As of last March, McQueen has been missed for eleven years now. A great mind with an unusual sensitivity, Alexander McQueen was, without a doubt, one of the most memorable designers of all times. Uniting art and fashion, he made his audience feel through his collections. It was highly visible that his designs were cathartic and even more so autobiographical.
Lee Alexander McQueen grew up in a family of six in East End, an area of London home to poverty and disease. His father was a taxicab driver and his mother a social studies teacher and genealogist. He started building experience as a tailor for London's Anderson & Sheppard after leaving school at the age of 16. He worked for Japanese designer Koji Tasuno in London and Romeo Gigli in Italy before enrolling at Central Saint Martins in 1990, an institution which was to proudly carry his name later on.
His breakthrough was marked by his introduction of the "bumster" trousers (shown below) in 1992. Daring to say the least, these pants are part of his legacy and perfectly reflect his rebellious nature. They can either be seen as a vulgar message to society or as a clever ruse to elongate one's torso and to show, according to McQueen, the most erotic part of the body. Three years later, McQueen drives scandal again with his collection titled Highland Rape in which models walked the runway and posed in a distraught manner, with torn and slashed clothes and a very much haunted air. Contrary to common belief, namely that it depicted women having been raped, the collection was a historical reference to England's rape of Scotland, the Jacobite risings of the eighteenth century and the Highland Clearances of the nineteenth century.
McQueen was thus easily recognisable for his provocation which led him to be named 'l'enfant terrible' or "the hooligan of English Fashion" but even more so through his unique theatrical take on fashion. As each of his shows ended dramatically, from a glass box shattering to a million pieces to models embodying Jeanne d'Arc encircled by fire, I chose to only explore three of his shows which share technology as a common aspect.
Indeed, not only did the designer express a new vision for fashion, he also contributed to the industry through his innovative use of technology which inspired many today to explore fashion and technology. As early as 1998, McQueen wasn't afraid to experience with technology. In the Spring Summer 1999 collection's finale, No. 13, he staged Shalom Harlow dancing on a rotating wooden platform in a strapless white cotton dress with a belt as a halter getting spray-painted by two robots. The concept was derived from Rebecca Horn's High Moon installation (1991).The result is terrifyingly beautiful as it offers a meditation on nature versus machine, a recurring theme the designer evokes in his work.
As a sidetone, it is in this very same show that he cast athlete Aimee Mullins who had her legs amputated as a child, meaning he was one of the first designers to encourage model diversity. In fact, Mullins opened the show with a pair of custom-made Baroque-style wooden legs designed by McQueen and craftsman Bob Watts.
In his Ready to Wear Fall/ Winter 2006 collection, McQueen went a step further by showcasing Kate Moss's hologram along the Schindler's List's soundtrack to create yet another dramatic and emotional finale (you might have recognised it from our website's background!). Moss appeared absolutely ethereal as she floated in a giant glass pyramid, which, invisible to the audience, created the perfect illusion she truly was present.
McQueen's last finished collection, Plato's Atlantis (2010), named in direct reference to the Greek philosopher's legendary island that sank into the sea, introduced the idea of a post-apocalyptic world in which the human race is living underwater. Plato's Atlantis also alluded to sci-fi and fantasy films throughout this collection, including Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979), James Cameron’s The Abyss (1989) and John McTiernan’s Predator (1987). The show was revolutionary in many ways. First of all, the dresses were digitally printed and layered with photographic images of different reptile skins. The shoes were also 3D printed and made out of a special resin. One of these abnormal pair of heels titled 'Alien' was directly inspired by the artwork of H.R Tiger who worked on the special effects team of Alien. Thanks to robot-mounted cameras that ran on a track up and down the runway, this show was the first fashion show to be streamlined. In an effort to democratise fashion, McQueen had come up with the idea of making it more accessible via, back then, the brand new Internet.
Using technology both for performative and technical purposes, McQueen broke the boundaries of traditional runway performances and the way garments could be conceived.
McQueen's exceptional sensitivity to the world led him to produce emotional shows and successfully create a narrative through clothes but this very same 'gift' also took the best of him. On February 11th of 2010, the designer took his life at the young age of 40 years old, leaving many deeply affected by such a drastic decision.
Sarah Burton who has taken over the house since his sudden departure couldn't explain the mark he left on the fashion sphere better, one of unique artistic expression: "He wanted to move people. Like he always said, whether you liked it or hated it, he really wanted you to feel something."
For those of you interested in learning more, McQueen & I (2011) and McQueen (2018) should do the trick!
Louise Wuyts
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