Alexander McQueen

Lee Alexander McQueen (17 March 1969 – 11 February 2010) was a British fashion designer and couturier. He founded the eponymous fashion house Alexander McQueen in 1992, and worked as chief designer at Givenchy from 1996 to 2001. He won three British Designer of the Year awards (1996, 1997, 2001, 2003), and the CFDA International Designer of the Year award in 2003.

McQueen had a background in tailoring before he studied fashion and embarked on a career as a designer. His MA graduation collection caught the attention of the fashion editor Isabella Blow, who became his patron. McQueen's early designs, particularly the radically low-cut "bumster" trousers, gained him recognition as an enfant terrible in British fashion. In 2000, McQueen sold 51% of his company to the Gucci Group, which established boutiques for his label worldwide and expanded its product range. During his career, he designed a total of 36 collections for his brand, including his graduation collection and an unfinished final collection. Following his death, his longtime collaborator Sarah Burton took over as creative director of his label.