RIP Alexander McQueen

[Martinus]

Fashion designer Alexander McQueen dies aged 40
Tributes flow in for 'master of the fantastic' found dead at West End home a few days before London fashion week

The British fashion designer Alexander McQueen has been found dead at the age of 40 in his London home.

His body was discovered at the property in Green Street, central London, shortly after 10am today. Paramedics were called but he was pronounced dead at the scene. A postmortem has been scheduled but police said his death was not being treated as suspicious. They would not comment on reports he had killed himself.

A spokeswoman for McQueen said: "Mr McQueen was found dead this morning at his home. We're devastated and I hope you understand that out of respect to his family and his colleagues we're not going to be making any further statement."

The death comes days before the start of London fashion week and a month before the designer was to unveil his new collection at Paris fashion week.

His family asked for privacy to come to terms with the death of McQueen, whose first name was Lee.

His company, Alexander McQueen, issued a statement saying: "On behalf of Lee McQueen's family, Alexander McQueen today announces the tragic news that Lee McQueen, the founder and designer of the Alexander McQueen brand, has been found dead at his home. At this stage it is inappropriate to comment on this tragic news beyond saying that we are devastated and are sharing a sense of shock and grief with Lee's family."

"Lee's family has asked for privacy in order to come to terms with this terrible news and we hope the media will respect this."

Tributes quickly poured in after news of McQueen's sudden death.

Alexandra Shulman, the editor of British Vogue, said McQueen had influenced a whole generation of designers. "His brilliant imagination knew no bounds as he conjured up collection after collection of extraordinary designs," she said. "At one level he was a master of the fantastic, creating astounding fashion shows that mixed design, technology and performance and on another he was a modern-day genius whose gothic aesthetic was adopted by women the world over. His death is the hugest loss to anyone who knew him and for very many who didn't."

The designer Katherine Hamnett said: "He was a genius. What a terrible, tragic waste."

Dame Vivienne Westwood said she was "incredibly sorry" to hear the news.

Matthew Williamson said: "I am shocked and deeply saddened by McQueen's death. He was a genius and his talent was second to none. Like many others I always cited him as a hugely inspirational leader of world fashion. He will be greatly missed."

A spokesman for the model Kate Moss said: "Kate is shocked and devastated at the tragic loss of her dear friend Lee McQueen. Her thoughts are with his family at this sad time."

McQueen was praised for raising the profile of British fashion around the world. "Alexander McQueen made an outstanding contribution to British fashion," said the culture secretary, Ben Bradshaw. "His extraordinary talent and creativity mean that his designs are adored not just by followers of haute couture but lovers of great style everywhere. This is a great loss to one of Britain's most successful industries and to the design world more widely."

A spokeswoman for the British fashion council said: "He was a unique talent and one of the world's greatest designers. Our thoughts are with his friends and family at this sad time."

Comments had been posted on McQueen's Twitter page, McQueenWorld, expressing his distress over the death of his mother on 2 February.

He wrote last week: "i'm letting my followers know the my mother passed away yesterday if it she had not me nor would you RIP mumx"

A minute later he added: "but life must go on!"

On Sunday McQueen wrote: "sunday evening been a f****** awful week but my friends have been great but now i have to some how pull myself together..."

Born in London in 1969 as the youngest of six children, McQueen left school at the age of 16 and was offered an apprenticeship at the traditional Savile Row tailors Anderson and Shephard, then at neighbouring Gieves and Hawkes.

At 20 he was employed by the designer Koji Tatsuno. A year later McQueen travelled to Milan where he worked as a design assistant to Romeo Gigli. He returned to London in 1994 where he completed a master's degree in fashion design at Central St Martins College. His degree collection was famously bought in its entirety by Isabella Blow, a leading figure in the fashion world who died in 2007.

In less than 10 years McQueen became one of the most respected fashion designers in the world. In October 1996 he was appointed chief designer at the French label Givenchy where he worked until March 2001.

In December 2000, 51% of Alexander McQueen was acquired by luxury brand Gucci, where he became creative director. Expansion followed and included the opening of flagship stores in New York, London and Milan.

McQueen was a four-time winner of the British designer of the year award as well as the international designer of the year award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. He was awarded the CBE in 2003.

Damn. One of the few older (than me) gays I found hot.

[Martinus]

Alexander McQueen obituary
Accomplished rebel of the fashion world renowned for his wildly imaginative designs
Buzz up!
Digg it
Imogen Fox
guardian.co.uk,    Thursday 11 February 2010 19.59 GMT
Article history

McQueen was known for his innovative catwalk shows. Photograph: Martin Godwin.

No profile of Alexander McQueen could ever resist the phrase "enfant terrible" and yet the hugely influential British designer, who has been found dead aged 40, was honoured four times by the British Fashion Council as designer of the year, and was made a CBE in 2003. McQueen was the bad boy of fashion who was beloved by the establishment.

McQueen, known to his friends as Lee, was renowned for the theatricality of his fashion shows, but thanks to his precision tailoring and attention to detail, the effect was often more beautiful than shocking. His catwalk shows – first in London and latterly in Paris – were never less than 10 minutes of pure theatrical energy. Featuring spray-painted gowns, a pyramid containing a hologram of Kate Moss, amputee models, or dresses made from fresh flowers, McQueen catwalk shows were innovative, unexpected and always much anticipated.

He was born Lee Alexander McQueen, the youngest of six children and the son of a London East End cabby. He attended Rokeby comprehensive school for boys in Stratford, and remained proud of his working-class roots. At 16, he began work as an apprentice cutter at Anderson & Sheppard on Savile Row, where, as legend (and indeed the designer himself) had it, he graffitied obscenities into the linings of suits intended for the Prince of Wales. From there he worked for Gieves & Hawkes on Savile Row, then moved on to the theatrical costumiers Angels and Bermans, followed by a short stint with the Italian designer Romeo Gigli. In 1992 he enrolled for an MA at Central Saint Martins. There, he learned the importance of hard work, deft cutting and the art of self-promotion.

His big breakthrough came in 1994 when his graduate collection caught the eye of the fashion stylist Isabella Blow. She purchased the whole lot and became a much photographed talisman for the McQueen brand. They remained close until her death in May 2007. McQueen cemented his rebel status the following year with a controversial show entitled Highland Rape. The collection included ripped lace dresses, tartan crinolines and models wearing antlers and lace headdresses. It was raw, angry and technically accomplished.

In 1996 he took up the role of chief designer at the Parisian fashion house Givenchy, but his time there was not happy. He said: "It's been difficult for me because I never learned to arse-lick." His first couture collection for the label was not well received, with the designer himself playing up to his irreverent image by describing the collection to Vogue in October 1997 as "crap". However, the money his position brought him helped him to build up his own label. He later expanded into menswear and developed a lower priced commercial line, McQ.

McQueen stayed with Givenchy until March 2001, when the contract that he said was "constraining his creativity" was ended. Simultaneously, he was negotiating with the Gucci group, which bought a 51% stake in McQueen's own label in December 2000 for a rumoured $80m. The designer claimed to have learned business acumen from the Gucci relationship. He said: "I've realised that there has to be a balance between your mental satisfaction and the financial needs of your company. A collection is two-thirds artistic and one-third business."

This creative, yet pragmatic, approach was always seen in his designs. For every wildly imaginative catwalk show featuring rigid moulded corsets, streamlined bodysuits or extravagant ostrich-feather ballgowns, there were sharply tailored jackets and impeccably cut dresses. His spring 2005 collection, entitled Picnic at Hanging Rock, was a classic example. Set up as a giant chess game, it showcased a wide range of ideas, from girlish Edwardian tailored sailor jackets to 18th-century flower-embroidered jackets over candy-striped puffball skirts.

McQueen was a pioneer in using technology as part of his fashion shows. This season, live-streamed fashion shows and 3D technology are part of the catwalk experience, but in 2006 for his Widows of Culloden collection, a holographic Kate Moss appeared on the catwalk in a giant pyramid. In September 2009 he attempted to live-stream his catwalk show – a re-creation of Atlantis including holograms, sea aliens and robot cameras – but the site crashed due to massive demand.

In his personal life, McQueen was shy. At the end of every catwalk show, he would dash out to take his bow in his trademark plaid shirt and baggy jeans. The socialite Daphne Guinness, a longtime friend whom McQueen met after seeing her across Leicester Square decked out in his dragon-embroidered kimono, recently told W magazine that he was "adorable and kind, and he's unbelievably good to his friends – generous without noise". His loyalty was apparent in October 2005 after the scandal in which Kate Moss was pictured apparently using cocaine, when the designer took his catwalk bow wearing a T-shirt which read: "We love you Kate."

Openly gay, he once described himself as "the pink sheep of the family". In 2000, he married his lover, George Forsyth, a documentary film-maker. The ceremony took place on a yacht in Ibiza, with Moss reportedly a bridesmaid. The couple later divorced.

His last collection, entitled Plato's Atlantis, is one of his most memorable and became a must-have for celebrities looking for paparazzi attention. Rihanna and Lady Gaga are both fans. The latter was recently pictured wearing his 10-inch Alien shoes, causing a flood of calls to the label press office from fans looking to buy them as art pieces.

His death came as final preparations were being made for an autumn collection to be unveiled in Paris. The designer was said to be devastated by the death of his mother, Joyce, on 2 February. In April 2004, Joyce had interviewed her son for the Guardian. She asked him what was his greatest fear. "Dying before you," was his reply.

• Lee Alexander McQueen, fashion designer, born 17 March 1969; died 11 February 2010

RIP

[Syt]

You fail at gaydom. garbon already posted this a while back.

[garbon]

You fail at gaydom. garbon already posted this a while back.

Seriously.

[MadImmortalMan]

The guy missed his mom so much, he killed himself twice.