NEW ALEXANDER MCQUEEN - OFFICAL ANTHOLOGY BOOK IS NOW ON AMAZON
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN: RENEGADES OF FASHION
by Charlie O'Brien
400 page illustrated book.
$20 Ebook,
$80 Soft cover book,
$120 Hard cover
WRITTEN BY Charlie O'Brien and Paul G Roberts
FILM EDITOR Alyssa Newberry
EDITOR By Jess Bregenhoj
One only needed to look at the nature of Alexander McQueen’s work - the inherent violence and melancholy in every piece - to see there was a deep and permeable wound at the core of the young designer. He put everything into his work including it is said, “his dreams, nightmares and fears”.
The renegade of British Fashion, the late Alexander McQueen was more than a designer, he was and still remains a major figure in British culture, redefining the rule book with his youthful succession and a body of work that were more avant-garde forms of art than works of fashion. McQueen defied his East End beginnings, rising to the annals of fashion history by taking his place at the head of Givenchy at just 27 years of age. For years to come, his string of groundbreaking shows for both the French powerhouse and his own eponymous label, revealed the relentlessness of his imagination and an undeniable talent that took critics by surprise. From his first collection paid for in dole money all the way to his multi million dollar empire, it was clear people were interested in whatever he was selling, even if that was at times controversial. In February of 2010 the rebel designer would shock the world one final time, ending his longstanding battle with depression. Millions mourned the loss of his genius whilst those closest to him recalled the humble man behind the curtain.
Lee Alexander McQueen was born on the 17 March 1969, into the working class suburb of Lewisham, London. The youngest of six children, McQueen tapped into his creative side at an early age. With the encouragement of his mother he began designing dresses for his three sisters. Despite his flourishing creative interior, there was a darkness that Lee would endure throughout his life. At the age of six he began to grapple with his homosexuality, but fully embraced it into adulthood. As McQueen would later joke, he came “straight from his mother’s womb and into the gay pride parade”. At age nine he became the victim of sexual abuse at the hands of a non-blood relative and witnessed first hand physical violence against women.
McQueen’s early collections like “Highland Rape” delved into these dark territories of violence and sadness particularly against women, shocking viewers and attracting much criticism. In the 90’s his name was hard to avoid, the subject of tabloid headlines and underground chatter for his compelling and brazen antics. Starting as an apprentice tailor on Saville Row and progressing to the highly regarded fashion institute Central St Martins. McQueens debut collection in 1992 was bought out in its entirety by non other than Isabella Blow, the then editor of British Vogue and one of the most ostentatious characters, in an industry spilling with the eccentric. For McQueen she represented the powerful and successful women he wanted to dress; and in McQueen, Isabella found a kindred spirit: one whose talent for design was perfectly complimented by a sense of promotion and a keen eye for style. Her love of design extended to unearthing new talent, catapulting the career of McQueen alongside other contemporaries from milliner Phillip Treacy to model Sophie Dahl. Generating a close relationship, the two would go on to become an inseparable artist and muse combination of the high fashion industry, only to be destroyed by it from within.
RENEGADES OF FASHION - NEW 11 PART NETFLIX FEATURE FILM SERIES
CREATED BY PAUL G ROBERTS
See more in this Series at fashionindustrybroadcast.com, sign up and see all the latest episodes as they land. Also please Subscribe to our KZfaq Channel by ticking the red box, bottom right.
To the casual outsider the Fashion Industry can appear to be a cauldron of creativity with endless innovation and risk taking, as every new season designers have to forget their past successes and milestones and return alone to a blank canvas, to create their next collection, and this cycle repeats itself every 6 months. Granted there are principles, codes, legends and motifs that inform a designer’s agency, but essentially it’s starting over.
Even if you hold only the most casual interest in the world of fashion, it’s hard to deny the fascinating life stories of every person we have chosen to showcase in this Series.
Starring:
REI KAWAKUBO
HEDI SLIMANE
KENZO TAKADA
ISSEY MIYAKE
JEREMY SCOTT
VIVIENNE WESTWOOD
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN
RICK OWENS
JOHN GALLIANO
MALCOLM MCLAREN