According to sources, Seán McGirr took office only three months before launching his first show. The first show of Alexander McQueen’s new creative director triggered a controversy.
This season’s 2024 autumn and winter Paris Fashion Week has attracted attention for the debut of several new creative directors of luxury brands, and Alexander McQueen is the most important one. Alexander McQueen has been the focus of attention since it was announced in October last year that it would be taken over by Irish designer Seán McGirr.
After the release of Seán McGirr’s debut, comments almost immediately flooded social media, which can be said to be a rare spectacle in the industry in recent years.
Chloé’s new creative director Chemena Kamali, who met market expectations, Lacoste’s new blood Pelagia Kolotouros, Ann Demeulemeester’s Stefano Gallici, and Adrian Appiolaza of Moschino’s earlier Milan Fashion Week failed to trigger discussions of the same scale. As fashion week comes to an end, Seán McGirr has undoubtedly become the most controversial new creative director at the moment.
Some netizens thought this fashion show was a disaster, saying that there was no trace of Lee McQueen in the entire show. Some netizens bluntly said that the design of this series is no different from the failed graduation works of fashion graduates, and even suggested that Alexander McQueen should close the brand directly.
Although fashion enthusiasts have always been known for their harsh reviews, one-sided negative reviews are still extremely rare amid the wave of creative director changes in recent years. What deserves more attention is the role that emotions play in this topic. Many netizens commented after the show that they were not only disappointed, but also sad.
Alexander McQueen24 autumn ready-to-wear collection
However, fashion critics from the other camp, represented by Suzy Menkes, Tim Blanks, etc., most of whom were present at the event in person, as well as the series previews before and after the release of the new series and the static display after the show, made another comment on this fashion show. kind of evaluation.
In a social media post, Suzy Menkes said that Seán McGirr deserves to have his own innovation and dreams, and called on the outside world to be more tolerant of the new creative director.
In the opinion of fashion critic Tim Blanks, Seán McGirr did not abandon Lee McQueen’s own design concepts as netizens said. On the contrary, he believed that Seán McGirr traced back to Alexander McQueen’s early style, thereby continuing the great designer’s legacy. Rich legacy, he hopes the audience will give Seán McGirr a chance to boldly try.
Fashion critic and journalist Cathy Horyn believed that although several looks did not meet expectations, this fashion show was a good start for Alexander McQueen and brought new hope to the fashion industry.
However, netizens did not buy the endorsement from professional fashion critics. Some netizens said bluntly in Cathy Horyn’s comment area, “You have already walked for Balenciaga,” implying that she has been bought by the brand and has no neutrality at all.
A few days have passed since Seán McGirr’s debut, and the two camps have so far shown no signs of compromise. The two views have become increasingly polarized during the fierce collision.
Many netizens commented after the McQueen show that they were not only disappointed, but also sad.
This crucial first show changed the romantic sophistication and extreme craftsmanship of the former creative director Sarah Burton’s period and McQueen’s own late period, and brought the brand back to the original and rough atmosphere of McQueen’s early days.
This gap is the reason why many viewers cannot accept it.
The venue for the show was set in a cold, damp, concrete building in the 13th arrondissement of Paris. The runway was composed of two concrete tracks.
Seán McGirr undoubtedly returned the narrative of his series to the most original urban atmosphere – the dirty East End of London, where founder Lee McQueen grew up and where he held fashion shows in his early days.
Specific to the clothing details, part of the design of this series refers to Alexander McQueen’s 1994 spring and summer series “Banshee” and 1995 spring and summer series “The Birds”. The opening look of the latter’s plastic wrap dress inspired Seán McGirr, who designed the fashion show. The idea is summed up as “a minimalist look that seems twisted”.
Seán McGirr created his own version, opening the look with a tight, ruffled black bin bag instead of plastic wrap, paired with black briefs and straps around the thigh, giving it a similar effect to a pencil skirt.
“The Birds” was inspired by the famous director Hitchcock’s 1963 thriller of the same name, in which car chases and road kills provided a reference for Lee McQueen’s dark and romantic tone. When Lee McQueen designed the “The Birds” series, Use car tires to crush the suit for a devastating visual effect.
Seán McGirr was attracted by the extreme destructiveness shown in Lee McQueen’s works. Inspired by this, he used shattered car windshields as materials to design a broken glass T-shirt and dress, creating a visual effect of a car accident scene. . Seán McGirr also cut black silk nylon into shirts and skirts to create a black oilcloth effect.
Fetish elements are the core of Lee McQueen’s design aesthetics. Seán McGirr specially invited Shaun Leane, a jewelry designer from the same period of Lee McQueen, to use the metal cufflinks he designed to tighten the model’s arms. The shoes that look like horseshoes also have auxiliary accessories. Designed in a ponytail style.
In addition, because Seán McGirr’s father was a car fitter, perhaps because of his influence, Seán McGirr also designed three metallic dresses in the silhouette of Aston Martin and Lamborghini cars.
The influence of Lee McQueen can also be seen in Seán McGirr’s shaping of the model’s style. Each model walks with angry and vigorous steps when appearing on the stage, with a cold expression, giving people an unapproachable look. They are more like models than models. It’s a gang of thugs from London’s East End.
This is actually very much an extension of Lee McQueen’s own rebellious mood. Lee McQueen once expressed his design philosophy during his lifetime. He hoped that women would be intimidating after wearing the clothes he designed.
Witnessing his sister being domestically abused as a child left a shadow in Lee McQueen’s heart, so he hopes to make vulnerable women look stronger and protect them from harm through his designs. This is why Alexander McQueen’s models always look so cynical.
Alexander McQueen24 autumn ready-to-wear collection
Of course, it’s not hard to understand why social media netizens were disappointed with the series.
After the successful disruptive innovations made by Kim Jones for Dior and Daniel Lee for Bottega Veneta, the market has placed higher and higher expectations on the new creative director. People hope that he can not only make disruptive innovations, but also be able to A perfect continuation of the brand’s legacy.
When people braved the harsh and cold weather to go to the distant 13th arrondissement of Paris, they saw Seán McGirr bringing a set of designs that were in great contrast with the previous McQueen to the show, especially the tire-like knitted sweaters and car-shaped metal The dress, in any case, deviated from many people’s expectations.
The show’s runway was also criticized for being too long, which did not help create an intimate connection and emotional interaction with the audience, and the seats made of polystyrene foam inevitably looked tacky and awkward.
However, among the turbulent emotions, what we need to pay attention to but is sometimes ignored is what Seán McGirr and Lee McQueen have in common.
The two people have the same educational background. They both came from Central Saint Martins College in England. Lee McQueen was a star student of the late legendary tutor Louise Wilson, while Seán McGirr was the last student in Louise Wilson’s teaching career.
Fashion critic Tim Blanks said after the show: “Those huge cocoon-shaped knitwear perfectly embodies the ‘rough drama’ that Seán McGirr aspires to, and reminds me of Louise Wilson, which was also a key element of McQueen’s own early days. , if this shows that there is a fundamental fit between the two, I’m happy.”
Their works are also full of explorations of industrial culture and urban landscape, and they have all returned to the roots of the city in design.
Seán McGirr reshaped the brand design into an original urban style by using non-traditional materials such as industrial debris and discarded items. The overall tone of the first show was placed in dilapidated urban buildings. The entire show was “wrapped in concrete” and the atmosphere Rundown and decadent.
This naturally reminds people of Lee McQueen. In 1992, he published his graduation work “Jack the Ripper Stalking His Victims” at Central Saint Martins. The inspiration came from the serial murder cases in the East End of London in the 19th century. Lee McQueen Therefore, it was sponsored by Isabella Blow.
When a designer takes over a storied fashion house, one automatically expects every detail of the debut show to be thoughtfully considered, but that’s just not realistic.
Since Lee McQueen passed away in 2010, his right-hand assistant Sarah Burton has taken over and continued to carry forward the brand’s rich legacy. Under her leadership, the Alexander McQueen brand has gradually become synonymous with exquisite craftsmanship.
Seán McGirr is the only director of the brand who has not had direct contact with Lee McQueen. All he knows about Lee McQueen can only be through brand archives and rumors.
When everyone pointed out in the comment area that Seán McGirr did not continue Lee McQueen’s rich legacy, or even destroyed it, in fact, Seán McGirr inherited Lee McQueen’s early attitude, which was willful, amazingly imaginative, and extremely destructive. and a visceral distaste for conformity.
As for the final creative presentation, a creative director needs at least three series to polish. According to sources, Seán McGirr took office only three months before launching his first show. The brand design team is still in the process of expanding and recruiting talents. among.
Some people say that Seán McGirr instantly brought the luxury-level craftsmanship created by Sarah Burton back to the design school graduate series, and this is the most impressive point in the eyes of many fashion critics, because there is a lack of resources and nothing. The fearful student years mean that innovators must overcome all difficulties and have the energy to break everything and start all over again.
Although Sara Burton has perfectly inherited Lee McQueen’s mantle, the end of her term as director seems to herald the end of Alexander McQueen’s extreme romanticism. Those overly perfect details and extremely romantic tone can no longer be confused in the present. Under the current situation, it creates real spiritual resonance with people.
As a business brand that focuses on long-term development, Alexander McQueen chose the latter between the sunk costs that need to be given up and the potential high returns from creative risks. This is the right choice. Even if Alexander McQueen needs to start over, he is still working in the right direction.
The fashion industry lacks enough patience. This is an indisputable fact that people cannot decide.
Fashion is fleeting, and people hope to use the creativity of design directors to find their own eternity in the current era of rapid style updates and highly iterative information. However, the fashion industry lacks enough patience. This is an indisputable fact that people cannot decide.
Ludovic de Saint Sernin once served as the design director of Ann Demeulemeester. Although he brought new vitality to the brand with a more powerful image, the outside world had not had time to appreciate it. He himself ended up with differences with management after only one season. As a result, it withdrew from the brand in May last year.
Soon after John Galliano took over at Dior, the impatient fashion world began to question whether the British designer, known for his avant-garde and sometimes provocative designs, could capture the essence of Dior’s refined elegance.
However, it turns out that choosing John Galliano is the most correct choice in Dior’s history. Whether it is Eastern elements or Western classical elements, he can easily come up with it. Although this cooperation was eventually terminated, this story of mutual achievement is still talked about by fashion lovers today.
Let’s think about Demna’s career at Balenciaga. It is now Demna’s tenth year as the creative director of Balenciaga. Looking back, Demna was widely criticized by the fashion industry because of the huge contrast between her personal style and traditional high fashion concepts.
Now Demna has been able to rely on the platform of Balenciaga to successfully sell its own ideas and narratives, and has been recognized by both Balenciaga believers and Kering Group management.
If you have a detailed understanding of the personal life and career of Lee McQueen, the founder of the Alexander McQueen brand, you will find that he was out of tune with the fashion industry from beginning to end.
Lee McQueen’s name will always be tied to labels such as a bad boy, a naughty boy and a rebel. He has an arrogant personality, always does whatever he wants, and is extremely sensitive and willful. For Lee McQueen, fashion is not only a way of self-expression, but also his power to declare war on the world.
Lee McQueen’s pursuit of perfection goes beyond shaping the look and feel. He would rather the audience vomit after seeing his designs than to see them turn a deaf ear.
As early as Alexander McQueen’s 2001 spring and summer series “VOSS” show, he was inspired by the painting “Sanatorium”. He shut the models in a huge glass cover and allowed them to move around, show their teeth and claws, laugh maniacally, and even built-in devices In the film, a fat model wearing a gas mask was specially arranged, surrounded by countless moths, and there was no beauty at all.
In the face of overwhelming criticism, Seán McGirr quoted Lee McQueen’s response to external criticism: “I would rather people hate what I do than dismiss it.”
Some commentators pointed out that at least Seán McGirr made everyone start talking about Alexander McQueen again. Tim Blanks said that if keyboard warriors are willing to withdraw from their fashion politics and give new standard setters a chance, then the essential connection between Seán McGirr and Lee McQueen actually exists.
If the fashion industry wants to achieve rare greatness again, it must be inseparable from the accumulation of time, patience and tolerance, and these are the most luxurious things for the fashion industry.
