peak of his career, these will play a vital role in the proposed concept.

SPRING/SUMMER 1995

This collection paid homage to Hitchcock’s 1963 thriller. Bird prints appeared throughout the show combined with intricate details and corsetry. After birds, the secondary theme was roadkill, hence why McQueen chose to interpret this theme through tyre marks on the clothes, he asked his long-time friend Simon Ungless to design a tyre track print (Thomas , 2015). The renowned bird print is still used in ready-to-wear collections today, highlighting its significance.

AUTUMN/WINTER 1995

This collection was not received well. McQueen used his family’s Scottish tartan which was mixed with leather to create ripped up items of clothing, this was paired with the models that had makeup insinuating that they had been attacked (English & Munroe, 2022). After facing backlash McQueen insisted that the title was actually in relation to the ‘rape’ of the Scottish Highlands by the English who took over the land for many years (English & Munroe, 2022).

Spring 1999

This collection seemed somewhat lighter that other work McQueen has presented. The runway featured two robotic arms which only came to life at the end of the show, when Shalom Harlow appeared in a strapless dress, she spun on a circular platform and the robots then sprayed her with paint, to what appeared to be a carefully choreographed routine. It was described as performance art, something which was seen rarely on the runway at the time. It will remain culturally significant in the fashion industry.

Autumn 2006

This runway featured a digital element that was well ahead of its time, a state-of-the-art hologram that appeared from nowhere and spun in the air. It formed slowly into the shape of a women, wearing an elegant white gown, which was revealed to be Kate Moss, the hologram was there for a mere few seconds, before it dissipated (Mower, 2006). The combined workmanship of the clothes and the performance art reinforced the true creative genius of McQueen.

2.2 The Death of Lee Alexander McQueen and What Came Next...

Lee Alexander McQueen’s death came as a shock to not only the UK but globally. His suicide in 2010 came after severe anxiety, depression, and addiction due to extreme stress, which is not unheard of in the global luxury fashion industry (Thomas, 2020). Following his tragic death, his long-time colleague and friend, Sarah Burton, was tasked with continuing the designer’s immense legacy. She had worked with McQueen for 14 years, so when taking over the at the helm of the brand she quietly and subtly shifted the aesthetic whilst trying to uphold the iconic name and brand image (Business Of Fashion, n.d.). Her long-standing history with the brand meant that she was entirely suitable for the role. Today the house tries to remain synonymous with modern British culture. The understanding of British history are key inspirations for the house, Burton tries to celebrate values of English tradition through rural heritage and a sense of community, whilst creating a juxtaposition between both feminine and masculine elements (Kering, n.d.).

2.3 Currently at McQueen

In early October 2022 Sarah Burton showed her latest collection for Alexander McQueen, in a huge bubble dome in Greenwich. The collection somewhat put the brand back on the fashion map and paid homage to the late designer. It was a body centric and a clean tailored collection (Bromley, 2022). The dome was designed by Smiljan Radic, who is the architect behind the flagship store in London. The runway show featured high profile models, wearing clothes which Burton herself referred to as being ‘designed to empower and stripped back to focus on cut silhouette’ (Chitrakorn, 2022).

In 2021 the division which Alexander McQueen sits in at Kering, which also includes Balenciaga, generated €3.26 billion in sales. Suggesting that the brand is still continuing to grow at a steady rate, in an unpredictable market. This is shown in Figure 2, which is FY21 revenue for other houses at Kering.

In luxury fashion there is key emphasis on the need for brands to reinforce its heritage as it incorporates an element of authenticity (Cabigiosu, 2020). Since Sarah Burton became creative director at McQueen it could be argued that the brand lost its sense of heritage, there has not been as many memorable moments since she took over, so this poses the question of whether the sense of brand identity has been lost. Brand identity is a critical distinctive feature for luxury brands and that the aspect of fashion needs to pair with brand values (Cabigiosu, 2020). The rebranding process which has been seen in so many of the iconic luxury fashion houses over the years has been driven by the rise of young and talented designers and raises the question of whether the brand or the designer comes first. This blurring of lines is what has appeared to happen at McQueen, his legacy seems to have dissipated over the years. To maintain this new type of consumers, luxury brands, like McQueen, need to tell a story to its consumer, and constantly reinforce the brand heritage, not only through the products they are selling, but also through the incorporation of new technology, to create one-of-a-kind experiences.