Questions about the house Lee Alexander McQueen founded in London in 1992, from Voss and Plato’s Atlantis to Sarah Burton and after, answered from Ayerhs’s reviews of nearly every McQueen show since 2000.
By Shreya S · Last reviewed 30 October 2026
On this page: The house and its founder · The designers · The collections · Codes and business · The Ayerhs view
The house and its founder
Who founded Alexander McQueen?
Lee Alexander McQueen, a London tailor’s apprentice who trained on Savile Row before taking an MA at Central Saint Martins. His 1992 graduate collection was bought in full by the stylist Isabella Blow, who became his champion, and the label began that year. He died in London on 11 February 2010, aged 40.
Read on Ayerhs: Alexander McQueen – The complete guide · A–Z of Alexander McQueen
What was McQueen known for?
Razor-sharp tailoring combined with dark romance. He cut the low-slung “bumster” trouser, mined history, nature and his Scottish ancestry, and staged shows as theatre: a glass asylum, a chessboard, a hologram. The clothes were technically exact even when the ideas were violent or melancholy.
Read on Ayerhs: Alexander McQueen – The complete guide
Did McQueen design for Givenchy?
Yes. He was chief designer at Givenchy from 1996 to 2001, succeeding John Galliano, while running his own label in London. He later said the job taught him the discipline of couture; his own house’s shows were where he took the risks.
Read on Ayerhs: Hubert de Givenchy – The complete guide
The designers
Who has designed McQueen since Lee McQueen?
| Designer | Years | Defining idea |
|---|---|---|
| Lee Alexander McQueen | 1992–2010 | Tailoring, theatre and dark romance |
| Sarah Burton | 2010–2023 | The romance softened: craft, nature, the feminine |
| Seán McGirr | 2023–2026 | Club culture, mod and the archive |
McGirr stepped down in October 2026; the house has said a successor will be announced.
Who is Sarah Burton, and what did she do at McQueen?
Burton joined McQueen as an intern in 1996, became his closest collaborator and took over after his death in 2010. She kept the tailoring and drama but softened them with craft, flowers and a quieter femininity, and designed Catherine Middleton’s 2011 wedding dress. Her final McQueen show was Spring 2024; she now designs Givenchy.
Read on Ayerhs: The best of Alexander McQueen by Sarah Burton · McQueen Spring 2024: Thank You, Sarah
What did McQueen look like under Seán McGirr?
The Irish designer, previously at JW Anderson, was appointed in 2023 and showed from Fall 2024. His McQueen leaned on London club culture, sharp neo-dandy tailoring and the house archive. His Spring 2026 show felt like a return to the label’s roots, and Fall 2026 drew on cinema, mod and the archive. He left in October 2026.
Read on Ayerhs: Fall 2025 · Spring 2026 · Fall 2026
The collections
What are the most iconic Alexander McQueen shows?
- Voss, Spring 2001. Models trapped in a mirrored glass box that turned out to be an asylum cell. Review
- The Widows of Culloden, Fall 2006. Tartan and lace for his Scottish ancestry, ending with a hologram of Kate Moss. Review
- The Horn of Plenty, Fall 2009. A scrapheap of his own past sets and a parody of fashion’s excess. Review
- Plato’s Atlantis, Spring 2010. Digital reptile prints and armadillo shoes, livestreamed online; the last collection he showed in his lifetime. Review
- Spring 2005. Models moved across the runway as pieces in a life-sized chess game. Review
Where can I see every McQueen show from the 2000s?
Ayerhs has reviewed almost every Alexander McQueen ready-to-wear show from Spring 2000 to Spring 2010, from Eshu (Fall 2000) and the gothic Fall 2002 to Witches and Persecution (Fall 2007) and La Dame Bleue (Spring 2008), his tribute to Isabella Blow.
Read on Ayerhs: Spring 2000 · Fall 2000 · Fall 2002 · Fall 2007 · Spring 2008 · Fall 2008
Codes and business
What are McQueen’s signature codes?
- The bumster: trousers cut low enough to show the base of the spine.
- Savile Row tailoring: sharp shoulders and nipped waists.
- The skull: most famously on the silk scarf, now the house’s best-known motif.
- McQueen tartan: from his Scottish family line, used in Highland Rape and The Widows of Culloden.
- Nature: feathers, birds, shells and insects, often made by hand.
Read on Ayerhs: A–Z of Alexander McQueen
What was Savage Beauty?
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 2011 retrospective of McQueen’s work, staged by the Costume Institute a year after his death. It drew queues around the museum and became one of the most visited exhibitions in the Met’s history. An expanded version opened at the V&A in London in 2015.
Read on Ayerhs: Why Fashion Belongs in Museums
Who owns Alexander McQueen?
Kering, the French group that also owns Gucci, Saint Laurent and Balenciaga. Its predecessor, the Gucci Group, bought a controlling stake in the label in 2000, which funded McQueen’s move to showing in Paris.
Read on Ayerhs: The Rise of Fashion Conglomerates
The Ayerhs view
Which era of McQueen is the best?
Lee McQueen’s own decade in Paris, from 2000 to 2010, is the reason the house matters: few designers have matched the range of Voss, The Widows of Culloden and Plato’s Atlantis. Sarah Burton earned her own place by keeping that craft alive without imitating it. The next chapter now depends on whoever succeeds McGirr.