The Passing of a Fashion Icon: Alexander McQueen

British fashion designer Alexander McQueen got his start in the not-so-glamorous East London, creating dresses for his older sisters. Years later, the man who once lived in a government sponsored council block was designing suits for Prince Charles.

On February 11th, 2010, McQueen was found dead in his home, an apparent suicide. Coming a week after his mother’s death, the suicide gave pause to the fashion world. Three years previous, McQueen’s close friend Isabella Blow committed suicide. McQueen was thought to have been in a deep depression following the death of his mother, and still haunted by the suicide of Blow.

A fashion rebel, McQueen had long been known for his out of the ordinary tactics. In addition to naming a collection “Highland Rape,” a direct critic against the annexation of Scotland, he had used a double-amputee model with carved wooden legs for shock value and once called the founder of his employing company, Givenchy, irrelevant.

Despite his controversial techniques, McQueen was phenomenally successful. Between 1996-2003, he won British Designer of the Year four times. At age 27, he was appointed head designer of Givenchy. Through his partnership with Gucci, McQueen has boutiques throughout the world, including, in New York, Los Angeles, Milan, and Las Vegas. Celebrities from Rihanna to Nicole Kidman frequently went to McQueen for designs, while avant-garde artist Lady Gaga often worked the designer’s pieces into her videos and performances.

In the wake of McQueen’s death, the fashion world, gearing up for both the London and New York fashion weeks, is shaken. In the words of British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman, “He was the most brilliant designer of his generation and his influence can be seen in the way that women dressed over the last 15 years.” McQueen will be sorely missed, his loss tearing a seam in the center of the world’s fashion community.

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by William Gish
Gloobbi People

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