In the early 1990s, McQueen did something unusual in fashion: he created garments that were completely new. For example, he introduced frock coats. He believed that fashion was about truth: “I am just honest”.
He was able to cut clothes in a way that seemed effortless. He was totally confident in the way he used scissors, even cutting directly onto the model. Moreover, he didn’t limit himself to textile fabrics; he also used shells, leather, glass, and metal. His inspirations ranged from performance art and film to Gothic aesthetics and Victorian dress. By combining all these elements, he created something entirely new. He was, in this sense, an entrepreneur—the outsider from the East End who introduced the idea of craft into fashion.
Alexander Lee McQueen became an apprentice tailor at Anderson & Sheppard, which was not directly related to London fashion. From 1985 to 1987, he learned cutting and tailoring, becoming one of the firm’s best coat-makers and mastering the craft.
To further develop his tailoring skills, he later joined Gieves & Hawkes, where he trained as a trouser cutter. After that, he worked as a freelance pattern cutter.
Between 1989 and 1990, Lee McQueen worked for Koji Tatsuno as a pattern cutter. During this time, a friend introduced him to John McKitterick, designer for the streetwear brand Red or Dead, where he worked for a year. This experience made him more ambitious about what he could achieve in fashion.
Driven by this ambition, he moved to Italy without a place to stay, without money, and without knowing the language. Within a week of arriving in Milan, he secured a job as a pattern cutter at Gigli. Romeo Gigli, known for his encyclopedic references, was the only designer in Milan McQueen wanted to work with. During this period, he became deeply engaged in exploring new shapes.
When his contract ended, he returned to London.
The next step was Central Saint Martins. McQueen was interested in studying there because it offered him creative freedom. He enrolled in the MA Fashion course, marking his transition from tailor and cutter to fashion designer. His graduate collection, “Jack the Ripper Stalks His Victims”, was shown in July 1992. It demonstrated his ability to reinterpret the past while exploring darker themes. The entire collection was bought by Isabella Blow, a key figure in the fashion establishment, who introduced him to a new world of artists, aristocrats, and actors. She said of the collection: «The pieces were moving in a way I haven’t seen before. The perfect combination».
In 1992, he founded his own label, Alexander McQueen.
His ready-to-wear collection for A/W 1993 paid homage to the 1982 film Blade Runner, with models styled like the iconic android Rachel, whose wardrobe was linked to 1940s fashion through designer Charles Knode. None of these references aligned with Givenchy’s style, associated with Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961).
McQueen did not follow a conventional path to becoming a fashion designer. He left school at 16 and trained for four years on Savile Row, learning the tools of tailoring. He then worked as a cutter for several brands before completing his MA at Central Saint Martins.
As major fashion houses began hiring rebellious talents, McQueen was appointed at Givenchy Haute Couture, founded in 1951 by Hubert de Givenchy. From 1996 to 2001, he worked for a brand whose style differed from his own, succeeding John Galliano. His initial contract was worth £1 million over two years, which allowed him to finance his own label: «The money was good. It let me pay my own workers», he said. However, his first show at Givenchy was not a success.
While the McQueen label was awarded Designer of the Year by the British Fashion Council for a second time in 1997, his work at Givenchy failed to resonate with the brand’s buyers.
By 2000, McQueen had produced nearly 30 collections in just three years. However, Givenchy’s designs, becoming increasingly wearable, were not selling.
In December 2000, the Gucci Group acquired 51% of McQueen’s company, where he remained as creative director.
Alexander McQueen reinvented the role of women in contemporary society as a true visionary. What made him unique was his exceptional tailoring skill, which allowed his ideas to take three-dimensional form rather than remain mere dreams.
Text by Y.Muriel
Unfortunately, you can’t teach talent but you can teach to be more professional or to do better (Alexander McQueen).
If you play safe, you can’t go so far (Alexander McQueen).
I don’t care if you love it, I just want you feel something (Alexander McQueen).
You can learn more about him in these websites:
BBC Documentary ‘The Works’ – Alexander McQueen ‘Cutting Up Rough’ 1997 (Full)
Paris Mode January 2004 – Alexander McQueen
Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty – Gallery Views 2011
Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty
Alexander McQueen Interview on Charlie Rose
https://charlierose.com/videos/8652
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