Fashion, Beyond Clothing: A Story of Alexander McQueen
One thing Alexander did well, was to spike controversy and discussion in the media space with his craft.
Although this might have created a good publicity for his brand, it as well established his thematic approach to fashion.
By: Pius Daniel
Fashion, Beyond Clothing: A Story of Alexander McQueen
For many, fashion is just about clothes, style, and an endless chase of trends,
but this is just a scratch to the surface — fashion is more than that.
It is a language, a different way of expression.
For the likes of Alexander Lee McQueen, the late British designer,
fashion was beyond wears and trends, for him, it would only matter if it created an emotion — good or bad.
Having to see fashion with a different lens is something not everyone can accomplish.
The infamous Alexander McQueen saw fashion as an art, he saw models as actors and bearers of his message and not human mannequin,
his fashion shows were uncommon and instead of it being a mere stage to display clothes,
it turned out to be a theatrical drama, igniting anger, fear, envy and in all, storytelling.
Fashion, Beyond Clothing: A Story of Alexander McQueen
Early Life
The four times British designer of the year and former creative designer for the French brand, (Alexander McQueen | Biography, Designs, & Facts | Britannica )
Givenchy, started out his fashion career in the most regular way any designer would have — apprenticeship.
Born in the year 1969, Lee had his secondary education in Rokeby School for Boys in London, openly admitting his hard time getting on with his studies.
According to Lee, he was “always drawing clothes in every lesson…enjoying art the most”.
His journey into the fashion world started with his apprenticeship in Savile Row at Anderson and Sheppard,
a bespoke tailoring establishment that started in 1906, where he began making jackets.
McQueen was passionate about the art of making clothes and hungry to learn everything,
so, he went on to work with Koji Tatsuno, another bespoke fashion brand in London that digressed from the norm of cloth making.
Koji Tatsuno was well known for experimenting with structures and volumes, always in search of new shapes as regards clothing.
At this point one could argue that it was the time spent with Koji Tatsuno that drove Lee’s experimental behaviour with fashion,
since Tatsuno experimented with different materials to make clothes, irrespective of trends and norm.
During this time, Lee got exposed to the vast nature of fashion,
he would further go on to make clothes out of plastic bags and crafting designs out of tyre-prints.
At the moment Lee got to work with Red or Dead, a streetwear fashion brand, another portal of knowledge opened up to him.
Getting to work on Red or Dead’s Space Baby collection,
the British designer learnt a ton about references and how a subject that is completely different can be an inspiration for a fashion style.
This point of his life taught him how to embrace distinct aspects for fashion inspiration.
We later see this make a significant impact in his future work, seeing that his collections made references to significant stories.
McQueen took his quest further and in a bid to seek knowledge,
he went to Italy, where he worked for Romeo Gigli, an Italian designer.
After some time with Gigli, he went back to London to be a student at the St. Martins School of Art, where he learnt fashion designing, graduating in the year 1992.
It was this year Alexander McQueen started his brand, having his first fashion show in London.
Fashion, Beyond Clothing: A Story of Alexander McQueen
McQueen’s Career
Lee’s first ever fashion show was on the 16th of March, 1992.
This show, called ‘Jack The Ripper Stalks His Victims’, had a theme that was a good mix of modern and classical.
For some, it was just a fashion show, but for the rest, it was more than that.
It was this exhibition that made Isabella Blow, a popular writer and editor, discover him (she went on to buy all the garments exhibited in the show).
Falling in love with his idea of fashion, seeing how Lee could make fashion come alive, she felt he was a genius.
According to her, Lee’s ‘Jack The Ripper Stalks His Victims’ was about sabotage and tradition which was a perfect combination.
Lee’s collections were known to represent something,
and Isabella Blow, at the time, thought this collection greatly represented beauty and violence,
which was all about the 90’s. She and Lee later grew to become closest friends.
McQueen was out there to create an illusion, he was different, not subscribing to the regular flowery meaning of clothes.
Although he saw clothes to be a beauty, he saw it more as a reality outside, showing stories and situations using clothes.
Lee was all about making an impact with clothes,
every show was geared towards creating an emotion for his audience,
either through the fabrics, style, models, set design, or performance.
In an interview where he talked about his fashion show, he said,
“If you leave without emotion, then I’m not doing my job properly”.
From the selection of fabrics to the style of exhibition, Alexander was passionate about something — emotion.
One thing Alexander did well was to spike controversy and discussion in the media space with his craft.
Although this might have created a good publicity for his brand, it as well established his thematic approach to fashion.
An unforgettable moment he really pushed a button in every fashion enthusiast and got everyone talking, was his ‘Highland Rape’ fashion show.
Speaking of emotions, Lee struck a chord, one of anger, and judgement.
On the 12th of March, 1995,
Alexander, who believed to be a descendant of the Jacobites in Scotland, had another fashion show titled ‘The Highland Rape’.
This show was one that sparked serious controversy in the media space.
It reflected the plight of the Scottish people during the war between the English,
which he believes the English raped tons of women and wiped-out clans.
The show had collections that were not easy to look at,
resembling garments from a crime scene, and every model that walked the runway was nothing but a rape victim.
He had some of them wear clothes that were cut in places to reveal certain body parts that were sensitive and associated to sexual harassment.
It is obvious that after such a show will come a load of backlash.
McQueen was on several headlines, and discussion as regards his stance about women was raised.
Although ‘The Highland Rape’ made the media paint him to be a misogynist,
no one could deny that he did a perfect job in creating an emotion for his audience, whether good or bad.
He had infused reality into fashion, establishing the idea of rape with his show —
“a man takes from a woman, the woman is not giving it”.
But while a majority of the press saw this as an insult to feminism,
McQueen explains that his message was to show how strong the feminine character could be amidst the harassment.
It was also revealing that his shows and perception towards fashion had autobiographical elements.
Fashion, Beyond Clothing: A Story of Alexander McQueen
Having been subjected to seeing his older sister abused by her husband,
Lee must have been propelled to reveal what abuse looked like on women,
and that was what ‘The Highland Rape’ achieved.
With the various shows Alexander Lee McQueen had put together during his time alive,
one that really stood out for me was the Voss show.
In this he recreated Joel-Peter Witkin’s famous incubus image.
Although this show was to have a theme of rebirth, life and death,
the Joel-Peter Witkin’s incubus image was a reflection of what he was going through in his sexual life, then.
From the padded cell, to the box and then the bandaged head of the models, Lee went really far to express himself in this show.
It is no doubt that in an artist’s work, you find a piece of the artist.
Alexander McQueen was no different,
after the passing of his dear friend, Isabella Blow, he had a hard time getting over it and this reflected in the shows he put out.
First, it was the ‘La Dame Bleue’ show which was dedicated to his late friend, Isabella, this had every idea of her,
she was known for her bold choice of style, even down to her lipsticks.
La Dame Bleue, revisited Isabella’s choice of fashion, from the head gear to the styling,
every piece on the runway reflected garments Isabella could wear, garments that left bold statements.
With the passing of Isabella, Lee found himself in a dark place.
Nurturing an anger with the world, he put out the ‘Horn Of Plenty’ show.
This was horrific, and it was like sitting in the midst of a horror movie.
The show stirred up concerns about Lee’s current state of mind and mental wellbeing.
It was less of a fashion show, but more of a display of his grief.
It was only a matter of time before Lee lost his mother, this was another major setback for the designer.
Initially, having a hard time dealing with his mother’s sickness,
and the idea that he might lose her, Lee’s last collection was birthed, ‘Plato’s Atlantis’.
This collection was also about rebirth.
A show of serenity, as though an answer to his troubling mind has been handed over to him.
The collection spoke for itself, having designs from prints that were inspired by fish scales and aquatic life in general.
It had an aura that spoke of peace and calm.
Little did anyone know that after the death of his mother he was going in search of this peace and calm.
Alexander Lee McQueen, may have had a story that ended terribly, committing suicide on the eve of his mother’s funeral, he had successfully left an indelible mark in the world of fashion.
Throughout his career Lee devoted his time to not just making outfits,
but creating a bridge between emotion and fashion.
He has revealed fashion as an entity with so many possibilities,
as a pile of stories and when examined carefully, anyone can pick up traces of the designer’s life.
Also Read: Fashion Freedom – Diademng
Fashion, Beyond Clothing: A Story of Alexander McQueen
