Alexander ( The Great ) McQueen
By:Erionna Jones
Where it all began?
Fashion designer. Lee Alexander McQueen was born on March 17, 1969 into a working-class family living in public housing in London's Lewisham district. His father, Ronald, was a cab driver, and his mother, Joyce, taught social science. On their small incomes, they supported McQueen and his five siblings. McQueen, called "Lee" by his friends for most of his life, recognized his homosexuality at an early age and was teased extensively about it by schoolmates.
At age 16, McQueen dropped out of school
Influenced by a Mastermind
Defining controversy
McQuen drew notice with his fashion that made feminity collide with masculinity gowns and dresses that created a continuing dichotomy between life and death, lightnesss and darkness,predator and prey, man and machine.His use of fabric and elements nott usually considered wearable resulted in very bizarre and at the same time hauntigly beautiful creations that, placed on mannequins, could be considered sculptures.
McQueen's death came just days before the start of London fashion week, and less than three weeks before the designer, who was creative director of the Gucci group, was due to present his latest eponymous collection at Paris fashion week.
Tributes were paid yesterday to a man who won designer of the year four times, and who managed the rare feat of remaining avant garde while achieving widespread commercial success. Alexandra Shulman, editor of British Vogue, called him a "modern-day genius". She said: "McQueen influenced a whole generation of designers. His brilliant imagination knew no bounds as he conjured up collection after collection of extraordinary designs. At one level he was a master of the fantastic, creating astounding fashions 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."
Long live McQueen
"McQueen influenced a whole generation of designers. His brilliant imagination knew no bounds as he conjured up collection after collection of extraordinary designs," said Alexandra Shulman, the editor of British Vogue.
"He changed the way so many of us see shows."