ALEXANDER MCQUEEN

Alexander McQueen is the design house that entered the history books when it designed Kate Middleton's wedding dress in April 2011. But there's so much more to the British label. Founded by Lee Alexander McQueen in 1992, freshly graduated from Central Saint Martins, the self-titled brand is above all known for its strong yet feminine tailoring and style. Trained on Savile Row, Alexander McQueen incorporated this precise tailoring into his designs very early on. A genius couturier, the talented and misunderstood enfant terrible of fashion held theatrical runway shows each season, showcasing his collections with varying political and social messages, and winning four British Fashion Awards as the Best Womenswear Designer and a CFDA Award. Lee Alexander McQueen took his own life on February 11th, 2010, aged 41. Meanwhile, Sarah Burton was rising through the ranks at Alexander McQueen after being hired as an apprentice in 1996, part of her course at Central Saint Martins. In 2000, the Macclesfield-born designer was named the label's head of womenswear. She became creative director in 2010 following McQueen's death. Every season, Burton successfully revamps the label's signature style while remaining faithful to McQueen's aesthetic, closely mixing strength and femininity, modernity and tradition. Named Designer of the Year at the 2011 British Fashion Awards, Sarah Burton regularly pushes the limits of design to create the most elaborate pieces. The artistic director announced her departure in September 2023, after thirteen years at the helm of the British label.