Genius, hooligan and revolutionary: 6 of the most scandalous ideas and provocative moments in Alexander McQueen’s career

Exactly 13 years ago, on February 11, 2010, the fashion industry lost one of the most talented designers of our time. A genius who is not afraid to challenge the whole world. A revolutionary who believed in his ideas from the very beginning. And finally, a bully who always remains himself. His name is Lee Alexander McQueen and his work has gone down in history forever.

McQueen has been called an extraordinary person with an extraordinary vision. What he did was at the intersection of sabotage and tradition. The designer was often told, “This is impossible,” and he replied, “No, it’s not.” And I did. He said that in the 90s, even after his death, he dreamed of creating such a silhouette so that people would know that the 21st century began with him. And so it happened.

Lee created silhouettes that were sexy and provocative, found performances that were bright and shocking, and turned each of his performances into a 15-minute theatrical performance whose end was always unpredictable. Impromptu rain, flames around the model, a hologram of Kate Moss. All this is just a small part of what Alexander McQueen accomplished in his time. Today, on the occasion of the 13th anniversary of the death of a genius, we invite you to dive into his crazy world and recall six of the most scandalous, provocative and revolutionary moments in his career.

“Jack the Ripper hunts down his victims”

“I see beauty in everything that most ordinary people see ugly”

That was the name of Alexander McQueen’s graduation collection, which he displayed within the walls of the legendary Central Saint Martin’s College in 1992. The novice designer was inspired by the story of Jack the Ripper, the main serial killer of the late 19th century. By the way, this topic was not chosen by chance. Studying his family tree, McQueen learned that his distant relative owned a hotel where the murderer committed one of the crimes.

Jack the Ripper’s victims were prostitutes, so the paintings in the McQueen collection referenced their traditional costumes. And instead of labels, things were “decorated” with strands of plastic-enclosed hair. And this is another tribute to the Victorian era, or rather to prostitutes. At that time, many girls of easy virtue cut and sold their hair to somehow earn some money.

Meanwhile, references to historical costumes are quite frequent in McQueen’s collections. And all thanks to the experience of working in the theater workshop of Bermans & Nathans, where he mastered six methods of cutting according to the original patterns of the 16th century.

embroidered messages

It was known at the very beginning of his career that Alexander McQueen was a bully and a joker. And here are some facts that prove it. Lee worked for Italian designer Roberto Gili a few years before he studied at Central Saint Martin’s and had a dizzying period, and he later told the world a fun story about having McQueen re-stitched his jacket several times. As a result, McQueen couldn’t stand it, and after the third edit he sewed a note to the liner: “Fuck you Roberto!”

More or less the same thing happened when the designer worked on Savile Row and sewed a suit for Prince Charles. Legend has it that McQueen wrote “I’m C***” (“I’m not a very good person” to put it mildly) on the inside lining of his jacket with a felt-tip pen, proving once again what his favorite is. self-expression is provocation.

highland rape

“Scotland is a harsh, cold and bitter place for me. I hate when people romanticize it. There is nothing romantic in Scottish history.”

Industry experts are not exaggerating when they say that history can be learned from the Alexander McQueen collections. The references chosen were so complex that some were difficult to decipher without outside help. Consider, for example, the famous Highland Rape collection, which sparked a barrage of criticism from the public. The designer was accused of romanticizing violence and abusing sexual innuendo, and was also called a misogynist. But the message was much deeper. Through torn dresses, matted hair, and the pale faces of the models, she wanted to show that Scotland was raped by England.

In general, the theme of violence runs like a red thread in all the work of the designer. Many even believe that McQueen used fashion as a metaphor to analyze and then visualize his own problems.

“This is a ****”

We are sure that everyone has guessed what is hidden behind the four stars in the title. It was with this comprehensive word that Alexander McQueen defined his first collection at Givenchy. But the scandals did not end there. During an interview, a journalist asked McQueen what aspect of Hubert de Givenchy’s talent he values ​​most, and McQueen replied, “What talent?”

Anonymous

This name was given to another iconic collection by Alexander McQueen. Although initially the designer decided on the provocative Golden Shower (“Golden Rain”). However, the title had to be changed because the show was partially funded by American Express. But fortunately the guests understood everything. Models took the podium in the torrential rain illuminated by yellow spots. Rebel, no less!

ahead of the planet

In 1998, Alexander McQueen ushered in a new fashion era that has since gone hand in hand with technology. This, of course, is about the cult show under the mysterious name “No. 13”. Then former ballerina Shalom Harlow stepped onto the runway in a white dress and two robots sprayed paint on her. It turned out to be an incredibly beautiful dance of art and technology.

But Alexander McQueen decided not to stop there and in 2009 showed the world the legendary Plato’s Atlantis collection. Really. Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2010 was the first online fashion show in fashion history.

Interest in what happened was also fueled by Lady Gaga, who announced on Twitter that her new track (Bad Romance) would premiere at the show. There were so many people (ie 6 million people) who wanted to listen to the singer’s debut that the site could not stand the load and crashed.

But that’s not all. Remember when we said that behind every collection of a designer there is something big? This time, McQueen was inspired by the ancient Greek myth of Atlantis in Plato’s works. The designer believed that the fate of the legendary island could be repeated by the existing continents if the glaciers melted and the ocean level rose as a result of global warming. Reflections led McQueen to create sequin and feather dresses, crazy Armadillo ankle boots, and fancy hairstyles reaching 60 centimeters high.