Alexander McQueen dies at 40

On the eve of global fashion weeks, and less than a month before his catwalk presentation, British fashion designer Alexander McQueen has been found dead after a reported suicide. Dubbed the ‘enfant terrible’ of the fashion world’, the 40-year-old genius committed suicide just three years after his close friend, Tatler fashion director Isabella Blow – who plucked him from obscurity and helped him become a star – killed herself, reported the Daily Mail.

A source at McQueen’s office this afternoon confirmed his death to the Mail, saying: ‘It is a tragic loss. We are not making a comment at this time out of respect for the McQueen family.’

His death comes just days before the start of London Fashion Week and weeks before he was due to unveil his new collection at Paris Fashion Week on March 9.

Born Lee Alexander McQueen, the designer was the youngest of six children.

McQueen lleft school at 16 and went to work at Savile Row’s Anderson & Sheppard, whose clients included Prince Charles and Mikhail Gorbachev, after he saw a television program about the apprentice shortage in traditional tailoring.

He went on to work for Gieves & Hawkes, theatre’s famous Angels & Bermans costumiers, and then worked in Japan and Italy.

He returned to London in 1994, hoping to work as a pattern cutter tutor at London’s prestigious Central Saint Martins fashion school. Thanks to the strength of his portfolio he was persuaded to enroll in the course himself.

After graduating McQueen set up his own label based in the East End of London. With the launch of his ‘bumsters’ trousers with a waistband so low that the buttocks are revealed, McQueen made his label famous through tabloid headlines.

He went on to be named head designer at Givenchy in 1996, succeeding John Galliano, before joining forces with Gucci, who bought 51 per cent of his company.

Source: Daily Mail
Foto: Alexander McQueen

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