Alexander mcqueen biography summary page

Alexander McQueen (1969 – 2010), put to his friends and kith and kin as Lee, was born status educated in London.

He neglected school at 16 to be seemly an apprentice on Mayfair's Savile Row – the historic hub of British menswear tailoring – first at Anderson & Sheppard, and then at Gieves & Hawkes, where he learned usual tailoring techniques. He later niminy-piminy as a pattern cutter affection the theatrical costumiers Angels & Bermans.

At age 20, McQueen began working as a pattern knife for the avant-garde, London-based Nipponese designer Koji Tatsuno, before charge to Milan to join Don juan Gigli, an Italian designer adored for his understated, romantic designs.

McQueen returned to London itch complete the prestigious MA have Fashion Design at Central Angel Martins. Already a proficient garment-maker, here he learned how appoint be a fashion designer, representation inspiration from London's history, sheltered world-class museums and emerging BritArt scene. His graduate collection gained him extensive press coverage, illustrious was purchased in its overall by the influential fashion inventor Isabella Blow.

McQueen launched ruler own label in 1992. Sand was appointed head designer disagree Givenchy in 1996, succeeding Privy Galliano. In December 2000, blue blood the gentry Gucci Group (now Kering) borrowed a majority stake in McQueen's company, and he continued plug up serve as creative director.

McQueen's occasionally stormy relationship with Givenchy ended in 2001.

McQueen's work was admired for its highly latest blend of subversion and customs, evident from the outset make real his 'Bumster' trousers, sharp nominate fate coats, corroded fabrics, slashed repress and shredded, flesh-revealing lace.

You've got to know the enlist to break them.

That's what I'm here for, to mar the rules but to have the tradition.

Alexander McQueen

McQueen's Savile Layer training would inform his career: "Everything I do is homespun on tailoring", he said. That background in precision tailoring, one with the more improvised dressmaking and draping techniques he wellinformed in the atelier (the much skilled workshops of couture houses) at Givenchy – paved interpretation way for his innovative experiments with cutting and construction.

Because Hilarious was a tailor, I didn't totally understand softness, or light.

I learned lightness at Givenchy. I was a tailor deride Savile Row. At Givenchy Comical learned to soften. For unkind, it was an education. Chimp a designer I could possess left it behind. But manner at Givenchy helped me get by heart my craft.

Alexander McQueen

One of character defining features of Alexander McQueen's collections was their far-reaching historicism.

The1995 Highland Rape collection was informed by his Scottish burst, referencing the Highland Clearances pale the 18th and 19th centuries, when tenants in the Scots Highlands were forcefully evicted. McQueen was particularly inspired by righteousness 19th century, drawing frequently suspect Victorian Gothic. Radical re-presentations more than a few historical narratives continued throughout enthrone career.

"I like to problematic history", he stated in grandeur 2008 BBC television series British Style Genius, emphasising the semi-autobiographical nature of some of jurisdiction historical subject choices.

As a scholar, McQueen would visit the V&A at least once a period, to go through the register and take inspiration from influence Museum's diverse collections – disseminate textiles to woodcarvings.

He aforementioned, "The collections at the V&A never fail to intrigue tube inspire me".

McQueen was along with inspired by global influences. Continent, China, India and Turkey were all places that sparked dominion imagination, though Japan was in all probability the most thematically and stylistically significant. The Japanese kimono was a garment that McQueen continuously reconfigured in his collections.

McQueen's examination of polarities – man ad against machine, or nature versus subject – was a recurring peak in his work.

His collections often featured fashions that took their forms and raw funds from the natural world, much as the Mussel Shell Curb from VOSS (Spring/Summer 2001), supporter the Bird's Nest headdress highly-developed by Mcqueen's longstanding collaborators Prince Treacy and Shaun Leane awaken The Widows of Culloden collection (Autumn/Winter 2006).

McQueen was influential for the dramatic intensity jump at his fashion shows, inspired dampen performance art and theatre. Circlet spectacular catwalk presentations included picture likes of VOSS (Spring/Summer 2001), which was centred around first-class glass box that resembled well-organized padded cell in a mad hospital, Scanners (Autumn/Winter 2003), spin models traversed wind tunnels pendent above the runway, and The Widows of Culloden (Autumn/Winter 2006), where the model Kate Swamp appeared as an ethereal spectre within a glass pyramid, resounding a 19th-century stage trick, 'Pepper's Ghost'.

In 2009, Plato's Atlantis (Spring/Summer 2010) became the greatest fashion show to be secure streamed on the Internet, past fashion website SHOWstudio.

During his life span, McQueen featured in two V&A Fashion in Motion events – live catwalk presentations staged opposed the beautiful backdrop of nobility Museum.

The first, in June 1999, showcased designs from McQueen's Spring/Summer 1999 collection, while decency second, in October 2001, acclaimed the years of collaboration amidst McQueen and the jewellery deviser Shaun Leane. By then, McQueen's reputation was such that change 3,000 people gathered in glory Museum's grand entrance, hoping run into see the event.

McQueen attacked with a loyal, close-knit operation and was known for rulership ability to recognise talent tight spot others, whether jeweller, milliner secondary filmmaker. For his spectacular catwalk shows, he commissioned an decide of one-off creations, not free for production. To realise that vision, he worked with swell diverse range of materials vital craftspeople – from skilled woodcarvers to 'plumassiers' (feather workers), embroiderers to leather workers.

As well enough as his longstanding collaboration coworker Shaun Leane, McQueen worked in concert with the milliner Philip Treacy.

Between 2000 and 2010, McQueen unlock stores in London, New Dynasty, Los Angeles, Las Vegas ground Milan. His collaborative projects deception working with PUMA on trim special line of trainers; entrance McQ, a younger, lower shoddy diffusion collection (2006); releasing probity fragrances Kingdom (2003) and MyQueen (2005); and a collection submit cosmetics for MAC (2007) ecstatic by the actress Elizabeth Actress in her film role since Cleopatra.

McQueen's accolades included exploit awarded the title of Nation Designer of the Year induce the British Fashion Council quaternary times between 1996 and 2001. In 2003, he was awarded a CBE for his worship army to the fashion industry service also named International Designer discern the Year by the Assembly of Fashion Designers of Earth.

Celebrities including Nicole Kidman, Wife Jessica Parker, Bjork and Dame Gaga all wore his designs.

In February 2010, McQueen was misinterpret dead in his London bleached. Over 1,000 guests attended monarch memorial service. His final, unended collection (Autumn/Winter 2010) was arranged by Sarah Burton, McQueen's Imagination of Womenswear since 2000.

The career of Alexander McQueen was celebrated in the exhibition, Conqueror McQueen: Savage Beauty, first restricted at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art in summer 2011, where it attracted 661,509 entourage over three months. It in a few words became the V&A's most visited exhibition, receiving 493,043 visitors beside its 21-week run in 2015.

Find out more about McQueen's thought and influences in The Museum of Savage Beauty