subject: Alexander McQueen Biography [print this page] Alexander McQueen Biography Alexander McQueen Biography
Lee Alexander McQueen was born on March 17, 1969 in Lewisham, London, United Kingdom. His father was a cab driver and his mother was a social science teacher. He has three older sisters and two brothers. He quit school at the age of 16 and began an apprenticeship with Savile Row. He then worked with Gieves and Hawkes and Angels and Bermans. These jobs in the tailor industry would help him become very famous for his work in the future. He continued his work and had some famous clients when he was very young. By the time he was 20, he would travel to Milan to work with Romeo Gigli.
He would return to London five years later to pursue a Masters in Fashion Design at Central St. Martins College. His entire collection was bought by Isabella Blow, who convinced Lee to be called by his middle name Alexander. In 1996, McQueen worked for Givenchy. Unfortunately, they had a falling out, and his first collection was not liked very much by the company. McQueen's style is different than many other designers, and he liked to create some controversy and drama in his designs as well.
He combined forces with Gucci in 2000 and became the company's Creative Director, even though they owned half of his company. He received the British Designer of the Year Award in 1996 and 2003 and was named International Designer of the Year in 2003. In 2005, he also worked with Puma and created his own younger line in 2006 called McQ. He expanded his own shops worldwide and had stores in London, New York, Milan and Los Angeles by 2007.
He had many famous actors, actresses and singers who loved his work and wore many of his designs. He was nicknamed L'Enfant Terrible, but he did not care. He was openly gay and enjoyed his work; however, McQueen had some personal battles to fight and lost them on February 11, 2010 when he committed suicide. It was nine days after his mother's death. Drugs and other harmful substances were found in his blood after his death. He was found hung in his closet by his housekeeper.
Alexander McQueen was known for his outrageous style, fun-loving nature and impeccable tailoring. He was a talented man who died very young. The fashion industry suffered a major loss when they lost the man behind the Alexander McQueen collaborations.
