Alexander McQueen and His Inspirations

Throughout Alexander McQueen’s (full name, Lee Alexander McQueen) eighteen years as a British designer, he accomplished many things in both the fashion and art world (but aren't they really the same) and advocated for many different thoughts. He studied at London's Central Saint Martins, an art and design school, and was an apprentice at Savile Row - a street known for famous tailors ateliers. His designs became a medium to show his political comments and stance. Some of his obsessions that inspired his art were from the Victorian era to the Medieval, and he fell in love with the macabre undertone of everything. He was also inspired by his Scottish heritage and wanted to portray his background in a non-exploitative fashion. His criticisms of English designers who exploit Scottish traditions earned him comments from Vivienne Westwood, who used Scottish tartans in her creations. For his graduation collection from art school, he created a collection inspired by Jack the Ripper called “Jack the Ripper stalks his victim” The collection was bought by Isabella Blow, who became his closest friend.

“Jack the Ripper Stalks His Victims” Alexander McQueen, 1992

Members of the public labelled him as a misogynist who was promoting violence against women, but he was appalled at these accusations. His family had a past of male abuse against women and deemed his work as a way to protect women from the violence that surrounds him. McQueens designs shield women from violence, which surrounds them through the abnormal form to scare off the ‘predator’.

In February 2010, Alexander McQueen’s death shocked the world. He left a note asking for someone to take care of his dogs before he committed suicide. Three years prior, his best friend, Isabella Blow, killed herself, and his mother passed away, all of which affected him. His long-term assistant, Sarah Burton, became the brand’s new creative director, which switched from high art to more wearable designs, which are still just as superb. His legacy still lingers on and inspires many new generations of artists. 

HIS INSPIRATIONS

GOTHIC ROMANTICISM

The 18th and 19th centuries were full of social change, extreme poverty, and the explosion of gothic literature: Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. McQueen’s interest in past events and how they influence the future inspired and was a prominent theme throughout his career.

VICTORIAN ERA

Throughout the Victorian period, clothing was full of florals and wide puffy sleeves, both feminine and bold. The Victorians’ fascination with the animal world highlighted the themes of nature versus humanity or man versus machine. The Victorians obsession with animals is demonstrated through McQueens deconstruction of the human body like a mechanical doll, upending the traditional notions of proportion and symmetry. 

SATANISM

Dating back to the late 1960s, a period of Westerns and the Manson Family, Anton Szandor LaVeys founded the church of Satan, publishing the Satanic Bible in 1975. He advocated for freedom, knowledge, power, and pleasure and condemned the idea of criminal activities and violence. During the 21st century, some moved onto more extremist approaches to the term satanist, such as the Order of the Nine Angles, who preached the idea of human sacrifice and infiltrated schools to counter faith groups evangelising children.

COLLECTIONS

VOSS

The collection Voss was in 2001, and it started with a two-hour delay where the audience sat staring at themselves through a black glass cube. After the delay, the lights flicked on, and the structure was shown to be a mental asylum, a sterile environment coated with padded walls. The idea of the collection was to present the dark and twisted side of the fashion community, how the community was filled with mental health issues, drug abuse and crushed dreams, which McQueen related to and wanted to present awareness of the issue to the audience. During the final act of the show, the glass cube collapsed and revealed a naked woman wearing a gas mask and dozens of moths which were clinging to her body. The woman was revealed to be the British writer Michelle Olley, and the act was inspired by the image called Sanitarium White by Joel Witkin. Mcqueen used the image to display the taboo in the fashion community.

Photos taken by JB Villareal, Rex Features, Joel Witkin

JOAN

Inspired by Joan of Arc, a catholic martyr and patron Saint of France, was a military leader who insisted on the coronation of Charles VII to become the King of France. However, she was captured by English forces and, sadly, burnt at the stake in 1431. McQueen used metal mesh to mimic armour and pay a retribute to Joan of Arc, as well as using the portraits of the murdered Romanov children. The Romanov children, as well as their parents (ex-tsar Nicholas II) and servants, were shot and stabbed by Bolshevik revolutionaries. One of the main inspirations is Melun Diptych, a fifteenth-century, two-panelled painting by Jean Fouquet. The image shows the Virgin Mary modelled after Agnès Sorel. Sorel was the first officially recognised royal mistress of a French king and was King Charles VII's favourite. The royal family was concerned about her influence over the king’s political decisions, and thus, Sorel was poisoned. Joan of Arc and Agnès Sorel died due to their devotion to the king, and McQueen used these prolific idols to inspire his collection. Although the Virgin Mary in Diptych appeared bald, a thin braid peeked from her crown; some models wore the braid over bald caps in homerage. 

Photos/art by Condé Nast Archive, Albert Lynch, Jean Fouquet

ANGELS AND DEMONS

McQueens’ last creation, unofficially named Angels and Demons, was presented a month after the designer's death. Although the collection was almost completed, his design teams, including Burton, added some finishing touches. The team stated that it felt like a requiem and final goodbye to McQueen. The models walked slowly down the catwalk with no music or sound to accompany them. Relying on mainly hand-crafted details and decorations, the collection was full of gilded feathers, silk, and prints of Sandro Botticelli’s angels and Hieronymus Bosch’s demons. The collection reflected McQueens’ struggles and thoughts in the last years of his life.

Photos/art by Christopher Moore, Sandro Botticelli, Hieronymus Bosch