Alexander McQueen.. The legacy of an artist

(Published in the London Runway magazine, Apr-May 2010)

A legacy above the rest


‘The first time I experienced his genius we were all at the Gucci factory in Milan…and a model came out wearing a finished sample.’ Sue whitely, Alexander McQueen’s former CEO says ‘ Lee ripped off the sleeves, asked for some scissors, cut right into it and asked for some cashmere and pinned in these pieces of cashmere. Other designers might have pinned a bit here or there. He completely restructured the garment. It was magic.’
For close to two decades the deified designer enthralled audiences with tabloids of breathtaking pieces that were highly treasured by style icons across the globe. Although never selling in myriads, he sooner than most, entered his brand the fashion lexicon of one of fashion’s best known brands.

After seeing a television program about the apprentice in traditional tailoring, the classic story began. At 16 he dropped out of Rokeby Comprehensive and obtainied an apprenticeship with the Prince of Wales' tailor, Anderson and Sheppard and later, working for Gieves and Hawkes; theatre’s famous Angels and Bermans costumiers.
‘He was 16 when he came here’ said John Hitchcock of Anderson and Sheppard. ‘He was a boy from Essex, he wanted to learn tailoring. He was a little bit different-he was very ambitious.’

At just 26, McQueen was chosen to expropriate John Galliano as head designer at Givenchy. The rebellious boy eventually boosted the celebrity records of nasty breakups when he parted ways with them in 2001. Adding the ‘constraining my creativity’ insult to the earlier ‘irrelevant’ injury he broke free with no sanctuary except his own brand, Alexander McQueen©.
An everlasting conjoining saw the light when 51% of the brand was acquired by the Gucci group with McQueen retaining creative control. This partnership hatched plans for expansion including flagship stores in London, Milan and New York.

Watching a McQueen show, you observe sincere feminist at work. ‘When you see a woman wearing McQueen, there’s a certain hardness to the clothes that makes her look powerful. It kinds of fends people off’ he proudly said.
The ultimate brilliance of McQueen was the transmogrification of women from victims to predators, yet robustly maintaining the sensible femininity within a lethal emancipation.

Retrospectively speaking, these courageous exploits have rarely been applauded. Critics raged as a reaction to many shows, constantly accusing him of misogyny.
‘I’ve seen a woman nearly get beaten to death by her husband. I know what misogyny is. I want people to be afraid of the woman I dress’ he seethed with anger once.


Suicide…WHY??!!

Alexander, universally known as Lee was discovered at his Mayfair property in London by his cleaner. Paramedics were called but he was pronounced dead at the scene. A post-mortem examination had found that he had died as a result of asphyxiation and hanging.
The cumbersome news was far beyond shocking. If there had been a presage, sadly even those who knew him too well never got it. No one will ever understand what wheeled him to a point of extreme devastation and depression. I stop for a moment to wonder what is it that was missing in a life like Lee’s?

Choosing to take away his life on the eve of his mother’s (Joyce) funeral drove everyone in believing they had found the nexus behind McQueen’s death. Digging deeper, several parallels that surfaced later on proved that Joyce’s death was a mere trigger.
‘Lee was very close to his mom but I wouldn’t equate her death with lee doing this’ George Forsyth his ex-partner says ‘Everybody deals with stuff in different ways. Lee would retreat a bit, go into himself sometimes….but this doesn’t make sense to me.’
George certainly made sense, troubled online remarks before his mother’s death showed that he was having troubles.

In a time like this, we see McQueen’s painful tears at the funeral of his mentor and discoverer, the style Icon who bought all his 1992 ‘jack the ripper’ graduation collection, Isabella Blow. Dying three years ago as a result of apparent suicide as well, still that reason remains off the table.










An apparent split up with an Australian lover more recently, whose name he had reportedly tattooed on his arm might be a reasonable correlation to his death.

Leaving all what is personal behind, we cogitate behind the ‘reason’...

We’re all well introduced to the backstage of the fashion world; child labourers, skinny bodies of supermodels and the aspirations of millions of young designers who linger everywhere, and most, end as duplicated versions of each other and remain entrapped in the backstages forever.
Sue Whiteley introduces another backstage, the ‘longevity’ factor which, if traced back, could be an auxiliary factor. ‘In the fashion industry, you finish one show and then you’re onto the next. You’re only as good as your last show. It’s relentless.’ McQueen was surely cognizant of this when finalizing his forthcoming Autumn/Winter collection scheduled to show in the Paris Fashion Week.

Deciding the legacy of McQueen was not up to the rousing fantasies he sculptured alone but based on balance sheets, not speaking up too well for him. Accounts had shown that the brand struggled to make a profit until after the ‘Girl who lived in a tree’ show in 2008 before the banking crisis that hit many high-end fashion companies.
Although the company’s Director says that some of the figures ‘do not reflect the worldwide financial overview of the Alexander McQueen business and should not be interpreted as such’, current liabilities of the brand totaled more than £32 million!!

Final farewells
Gathered at their Hornchurch, Essex home, the five siblings and father, Ronald were too devastated and shocked to say anything. Gathering his words, Lee’s older brother Michael told the London Evening Standard that they were ‘grieving, but mum’s funeral is going ahead, it has all been arranged.’ He explained that after a long thought, the family came to the decision of burying Joyce and Lee on separate days.


The grievous Thursday, though fogged in denial, was very real. Lee Alexander McQueen was dead.
Lucky enough to get a goodbye moment, unlucky though having been shot in eyes with the truth, British designer Stella McCartney, artist Daphne Guinness and supermodels Kate moss and Naomi Campbell were hard to categorize. They settled their denials the incurable way by joining the McQueens at ST. Paul’s Church in Leafy Knightsbridge, west London to bid a final farewell to Lee, their confidant and genius.

Those who couldn’t make it paid their share of endearments:

"Lee McQueen was a truly unique visionary in the world of fashion. A creator of beauty. What a tragedy."
Madonna

"God speed Lee. It has been a privilege for all of us to know you. You will be indescribably missed."
Sarah Jessica Parker

"We are devastated to learn of the death of Alexander McQueen, one of the greatest talents of his generation. His passing marks an insurmountable loss."
Anna Wintour
(Vogue Editor-in-chief)

"I am truly devastated to lose my close friend. This is a sad day for all who loved him around the world and my condolences are with his family. I will miss him so much, he will never be forgotten."
Naomi Campbell

"I only knew him very little but I knew his work well. I found his work very interesting, never banal."
Karl Lagerfeld

"I have known Lee since his time at Central Saint Martins and gave him advice in the early part of his career. He was a very talented and creative designer, especially in respect of his tailored clothing. This is a very sad time and my thoughts are with his family."
Sir Paul Smith

"His art went beyond the fashion world. He had a great command of technique…..he hid behind an armour of provocation."
Francois-Henri Pinault
(President of PPR group)

"This is devastating news. He was an unforgettable part of my life. He was a talent who was beyond others. This is an unimaginable loss for the fashion world."
Sue Whiteley
(Former CEO at Alexander McQueen)

"Today the fashion Industry has lost a true great. An icon of all time. He made all he touched beautiful and will be desperately missed."
Victoria Beckham

"I am shocked and deeply saddened by McQueen's death. He was a genius and his talent was second to none.
Like many others, I always cited him as a hugely inspirational leader of world fashion. He will be greatly missed."
Matthew Williamson

"We are deeply touched for the sudden death of Alexander McQueen, a designer whom we have always admired for his creative genius and unmatched inspiration. He leaves the fashion world with an unfillable void."
Dolce and Gabbana

"I got to know Lee McQueen, not Alexander all those years ago. Now everyone’s talking about Alexander McQueen the fashion genius. I want people to know that we lost Lee McQueen the person too, and he was just as special."
George Forsyth
(Lee’s ex-partner)

Non verbal laudations were very lingual, millions of fans laid flowers outside McQueen’s apartment and the Old Bond Street’s store which remained closed as were others around the world.


Pop superstar Kylie Minogue stepped out on her way to work wearing an McQ iconic skull scarf. Naomi Campbell wore hers too as a tribute to the designer.
While our two favorite girls were fortunate enough to own their scarves, thousands of faithful followers realized they weren’t that lucky. Rushing to the London stores they attempted to lay their hands on any piece of fashion inheritance; a skull encrusted bag a punky dress or the luxurious skull scarf.
Kate Brindley, Liberty’s head of press told the Guardian ‘People want a memento and these scarves are such an easy identifiable one. Customers were buying them and putting them on immediately.’ Liberty are also planning to unveil a commemorative display entitled ‘McQueen and country’ in tribute to the designer.

Outrageous Chanteuse Lady Gaga said ’Thank you to Lee McQueen’ after winning one of 3 prizes at the Brit awards. She reportedly changed her routine at the last minute from a medley of hits to a more somber one, eccentrically performing beside a mannequin that wore McQueen’s signature lobster-claw shoes.

London Fashion Week
McQueen played a significant role in the London Fashion Week which opened with an invitation from British Fashion Council Chairman Harold Tillman to ‘Join me in sharing both respect and reverence for the passing of one of our greatest British designers, Lee McQueen.’
Prime minister’s wife Sarah Brown said the week-long event would be a ‘reflective time with sadness at the passing of McQueen.’
A message wall was set up in the tent at the 18th century Somerset House where guests were asked to pin cards of memoires next to a photograph of a model from his ‘Voss’ (spring/summer 01) collection in a headdress that looked like it was made from stuffed birds.
Fashion journalist Hilary Alexander wrote: ‘Dear Lee, so sorry time’s winged chariot whisked you away-far too early!’

On a somber note Central Saint Martin’s MA graduate show began at the Fashion week as the voice of the late McQueen echoed around the darkened catwalk tent.
We remember McQueen’s experience at Saint Martins ‘fashion was my passion’ he says ‘and St Martins was the place to go, it showed me there were people out there-like me.’ McQueen who went there to apply as a pattern cutter tutor was persuaded by the head of the Master’s department to enroll in the course after seeing the puissance of his portfolio and ended up doing an MA.

The star-studded Fashion For Relief Haiti Show organized by supermodel Naomi Campbell in the London Fashion Week had McQueen at heart. Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell along with McQueen’s muse and bridesmaid Anabelle Neilson paid tribute to the designer opening the show by modeling his exquisite print mini dress from his ‘Plato’s Atlantis’ (Spring/Summer 2010) collection.

Still reeling from McQueen’s death, keeping a brave face was probably one of the hardest things Kate moss had to put on in all her glorious years of modeling. The face was quickly taken off by breaking into tears as Top Shop’s Sir Philip Green put in the final bid of £100,000 on the dress modeled by her earlier.


A scratch in the British fashion
Named British designer of the Year four times between 1996 and 2003, the slim, bearded Englishman made a refulgent contribution to British Fashion and was acknowledged by Queen Elizabeth II as the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2003.
Our artisan was on the top of the ‘Power List’; one created to celebrate 25 years of British Fashion on the 25th anniversary celebrations of the British Fashion . His spring/summer 99 red-feathered show stopping dress was on the ‘25 most heart stopping dresses on the London catwalks over the past 25 years’ list as well.
When talking British fashion we delve in a long list; Stella McCartney, Matthew Williamson, Viviene Westwood and Paul Smith only to mention a few, but McQueen Arguably cut the British fashion industry real bad.

Not only did he help re-energize British fashion after a long fallow period following the punk explosion in the 1970’s, the walls of several art colleges witness the fashion paradigm’s influence on the likes of Nicolas Ghesquiere, Gareth Pugh and many others. He saw ‘these new designers, the generation of luxury brands [could become] like the new Chanel and the new Balenciaga and the new Dior.’ With that said not only did he re-symbolize the concept of Haute-Couture but renovated it to an iconic, modernized one.

Anna Wintour praised the rebellious boy for bringing a ‘uniquely British sense of daring and aesthetic fearlessness to the global stage of fashion…from street style, to music culture and the world’s museums.’

The fate of the label
In an interview with February’s Love Magazine, McQueen emphasized that he wanted the company to ‘live way beyond me.’
Although the sales of McQueen’s pieces propagated at the end of last week according to Trade magazine Drapers, experts anticipate that is a temporary reaction to his death.

Live examples of turning to lesser-known-in-house talent, as with Valentino or bringing outside designers as with Emanuel Ungaro or recruiting a family member as with Versace, do exist. But such strategies seem to languish with valorous ideas like McQueen’s.

Questions arise over the label’s fate. Mr. Pinault, president of the French Group PPR which controls McQueen’s companies through its Gucci subsidiary promised that the ‘Alexander McQueen trademark will live on’ believing that ‘would be the best tribute that we could offer to him.’ He proudly proves his point by unveiling Lee’s Autumn/Winter collection in the Paris Fashion week as arranged.

Still, sudden collapses of many couture houses regardless of extravagant heritages leave us timorous. On the top of my head, Christian Lacroix, the Luxourious French fashion house reporting the loss of £8.6 million and the well known German empire Escada whose weak sales eventually led to it being sold to Megha Mittal, daughter-in-law of Lakshmi Mittal, the steel Tycoon.
I constantly assure the McQueen aficionado inside me that a death of a founder doesn’t necessary mean the attenuation of the brand. Yes there were many, Yves Saint Laurent, Dior and Chanel.

My moment was gone with Florence Muller’s analyses of significant differences between those surviving brands and McQueen. ‘By the time he died in 1957, Christian Dior had become synonymous throughout the entire world with haute couture’ she told the AFP news agency ‘Despite his notoriety, Alexander McQueen’s fashion house is not yet fully established, which makes its situation now more tenuous, more difficult.’
Rushing to support Muller, Luca Solca an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein in London said: ‘The brand is associated with the designer and I wonder whether it will be desirable to keep it going. It is very difficult to turn small designer brands into viable franchises.

A Paris-based luxury-goods analyst was blunter. ‘The label hasn’t been around for long enough to be able to survive in the long term now that he is no longer there. A brand needs to have a history to live on in these circumstances and McQueen’s brand doesn’t have enough history. Its roots are not deep enough.’
The Ominous situation of the sumptuous brand hides behind its unknown future. We are still in doubt if the brand will survive to keep its nose above water or as to who would replace McQueen as the head of the company.

I recognize the threnody that goes on in our heads as we start to believe that the whimsical Lee is gone. Time will certainly not palliate his death but at least the non-transient, opalescent empire he left behind proved that fashion can consummate a coherent relationship between design, technology and performance art.

If I had been given a last wish, and no I wouldn’t have wished for three more wishes, I would have loved to see McQueen working with a movie director and see his artistic pieces in a movie. Whatever the movie had been, Alexander’s runway achieve wouldn’t have failed us.