McQueen, Alexander (1969-2010), was a British fashion designer . He became a major influence in the fashion industry because of his theatrical fashion shows, his imaginative designs, and the high quality of the garments he created. McQueen’s work served as inspiration to many designers. Today, Alexander McQueen is a luxury fashion business owned by The Gucci Group, a multinational luxury goods conglomerate. A conglomerate is a large corporation that controls or owns a number of companies.
Lee Alexander McQueen was born on March 17, 1969, in London , England. He became interested in fashion design at a young age. He studied art in secondary school (high school). He learned tailoring during an apprenticeship on Savile Row, the area of London known for men’s custom tailoring. McQueen applied his exceptional talents as a tailor to women’s garments.
After his apprenticeship, McQueen attended Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. He received a master’s degree in fashion design there in 1992. Isabella Blow, a British fashion icon and stylist, purchased every garment in his graduation collection. Blow was an editor at the magazine British Vogue at the time. She became McQueen’s mentor and had a significant influence on his developing career. McQueen established a luxury fashion business under his own name in 1992 in London. The business became known for the lavish, controversial, and extraordinarily theatrical runway presentations of his designs. One of the trend-setting designs he produced was the low-rise trousers he called “bumsters,” which were first shown in 1995.
In 1996, McQueen was hired by LVMH (Moët Hennessy-Louis Vuitton), a luxury retailer, to be the head designer at Givenchy design house in Paris . In 2000, The Gucci Group purchased McQueen’s own fashion label. McQueen continued to work for Givenchy as well until 2001. He won four British Designer of the Year awards, in 1996, 1997, 2001, and 2003. In 2003, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. This honor, issued by the Queen of the United Kingdom, recognizes distinguished service to the arts and sciences, public services, and charitable organizations.
In 2008, McQueen dedicated his spring/summer line to Blow, whose suicide a year earlier strongly affected him. McQueen took his own life on Feb. 11, 2010, the day before his mother’s funeral. His close associate, British designer Sarah Burton, became the creative director for his design house after McQueen’s death.
