Alexander McQueen

By Hayden Lu

 

When I think of the brand, Alexander McQueen, I think of exotic shapes and fine detailing, or taking traditional English fashion and turning it into more contemporary pieces of art. Whether on the runway or in the stores, Alexander McQueen will always make us want more. 

 

Alexander McQueen, originally, Lee Alexander McQueen, was born in London, England as the youngest of six siblings. While most designers find their passion for fashion later in their life, McQueen discovered his desire for fashion designing and sewing as early as elementary school. He would always sketch and sew dresses for his three sisters. Eventually, when he was just 16 years old, he dropped out of high school to intern at Anderson and Shepard, and this was one of the most prestigious men’s tailoring shops on Savile Row in London. At the age of 21,  McQueen applied to Central Saint Martins College (CSM), which is located in London. Some other famous designers who have studied at CSM are Stella McCartney, John Galliano, and Zac Posen. Although he wasn’t there to apply as a student, believe it or not, he applied to become a teacher at the school. McQueen requested a meeting with the director of the master’s degree course for fashion, Bobby Hillson. Unfortunately, Hillson informed McQueen right away that he was not allowed to become a teacher as a 21-year-old. This wasn’t too surprising to me because of how young McQueen was. Yet, his extraordinary work still astonished Hillson and she offered him a position to enroll in the Master’s Program of Central Saint Martins College. McQueen took the offer and learned as much as he possibly could. In 1992, he graduated from CSM and received his M.A. in fashion design. Since he had already had various experiences with his tailoring internships, McQueen must have been at the top of his class during school. 

 

Just months after graduating, the founding of Lee Alexander McQueen’s fashion label was launched in the year of 1993. His first-ever collection was called “Taxi Driver”. One of his earlier collections was called “A Locket of Hair”. The pieces in this consisted of clear patches filled with either human or plastic hair sewn onto the lining of the designs. This avant-garde idea was inspired by how prostitutes during the Victorian Era would sell lockets of hair to people who would gift them to their lovers. I think that this was a very interesting topic for McQueen to use because of the disturbing idea of putting pieces of hair inside each of the clothing in his collection.