(Lee) Alexander McQueen
Alexander McQueen was a world renowned Fashion Designer, whose exceptional originality and vivid designs won him the British Designer of the Year award four times. McQueen worked as the head designer at Givinchy for five years prior to founding the Alexander McQueen and McQ labels, and was a favorite of such celebrities as Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Sarah Jessica Parker, Bjork, Lady Gaga, Rhianna and Ayumi Hamasaki.
He was born the youngest of six children to Scottish Taxi Driver Ronald and Social Science Teacher Joyce, and grew up in a council flat in Stratford, London. After making dresses for his sisters from a young age, he left Rokeby School at age 16 and began following his dream of becoming a Fashion Designer, starting with an apprenticeship at Anderson & Sheppard. He moved on to Gives & Hawkes before later joining Angels and Bermans.
He then travelled to Milan, Italy to work for Romeo Gigli at age 20, returning to London in 1994, where he studied for his Masters Degree in Fashion Design at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. His entire graduation collection was bought by Fashion Icon, Isabella Blow.
Alexander gained notoriety during his early runway collections, earning him labels such as “l’enfant terrible’ and the ‘hooligan of English Fashion’. His unconventional and fabulous runway shows included a recreation of a shipwreck for his Spring 2003 collection, a human chess game for Spring 2005 and the life-sized hologram of supermodel Kate Mosses dressed in yards of rippling fabric in his “Widows of Culloden” collection of Fall 2006.
His “bumsters’ revived the low rise jean in 1996, and McQueen was also known for incorporating skulls in his designs. With his innovative and capturing shows, he wowed, shocked and surprised his audience. He was also one of the first designers to use Indian models in London.
Alexander McQueen declared he realized he was homosexual when just six years old. He came out to his family at age 18, and after a difficult period, his family accepted his sexual orientation. He was unofficially married to George Forsyth in 2000, however the relationship ended one year later with the two men remaining close friends.
Alexander enjoyed scuba diving, and incorporated his passion into his collections, including his Spring 2010 “Plato’s Atlantis”.