He blurred the lines between politics, art and clothes manipulated the worldwide press and boldly embraced technology. McQueen, as both a designer and a brand, fundamentally changed the fashion world. In December 2000, the Gucci group – under the direction of the lauded designer Tom Ford, who had been a big inspiration for McQueen – bought 51 per cent of the brand and appointed McQueen as creative director.Īn architectural gown from McQueen’s Autumn/Winter 2009 collection. These stores became destinations, attracting flocks of shoppers from around the world desperate to snag a piece from the l'enfant terrible of British fashion. All through the '90s you could only buy a McQueen piece at selected boutiques and department stores, and the lone McQueen shop in London's West End. The hype around the brand, and McQueen himself, grew as the designer began to win fashion's highest awards. Fashion had never seen anything like it before. Season upon season the brand's profile expanded, and the world's excitement skyrocketed. The press couldn't decide if it was misogyny or genius. Katy England, McQueen's right-hand woman, said that this moment was the only time she ever saw McQueen moved to tears during one of his own shows. It has been described as one of the most profound moments in fashion history, capturing the interplay between aggression and vulnerability, exploring the relationship between our control over technology, and its control over us. Two robotic arms on either side of the platform then sprayed the dress in neon yellow and black lines while an emotional audience watched. In 1999, the beautiful Shalom Harlow walked onto a rotating platform wearing a giant white dress. The fashion industry called it disempowering, but Mullins and McQueen were proud to have platformed a model with a disability, saying that she had just as much right to a place on the runway as anyone else.Īlexander McQueen accepts the award for "Revolutionary Designer" at the 2002 VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards in New York. In 1998, McQueen cast double amputee Aimee Mullins to walk down the runway on intricately carved wooden legs. At its core today, years after McQueen's death, the brand remains true to its founder's ultimate vision: to offer women the chance to dress powerfully and beautifully.įrom its founding days, the brand quickly earned a reputation for its controversial approach to women's fashion, sparking countless cases of genuine outrage across the fashion community. He was known for his signature theatrics and showmanship, and revered for his flawless tailoring, daring cuts and exquisite use of fabrics. McQueen's creativity was big business – he produced breathtaking collections of impeccably made, incredibly wearable clothes that women and men wanted to buy. And he was right: he revolutionised fashion over and over again.įrom McQueen's first collection in 1992, which he sold in its entirety to influential magazine editor Isabella Blow for £5000, to his multi-million dollar global fashion house, his eponymous brand Alexander McQueen has always been lauded and coveted. "Give me time and I'll give you a revolution," McQueen once said. Not a single show in the 40 or more he designed passed by without him creating yet another one. But the very concept of a fashion moment was arguably invented by McQueen himself. In fashion, people are always looking for the next "moment". “Give me time and I’ll give you a revolution”: Alexander McQueen fundamentally changed the fashion world. Tickets to a McQueen show were like gold dust, with editors, fashion press and obsessive fans and clients alike desperate to be part of the next glorious, controversial frontier. Over the course of his 20-year career in fashion, McQueen was constantly reinventing the limits of both fashion design and fashion as theatre. Spanning three major cities, McQueen's collections grew in style and scale and his runway shows never failed to stimulate, challenge and shock their viewers. This was where he redefined the limits of what fashion could be, and snatched the attention of both the fashion industry and the world.įrom blood to urine, birds of prey to earthworms, McQueen's daring, often outrageous approach to runway shows catapulted him to global fame and commercial success, and cemented his position as one of the most influential fashion designers in history. Alexander McQueen's runway shows for his self-titled brand were where his imagination really came to life.
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