Anyone who has seen the movie or the play Cabaret knows that Alexander McQueen was this host: eccentric, passionate, captivating, someone nobody could take their eyes off of. His fashion shows? Authentic theatrical manifestos. His clothes? Divine. McQueen took his initial steps in tailoring, but destiny had different plans for this creative genius. A brief yet dazzling career. Unquestionable stardom.
Throughout his life, Alexander McQueen would be known by various aliases, including l’enfant terrible, akin to Jean-Paul Gaultier, or the hooligan of English Fashion, owing to his rebellious nature, reflected in every runway show – his collections were protagonists of his theatrical brilliance.
At the age of 16, Lee Alexander McQueen dropped out of school and began working on Savile Row, a renowned street in the Mayfair district of London, known for its quality tailoring. He started working at the Anderson & Sheppard store, which he later exchanged for Gieves & Hawkes. Here, according to a BBC news report, it is believed that Alexander McQueen wrote “McQueen was here” inside the lining of one of the suits belonging to Prince Charles, although this fact was never proven.
Determined to find his way in the fashion industry, McQueen left the famous Savile Row and its tailoring shops, embarking on a collaboration with costume designers for film, TV, and theater at Angels and Bermans. Some of the creations for the musical Les Misérables were his. The dramatic style of clothing he developed with these designers would later become his signature when he launched his own brand, but before that, he had to pass through the giant Givenchy, a house where he learned a lot about the fashion industry’s workings.
The problem for McQueen during his years at Givenchy was that the designer and the showman were forced to separate and work on different projects. McQueen had little to no influence on Givenchy’s marketing or advertising. He was there simply to design the collection, and although LVMH saw in him more than just eye candy, the separation of powers led to dysfunctions and distortions. Despite contributing to Givenchy’s haute couture business, McQueen’s ready-to-wear collections rarely impressed the specialized critics (even though his spring-summer 2001 runway show was a resounding success). McQueen’s heart simply wasn’t present; he lacked complete control. “I don’t believe it works. At least, it doesn’t work for me. My mind is too focused on my ideal, and I can’t do that with someone else’s collection. Unless I’m willing to give up my own collection, I believe, and I can’t do that.”
This disconnection meant that McQueen’s own collections, however impressive, often got lost under theatrical spotlights, special effects, and Geiger-style props; nightmare narratives, spectral flights, and Pollock-style color stagings. What was contained at Givenchy was unleashed firmly and with full expression in his own line. It was great for the press; everyone wanted to be at his shows and bask in the splendor, but that didn’t necessarily translate into a successful business for his eponymous brand. LVMH never invested in McQueen’s own line, even though they did so with the majority of the designers in the group—Alexander McQueen mentioned that LVMH had offered at one point, something he refused, and when he later requested investment in his work, the request was denied. The same did not happen at another major house, Gucci. The maison’s leadership understood that if they let him lead, if McQueen had total control, he would find a way to properly prioritize the business, balancing the “noise levels”. McQueen would be responsible for the message.
Thanks to Gucci’s investment, the creator as a standalone brand became a global phenomenon. His shows were already known for their extravagance and drama, but they started to become even more theatrical. Some examples include the hologram of model Kate Moss floating through the fall-winter 2006 collection runway and, years earlier, the 13th show under his own name in September 1998, when the dress worn by Shalom Harlow turned into a human canvas, in the presentation of McQueen’s spring-summer collection, where robotic arms sprayed paint on the dress. As he would later say, the number 13, as the SS99 show was dubbed, was “the only one that made me cry.”
In 2005, McQueen and Puma starred in the first major collaboration between sportswear brands and the luxury industry, something that is now regularly seen (example: the Gucci x Adidas partnership), creating a line of sneakers.
The stardom wouldn’t last long! In February 2010, the designer was found dead in his apartment in London, leaving his collection incomplete, a collection that would eventually be completed by Sarah Burton, creative director and head of the women’s wear department for the McQueen brand. The psychiatrist who had been accompanying him for several years, Stephen Pereira, told The Guardian at the time that his recent mother’s death and the fact that he was a very reserved person, suffering from close relationships, disappointments, and a sense of abandonment, might have led him to suicide, mourned by many, including the fashion editor of British Vogue and Vivienne Westwood. “Lee Alexander McQueen was a public figure and a creative genius, with a generous and loving nature,” his family wrote in a statement. “Those who had the privilege of knowing Lee will cherish their memories of him for a lifetime.”
Alexander McQueen’s career was celebrated with the exhibition Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, first in New York in the summer of 2011 at the MET, and later at the V&A in London in 2015. This exhibition had the highest number of visitors ever recorded at the London museum: about 493,043 people during the 21 consecutive weeks the exhibition was open.
His legacy changed the fashion industry forever. God save McQueen!
By: Ana Cristina Valente