ALEXANDER MCQUEEN (1969 - 2010) burst onto the fashion stage in 1992, courting controversy as headlines hailed him

as the new enfant terrible. Though contentious and frequently misunderstood, he established the fashion label that is now
internationally acclaimed and coveted without compromising his approach.

From the start of his career McQueen has both shocked and delighted his audience with raw presentations often depicting
bleak history and anarchic politics. These shock tactics began in dimly-lit warehouses away from the staid environment of
the London Fashion Week tents. His autumn/winter 1995 catwalk show in particular captured the headlines. Entitled
Highland Rape, the collection featured dishevelled and battered-looking models in torn clothing. It was McQueen’s
comment on the rape of the Highlands at the hands of the British; interpreted by others as a perverse and misogynistic
celebration of the sexual violation of women. His spring/summer 1997 collection, La Poupee, featured a black model whose
movements were restrained by a metal cage attached to her limbs, hit the headlines again. Inspired by the German
puppet-master Hans Bellmer, the rusty contraption was designed to evoke a marionette; inevitably, again, some of the
press saw bondage, slavery and the subordination of women.

McQueen’s flair for showmanship has led him to be celebrated as much for outrageous theatricality as for the unique
combination of aggressive tailoring and lyrical romanticism in his clothes. As the stature of the McQueen name grew, so did
the twice-yearly spectacle. His weird and whimsical catwalk narratives have included models encircled in flames, drenched
in rainstorms or spun like music-box dolls on revolving circles in the floor. The shows are inspired by cult films by Stanley
Kubrick, Pier Paolo Pasolini and Alfred Hitchock, or by the dark photographs of Joel-Peter Witkin. It Witkin’s work which
inspired McQueen’s spring/summer 2001 show. Models staggered around, trapped in a mirrored box that obscured their
view of the audience. Their bandaged heads and confused expressions evoked disease both physical and psychological. The
spectacle ended as the walls of the glass box shattered to the floor to reveal an obese model wearing nothing but a gas
mask, surrounded by hundreds of moths.

None of these sensational spectacles has eclipsed the substance of McQueen’s design. The avant-garde narrative rhetoric
belied a very traditional training in bespoke tailoring on London’s famous Savile Row.

Lee Alexander McQueen was born in the East End of London on March 17th 1969, the youngest of six children; his father a
taxi driver, his mother a social history teacher. From an early age he knew he wanted to be a designer and he spent his
formative years at Rokeby, the local boys’ comprehensive school, drawing and reading books on fashion.

He left school at the age of 16 with a single O-Level and worked for a time clearing glasses in his uncle’s pub. He
completed his A-Level in Art at night-school at West Hampton Technical College before being offered an apprenticeship at
the revered Savile Row tailors Anderson & Shepherd. Here he learnt the intricacies of cutting jackets before moving up the
street to Gieves & Hawkes, (founded in the 19th century as a military outfitter but now a successful menswear brand) to
apply and develop these skills to trousers. It was here that that the anti-establishment McQueen legend began, when he
famously scrawled obscenities in tailor’s chalk in the inner-lining of a jacket destined for the heir to the throne, Prince
Charles.

He moved to the theatrical costumiers Angels & Bermans to work on productions for big musical shows such like Les
Miserables, while continuing to master the skills of pattern-cutting – including techniques from earlier centuries that are
evident in his work today. He then went to work for London-based designer Koji Tatsuno, then backed by Yohji Yamamoto,
before moving to Milan to work with his hero, Romeo Gigli. This was in the late 1980s when Gigli was still enjoying the
media hyperbole that had propelled him into the limelight. McQueen was undoubtedly influenced by the power of the press
machine he witnessed in Milan, and convinced of its contribution to a designer’s success.

In 1990, when Gigli separated from his friends and business partners Donato Maiano and Carla Sozzani, McQueen returned
to London where he sought work teaching pattern-cutting at Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design. Instead of a
job, he was offered a place on the MA design course, his drive and impressive curriculum vitae making up for his lack of
formal qualifications. With a loan from his Aunt Renée he completed his MA in 1992 and sold his graduate collection to the
influential stylist Isabella Blow who went on to become his muse, patron and unofficial public relations agent.

McQueen immediately established his own label with a small collection presented at the Bluebird Garage on the King’s
Road, Chelsea. It was here that his signature “bumsters” – jeans cut just above the pubic bone to reveal the cleft of the
buttocks behind – made their first appearance. The brutally sharp styling of his collections could not obscure their sublime
craftsmanship, historical cut and exquisite detailing. Impeccably tailored suits are softened with fine lace, while skin-tight
leather is unashamedly sexual and subversive.

In October 1996, at the age of 27 and having produced only eight collections, McQueen was appointed Designer-in-Chief at
Givenchy in Paris, replacing John Galliano, who went to sister label Christian Dior. Givenchy brought the backing of luxury
conglomerate Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy and enabled McQueen to continue developing his own label. A turbulent four-
and-a-half years at Givenchy began with disappointing reviews of his first Haute Couture collection in 1997. Fond
 journalists, mostly French, demanded that McQueen’s uncompromising avant-garde designs be softened to meet for the
house whose most famous muse was Audrey Hepburn.

In 2001 McQueen again made the headlines with the controversial move of selling a 51 percent share of his label to the
rival Gucci Group. Their financial backing and insightful decision to encourage rather than suppress McQueen’s talents
made the label an international brand. Today, McQueen has flagship stores in New York, Milan, London and LA; an
accessories collection a menswear collection; and eyewear. He has been named British Fashion Designer of the Year four
times, in 1996, 1997, 2001 and 2003. In 2003 he was awarded International Designer of the Year by The Council of
Fashion Designers of America and in the same month he was honoured as a Most Excellent Commander of the British
Empire (CBE) for his services to the British fashion industry and in 2004 McQueen was awarded British Menswear Designer
of the Year.

Born in the East End and the son of a taxi driver, Alexander McQueen was the quintessential bad boy
made good. He had brains and brawn, having survived over ten years as a solo designer and being
brought into the Gucci Group stable, which bought a 51 per cent stake in his company 2002. In 2008,
his company not only turned a profit but was also opening new stores from LA to Beirut. He was
awarded the coveted Designer of the Year Award at the British Fashion Awards four times.
 Alexander McQueen was born in 1970 in the East End of London - the son of a taxi driver.
 He left school at 16 and trained on Savile Row at Gieves & Hawkes, where he reportedly
once embroidered a suit for the Prince of Wales with the words "I am a c**t" (in the lining).
 In 1991 his entire degree show was bought by influential stylist Isabella Blow, whose later
suicide in 2007 led to him dedicating his entire spring/summer 2008 collection to her memory.
 He earned his master's degree in fashion design from London's Central Saint Martins
(formerly Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design) in 1992.
 The of LVMH president, Bernard Arnault, controversially installed McQueen as John
Galliano's successor at Givenchy in 1996. McQueen told Vogue in October 1997 that his debut
couture offering for the label was "crap", but he stayed with the house until March 2001 -
continuing to create challenging collections, including one featuring car-robots spraying paint
over white cotton dresses and double amputee model Aimee Mullins striding down the catwalk on
intricately carved wooden legs - until the contract which he said was "constraining his creativity"
was ended.
 McQueen won the British Fashion Awards' British Designer of the Year four times and
won the Men's Wear Designer of the Year award in 2004. In 2003, he received the CFDA Award
for Best International Designer and was honored with a CBE from Queen Elizabeth II for his
services to the fashion industry.
 His spring/summer 2010 collection, which featured alien-inspired make-up and reptilian
prints, was lauded as his best by the fashion press, with Selfridges buying director Anita Barr
telling VOGUE.COM she believed it would be the department store's "best selling collection ever".
 McQueen died, aged 40, on February 11 2010, amid unconfirmed reports that he
committed suicide.
Alexander McQueen delivered collections that were often described in superlatives: "I didn't plan out
my life like that," he said. "When people recognise and respect what you do, that's nice, but I don't
think you ever do this to be famous. Fame should be left to the film stars. We're just offering a
service.