spotlight


EVERY FASHION DESIGNER WANTS TO CREATE AN ILLUSION, TO CREATE


THINGS THAT


DISTURB PEOPLE.” —Alexander McQueen


McQueenCHANGING THE GAME HIS SAVAGE BEAUTY


by joel martens Lee Alexander McQueen was different. His view of the world was utterly unique, and he would


use that perspective to create stunning visions that would completely turn the fashion world on its ear. His avant-garde work was unconventional, his collections and shows breaking rigid patterns so long held by legacy houses like Givenchy, Chanel and many others and would move fashion off the runway and into the realms of fine art. As he said himself, “Fashion is a big bubble and sometimes I just feel like popping it.” This he did, integrating his incredible garments into wildly themed shows filled with darkness and light, rich sounds and visceral experiences, creating an emotional power that would leave audiences and critics alike, stunned and overwhelmed. Born and raised in East London’s working-class Stratford neighborhood, nothing in his background


would hint at the upcoming future for this fashion maven. The youngest of six children, McQueen’s destiny was to become a plumber, a bricklayer or a cab driver like his father. Instead, his fierce roman- ticism helped this lad from the East End of London become one of the most original and influential artists of his time. From his apprenticeship at an old-school Savile Row tailor and haberdasher, McQueen would make his way onto the world’s stage, and much like his early training, deconstruct garments, tearing them down to their very base and rebuilding it with his febrile imagination.


32 RAGE monthly | AUGUST 2018


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