Alexander McQueen, hailed as the most visionary designer of his generation, died at the age of 40 in February of this year, a month before he was due to unveil his latest collection at Paris Fashion Week.
Born Lee Alexander McQueen, to a Scottish father and English mother, he grew up in East London , and began making dresses for his sisters while still a child. Years later, in a story that has become fashion legend, his entire St. Martins graduating collection was bought by influential stylist Isabella Blow, who was to remain his mentor and confidante until her death in 2007.
His gothic aesthetic and maverick designs, like his infamous Bumsters, made him a favourite of the tabloids, who dubbed him ‘the hooligan of British fashion’, but proved so influential that the wardrobe of every modern woman is without doubt indebted to them.
While McQueen ensured his place in history with a dazzling array of avant-garde stunts, including the spectacle of Shalom Harlow being spray painted by robots, and the shell of a burning car on the catwalk, he was so much more than fashion’s enfant terrible.
You need look no further than the Manta dresses from his last collection, which have been adopted by models and celebrities on red carpets across the world as the most fitting tribute to the designer in the wake of his death, to see that his status as the most inspiring and influential designer of his generation had little to do with his own particular brand of infamy, and everything to do with his genius.
