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| Alexander McQueen - The British Fashion legend |
"When I am dead and gone, People will know that the twenty first century was started by Alexander McQueen"- Alexander McQueen, the British fashion legend.
Birth
Lee Alexander McQueen was born on March 17, 1969, in Lewisham, London. His father Ronald, was a Scottish cab driver and his mother was a Social Science teacher. For most of his life, he was called "Lee" by his friends. He was recognized as a Homosexual and was teased about it by his schoolmates.
Early Life
McQueen dropped out of college at 16. He began apprenticeship on London's Saville Row, with tailors Anderson and Sheppard. He mastered the art of tailoring there. Parallel to this, he attended Rosetta Art Centre led by Yvonne Humble. With Yvonne's reference, he joined M.A. course in fashion at Central Saint Martins College Of Arts And Design.
After working with Anderson and Sheppard, he started working with nearby Gieves and Hawkes. He later left Saville Row to work with theatrical costume designers Angels and Bermans. After completion of his M.A in fashion design, his graduation project collection impressed fashion stylist Isabella Blow and she bought the collection. Later on, she became his mentor and well-wisher. She encouraged McQueen to achieve new heights and helped him whenever she could. She became a long-time friend of Alexander McQueen.
Take-Off
Very after obtaining his degree, McQueen started his own line of designing clothes for women. He tasted his first success when he introduced "Bumster" pants. They were named Bumster for their low-cut waistline. That became a trend then and fetched him recognition in fashion industry.
After 4 years of his degree, he was offered chief designer post in Louis Vuitton- owned Givenchy, a french haute couture fashion house. He worked there from 1996 to 2001. During this time, he won three British Designer of the Year award in 1996, 1997 and 2001.
In 2000, one of the big names in fashion industry "Gucci" bought 51 percent shares in Alexander McQueen's private company. This provided the required capital for McQueen to expand his business. In 2001, McQueen left Givenchy and concentrated on expansion of his company.
Alexander McQueen was declared the International Designer Of The Year. Meanwhile McQueen opened stores in Milan, New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles etc. In 2007, his long-time friend Isabella Blow committed suicide which deeply affected him. He dedicated his 2008 Spring/Summer line to her.
Death
Two years later after the death of Blow, on February 2, 2010, McQueen's mother died. One day before her funeral, on February 11, 2010, McQueen was found dead in his Mayfair apartment. Later the reports revealed that he committed suicide. A boy from a working-class family, raised above all the obstacles to become one of the best fashion designers, the world has ever seen.
