“Fashion should be a form of escapism, and not a form of imprisonment.” - Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen was young designer that got his start working as a tailor in London’s famous Saville Row. At the age of 20 McQueen already had many clients including Prince Charles and Mikael Gorbachev. He returned to college after his time working as a tailor and used legendary stylist and friend, Isabella Blow, as inspiration for his final collection. It was Blow that persuaded McQueen, formally known as Lee, to go by his middle name, Alexander. As his popularity grew McQueen became well-known among the London fashion scene, earning the name L’enfant Terrible for his daring designs often inspired by the more macabre aspects of culture and art. It was McQueen’s expert skill in dressmaking and tailoring partnered with his unique aesthetic that gained him the position of creative director at Givenchy from 1997 to 2001 but he later described his time at the legendary fashion house as “too restrictive” and went on to concentrate on his solo line. In 2011 The Met curated an exhibit of McQueen’s vintage couture pieces called Savage Beauty that ended up becoming the most popular fashion exhibit of all time. The exhibit continues to be shown in other cities due to the demand to see McQueen’s hauntingly beautiful art.