Fashion icon Alexander McQueen found dead
Last Updated: Thursday, February 11, 2010 | 4:00 PM ET
CBC News
Provocative design icon Alexander McQueen, once known as the hooligan of English fashion, has died at the age of 40.
A spokeswoman announced on Thursday that McQueen was found dead at his London home.
"We don't have any information in terms of circumstances," said Samantha Garrett, McQueen's communications director, although she revealed that the designer's body was found at his central London flat on Thursday morning.
Paramedics arrived at McQueen's home mid-morning and pronounced him dead at the scene, according to a police statement.
Although a post-mortem exam and inquest are to be conducted, the death is not being treated as suspicious.
Traditional training
Born Lee Alexander McQueen, the designer was the youngest of six children. His working class family lived in social housing in London's east end.
He dropped out of school at the age of 16, but landed an apprenticeship on London's venerable Savile Row. During his years there, his clients included major figures such as Prince Charles and Mikhail Gorbachev. He also trained at noted theatrical costume house Berman and Nathan.
'At one level he was a master of the fantastic, creating astounding fashions shows that mixed design, technology and performance and, on another, he was a modern day genius whose gothic esthetic was adopted by women the world over.'—British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman
This early on-the-job training in the craft of traditional tailoring would eventually shape McQueen's own innovative collections. He later chose to return to school, enrolling in the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and graduating with a degree in fashion.
During his tenure as the enfant terrible of British fashion in the 1990s, he shocked many with controversial collections and unconventional runway shows. Shock value aside, however, his craftsmanship was universally acknowledged and he is among the youngest ever to win the title of British designer of the year. He would go on to capture the title another three times.
McQueen's outrageous — but exquisitely crafted — fashions famously included the low-waisted, buttock-revealing pants he dubbed "bumsters" and the ripped lace and tartan dresses of his so-called Highland Rape collection. He showcased these creations in highly theatrical shows that regularly courted controversy for their provocative themes, from sex to bondage and decay to disability.
Models present creations by Alexander McQueen during Paris Fashion Week in 2009. (Benoit Tessier/Reuters) In his late 20s, he succeeded John Galliano as head designer at Parisian couture house Givenchy, where he remained for nearly five years. However, the edgy young designer felt constrained by the high-brow fashion house.
After leaving Givenchy, he moved his eponymous brand — which now spans clothing, accessories and fragrances — to the Gucci Group.
McQueen received the title of Commander of the British Empire in 2003. His clothes and accessories garnered a host of famous devotees, from models like Kate Moss and actress Sarah Jessica Parker to singers Madonna, Janet Jackson, Rihanna and Lady Gaga.
"McQueen influenced a whole generation of designers. His brilliant imagination knew no bounds as he conjured up collection after collection of extraordinary designs," British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman told The Associated Press.
Alexander McQueen and Janet Jackson pose at the opening of one of his stores in Los Angeles in 2008. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) "At one level he was a master of the fantastic, creating astounding fashions shows that mixed design, technology and performance and on another he was a modern day genius whose gothic esthetic was adopted by women the world over."
Deaths of those close to him
Famed fashion stylist Isabella Blow discovered McQueen as he was graduating from Saint Martins and served as his champion, close friend and muse. He was greatly affected by her suicide in 2007 and dedicated his spring-summer 2008 collection to her memory.
According to reports, the designer had also been depressed following the recent death of his mother, Joyce, and had posted a number of worrying messages on his Twitter account in the past few days.
McQueen's death comes just before the start of fashion week events in London and Paris. He was slated to unveil a new collection in Paris in March.
With files from The Associated Press
