|
|
Alexander McQueen: The Best Among The Best
By: Boyd Davis
Photo below: Alexander McQueen on the runway Spring 2007
Photo by Giovanni Pucci)
Alexander McQueen was born Lee McQueen at London's East End, but he changed his name to
Alexander when he launched his fashion career. He apprenticed at Saville Row at 16, worked for
Koji Tatsuno and Romeo Gigli before he launched his own label in 1992.
In 1996, McQueen was hired by LVMH's Bernard Arnault to head the design team at Givenchy. It caused quite a stir
in Paris where Hubert de Givenchy was considered a royalty in French design. The Paris press
considered McQueen a "commoner."
Questions about McQueen's talents and qualifications
were silenced after he dazzled Paris with his exquisite tailoring skills and hard-edged street
style.
In 2001, the designer left Givenchy and with Gucci's backing, he relaunched his own label
"Alexander McQueen." He opened his first stand-alone store in New York in Sep 2002.
Alexander McQueen is a fashion innovator and likes pushing things to the edge. He questions
the accepted concept of fashion and beauty, and his runway shows reflect that.
Some call it
shock tactics, some just call it radical ideas. In one of his couture shows, he used clear
mannequins lit from the inside to show the clothes instead of using runway models. The
mannequins were mounted in movable floors and their appearance on the stage was choreographed,
giving a feeling of movement.
McQueen also use the runway for political statements, such as his
"Highland Rape" show that scandalized London.
He was also accussed of being a "voyeur" due
to his 1998 show where he used a disabled model striding down the catwalk with an intricately
carved wooden leg.
Because of these radical ideas, Alexander McQueen has been nicknamed "enfant terrible"
by the press. Enfat terrible or not, no one can deny McQueen's genius! He has won the British
Designer of the Year Award three times.
News about Alexander McQueen:
Nov 8, 2005:Alexander McQueen Set To Be The New Denim King With ‘McQ
May 31, 2005: Alexander McQueen To Design Trainers for Puma
Dec 28, 2004: Top Ten Menswear Designers for 2004
Aug 9, 2004: Trendspotting: A Revolutionary Season for Menswear in Milan
Apr 12, 2004: Alexander McQueen For American Express
Sep 27, 2003: The Lycra® British Style Awards 2003
Jul 2, 2003: Gucci Revenue Falls for 1Q, Alexander McQueen & Stella McCartney Soften Blow
Apr 1, 2003: Mass Communication of Fashion
Mar 19, 2003: Trendspotting: Legs, Pop Culture & Ethnicity
Oct 29, 2002: McQueen's Movie-Like Opening
Sep 9, 2002: McQueen Set to Take Over YSL Space on Milan's Via Verri
Aug 1, 2002: McQueen's New Emporium
Mar 12, 2002: Alexander McQueen Hooks up With Huntsman for Bespoke Men's Line
Nov 21, 2001: New CEO For Alexander McQueen
Nov 13, 2001: McQueen to Open First US Store in New York's Meatpacking District
Nov 5, 2001: Alexander McQueen Makes it Onto UK Rich List
Oct 20, 2001: Radical Fashion Exhibition
Sep 7, 2001: Fashionable Gold Cards By Alexander McQueen
June 13, 2001: YSL Beaute Secures Alexander McQueen Perfume License
Click on image to read the review and view the collection.
|
|
See Alexander McQueen Runway Shows:
Spring 2008
Menswear Spring 2008
Fall 2007
Menswear Fall 2007
Spring 2007
Menswear Spring 2007
Fall 2006
Menswear Fall 2006
Spring 2006
Menswear Spring 2006
Fall 2005
Menswear Fall 2005
Spring 2005
Menswear Spring 2005
Fall 2004
Fall 2003
Spring 2003
Fall 2002
Spring 2002
Fall 2001
College : St. Martin's
Company Began: 1992
Website: www.alexandermcqueen.com
Address:
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN HEAD OFFICE
10 Amwell Street
London EC1R 1UQ
United Kingdom
T: +44 20 7278 4333
F: +44 20 7278 3828
ALEXANDER McQUEEN PARIS
6 rue de Braque
75003 Paris
France
Press Contacts for
ALEXANDER McQUEEN:
Worldwide
Amie Witton
Worldwide PR Director
T: +44 20 7278 4333
F: +44 20 7278 3828
UK/USA
Eirini Tigkaraki
Senior Press Officer
T: +44 20 7278 4333
F: +44 20 7278 3828
EUROPE/ASIA
Myriam Coudoux
Senior Press Officer
T: +44 20 7278 4333
F: +44 20 7278 3828
USA PRESS - KCD
Kerry Youmans
Senior Publicist
T: 212 590 51 00
F: 212 590 51 01
USA PRESS - KCD
Meghan Wood
Publicist
T: 212 590 51 00
F: 212 590 51 01
FRANCE/ITALY PRESS - KCD
Rod Manley
Senior Publicist
T: +33 1 49 96 20 70
F: +33 1 49 96 20 71
Buyers Contact for
ALEXANDER McQUEEN:
COMMERCIAL OFFICE WORLDWIDE
Antonella Dal Piaz
Wholesale Director
T: +44 20 7278 4333
F: +44 20 7843 9341
EUROPE
Barbara Locatelli
Northern Europe and Asia Account Manager
T: +44 20 7278 4333
F: +44 20 7843 9341
EUROPE
Giovanni Paoletti
Southern Europe Account Manager
T: +44 20 7278 4333
F: +44 20 7843 9341
EUROPE
Karen Ishak
Account Manager
T: +44 20 7278 4333
F: +44 20 7843 9341
USA
Aida Khoursheed
Vice President of Wholesale Americas
T: 212 750 55 20
F: 212 379 86 48
|
