"Fifteen years after the death of Lee McQueen, the brand is struggling to maintain momentum. The founder is a hallowed name in the fashion industry, and one of the few modern designers to whose character and story the wider public feel a connection. But the generation who wore McQueen's original bumsters have aged out of shock-value fashion, and the name has less power over younger consumers."
"Sean McGirr, the 37-year-old Dubliner who has been creative director since 2023, showed one of his strongest collections to date. The show opened with a herringbone jacket long enough—if barely—to pass as a dress, strictly buttoned through the waist and dissolving into soft waves that skimmed the upper thigh. Backstage, McGirr said he had been looking at archive pieces from McQueen's 20-year-old Widows of Culloden collection, a masterpiece of controlled emotion, for the silhouettes."
"A corset-boned white lace dress was topped with a shoulder cape of glimmering feathers—this time hand-embroidered in silk rather than plucked from birds, times having changed since the 1990s. Last season's show brought a literal revival of the bumster trouser, but this time the harness-lashed trousers were waisted with the slightest dip at the centre of the spine, creating a heart-shaped frame around the base of the spine."
Alexander McQueen's Paris fashion week show revealed contrasting narratives: behind the glamorous front-row spectacle lies significant financial struggle, with the brand experiencing a 60% turnover decline over three years and facing substantial workforce reductions in both London and Italy. The brand struggles to maintain relevance with younger consumers, as the generation that embraced Lee McQueen's original shock-value designs has aged out. However, creative director Sean McGirr's latest collection demonstrated renewed creative strength, featuring sophisticated silhouettes inspired by McQueen's archive, including evolved takes on signature pieces like the bumster trouser and intricate embroidered details that reflect contemporary ethical standards.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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