Alexander McQueen, the Loss of an Artist
Spring 2005
Alexander McQueen was found hanged at his home near Hyde Park in London on Thursday morning, February 11. He was only 40 years old. There is speculation that the suicide was in large part connected to the tremendous grief he experienced over the death of his mother Joyce, who he lost only a week earlier after a long bout of illness. McQueen had also been devastated by the 2007 suicide of renowned fashion journalist and stylist Isabella Blow. Blow, a close friend, had been his primary champion and had brought his designs into the public eye.
McQueen is best known for his at once dark and playfully spectacular, theatrical esthetic. A self-proclaimed anarchist, he had a great spirit of rebellion paired with impeccable craftsmanship. From a working class family, he left school at only 16 to apprentice on Seville Row. McQueen became not only a master tailor but also an artist’s artist. He brought and artist’s touch to an increasingly humdrum fashion design world. McQueen always imbued his collections with deep meaning and symbolism and he was especially interested in the plight of living in the female form and often experimented with semi-masochistic dress.
Spring 2007
Spring 2010
The death of Alexander McQueen is a tremendous loss for the fashion community. There has never been a designer quite like him and he is positively irreplaceable. It is speculated that the McQueen label might now be shut down completely as the Gucci Group, the label’s owners, are not sure there is anyone quite capable of picking up where he left off. It is said that the designer’s overflowing creativity came at a price and that along with his talents was the burden of extreme fragility. He reportedly battled drug and body image issues throughout adulthood. In any case, it seems that there have been a tremendous amount of celebrity deaths over the last two years and it makes one take pause and wonder why. Why are these people, with seemly everything, so very unhappy? What makes them feel beyond the scope of help? I’m not sure there is an immediate answer but perhaps this is an indicator of a greater societal problem for which we should all take some responsibility and work together to answer.