Alexander McQueen: biography, photo, cause of death

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:46

Phrase. Then darkness. Darkness, where strange shadows and bizarre figures are visible. Then comes an eerie and mystical sound. The play of light, emotions run high, and now … strange silhouettes begin to appear from the darkness: hooves on thin legs, horns on their heads. Story? Theatrical performance or horror movie? No - this is the presentation of the best and discussed collection "Plato's Atlantis" by a genius and designer named Lee Alexander McQueen.

Design Genius

Things you have never seen at his shows: transparent hats with swirling moths, shoes where heels replace hooves, and other oddities that can only be called shocking or outrageous.

Custom models, mystical outfits, strange shapes - all this conveys the essence and life of a man with the famous name Alexander McQueen. Photos and collections created by him are the only thing left after him. Gorlopan, hooligan of the fashion world -that's what the public called him.

English fashion bully

The only British designer who creates not just clothes, but real works of art, was Alexander McQueen. The biography of this person should not be considered in the details familiar to us - he was born, studied, worked and died. These are just small facts that will not help to dive into the depths of his personality. Alexander McQueen did not like to give interviews, but if this happened, he demanded non-standard questions from journalists about his work.

All we need to know is that he won the title of the best designer in England 4 times and had a strong emotional connection with his mother. It is impossible to remain silent about the fact that Alexander McQueen had the good fortune to live at a time when the public did not oppress the rights of gay people because he was gay.

After he was 16, he dropped out of school to study tailoring and got a job in a tailor shop. Soon he dresses the elite of that time: the Prince of Wales, Mikhail Gorbachev, etc. But bad manners turned out to be stronger: he wrote obscene words on the prince's jacket with chalk, expressing his hatred of the monarchy, after which he was fired.

After graduating from college, he goes to train in the main countries of the fashion world - Italy and Japan, where he creates his first collections.

He loved to shock the audience with his collections, which made the whole hall shudder. For example, he expressed hunger in Africa through dresses stained with mud and blood.

The fashion industry could notleave such a rebel aside, and already in 1996, after leaving the famous French fashion house John Galliano, Alexander McQueen became an art designer there.

The fees increased every year, he is in demand, famous, fantastic, his ideas were admired, but … a tragedy occurs that shocked everyone.

Love bordering on death

Only this phrase can describe the personal and creative life of the designer. Despite the fact that his shows were shocking, and McQueen himself was closed, his heart was open to two people: a close friend Isabella and his mother. In 2007, tired of constant illness, Isabella decides to commit suicide. This news shocked Alexander. But the main blow was ahead. 3 years after Isabella's death, on February 2, his mother passed away into another world. Upon learning of this, the designer plunged into a state of deep depression. Unfortunately, he never got out of it.

“It is necessary to think about death - this is also part of our life. Yes, she is sad, but at the same time so romantic. The cycle is coming to an end - everything must end,”said Alexander McQueen. Death did not make him wait long and knocked on the door. 10 days after the death of the mother.

February 11, 2010, the fashion world mourned the loss of a great rebel and fantastic designer. Alexander McQueen is dead! The cause of death became known only a week later - asphyxia (suicide by hanging).

Today, near his shop, there are always flowers from loyal fans of talent,who are still loyal to him.

Second wind

Alexander McQueen died a few days before London Fashion Week, and a month later he was due to present his new collection in Paris.

Orphaned after the death of its founder, the McQueen Fashion House is headed by a student of Alexandra, who has been his assistant for many years. She did the almost impossible: she was able to keep the traditional cut of Alexander and give the collections a touch of femininity. Sarah Burton deserves the title of the best designer in England, and it is not surprising that Kate Middleton wore a wedding dress from the fashion house McQueen to the wedding ceremony.

Celebrity opinions on the "English fashion bully"

According to Donatella Versace, he was an unusual designer whose imagination knew no bounds.

Actress Sarah Jessica Parker fondly recalls that every original and extravagant detail of the outfit breathed McQueen. There will never be another like Alexander.

The most famous couturier Karl Lagerfeld considered Alexander's work unusual and exciting. He noticed that his collections sometimes gravitated toward death.

The most spectacular show

Unfortunately, the most spectacular was the collection that Alexander created during his lifetime, but the show was held without his participation. Each outfit has taken a special place in the fashion world. The unnamed collection was presented by Sarah Burton, who gave it the name "Angels and Demons". The faithful assistant who led the brand kept all 16 models in thatthe way McQueen left them.

One of the most beautiful outfits was a short red silk dress with baroque gold embroidery and large folds on the hips, similar to theatrical scenes.

In memory of Alexander McQueen

New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, a year after his death, organized an exhibition called "Wild Beauty", where the works of the great designer were presented. The audience became so interested that over 650 thousand people visited it in 3 months.

“Who knows, maybe if you flirt with death for a long time, she begins to attract…”, wrote Karl Lagerfeld.

The last thread that connected Alexander with this world broke after the death of his mother. Ideas are embodied, thoughts are spoken, and McQueen decides to take the last step… beyond the horizon.