Fashion News: Alexander McQueen Line to Continue
I know I wasn’t the only one who thought Alexander McQueen the brand had died along with Alexander McQueen the person. But this was before I read a profile of the late designer in the latest issue of LOVE Magazine. Towards the end of the profile McQueen said,
I’m 40 now, but I want this to be a company that lives way beyond me, and I believe that customers are more important to making that happen than press. When I’m dead, hopefully this house will still be going. On a spaceship. Hopping up and down above earth.
And it seems as though McQueen’s requests have been granted because this past Thursday The Gucci Group announced that Alexander McQueen the brand would long outlive its creator.
At the time of his death, McQueen had finished at least most of his fall 2010 collection, which will still be shown at Paris Fashion Week this coming March. So much of the line depended on the distinctive vision and personality of McQueen that many in the fashion community seem to have put an expiration date on the line. But Coco Chanel was and still is a defining force in the Chanel brand and she has been dead for a lot longer than Alexander McQueen. I hope that McQueen’s line will continue just as Chanel continued after Coco’s death.
What do you think?
Do you think that anyone can step into Alexander McQueen’s shoes? Are you happy to see the Alexander McQueen line continue? Did you read the Alexander McQueen profile in LOVE Magazine? Do you think that the line can continue to be as successful as it was before McQueen’s death? Leave a comment.
Posted on on February 21, 2010 / Filed Under: Fashion News / Tags: Alexander McQueen, Designers, Gucci Group, LOVE Magazine
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Hannah
Alexander McQueen was such a visionary and an innovator. He’s left behind big shoes to fill. I’m excited that the brand will continue, but I don’t know if anyone could ever truly match his creativity!
Paige
“I know I wasn’t the only one who thought Alexander McQueen the brand had died along with Alexander McQueen the person.”
“But Coco Chanel was and still is a defining force in the Chanel brand and she has been dead for a lot longer than Alexander McQueen.”
Perhaps this is just me, but I found this post to be incredibly crude in terms of discussing death. It’s just too bad that Coco Chanel has “been dead for a lot longer than Alexander McQueen.” Would a euphemism or two have taken too much respect to use?
amanda
paige: how do you find that crude? it wasn’t and i’m pretty sure it wasn’t meant to be crude.
love this post, & love the quote. alexander mcqueen will be deeply missed. he truely was an amazing designer
Kyrstin
I definitely agree with Paige, I found this article was written with a cold and unprofessional tone. Also
“which will be shown in at Paris Fashion Week this coming March”
“in at” is a grammar error.
Emily the Panda
ouch.
jem
I think it shall be interesting to see how Alexander McQueens line continues but I hope that it only continues if the creative team makes it very McQueen like, in otherwords, they don’t stray from his vision. This is a way for him to live on and something which I think he would have wanted.
Tiara - NYU
Hannah – I agree with you. McQueen was an incredible designer. I only discovered him about a year ago but I’ve been looking at his past shows and the inspiration behind them and he was a very intelligent designer to say the least.
Paige – Death is unpleasant and crude no matter how you put it into words.
Amanda – I completely agree with you. Thanks.
Krystin – I apologize for the grammatical errors but I found it just a little ironic that your comment is full of them.
Emily the Panda – Ha!
Jem – I don’t think Gucci Group will stray from his vision. McQueen’s vision was too lucrative and his customers are too emotionally invested in his work to ask for anything else. Alexander McQueen will live on just like McQueen wanted it to.
Paige
“Paige – Death is unpleasant and crude no matter how you put it into words.”
There are reasons why phrases such as, “passed away” and “no longer with us” exist. Would you go to a memorial service and tell the crowd, “Well, he’s been dead for a long time” rather than “He passed away five years ago?”
Just because Alexander McQueen was a worldwide icon as opposed to a personal friend does not give you license to spit on his grave.
I notice that you praise the comments of those who agreed with you but were crass with Kyrstin and me.
Furthermore, “Alexander McQueen will live on just like McQueen wanted it to.”
You really shouldn’t end sentences with prepositions.
Emily
I feel like everyone’s blowing up a small set of grammatical errors (that I don’t really see in the first place, but maybe we just have differing sets of diction) and ignoring the big picture here: McQueen lives on! yay!
I’m not sure if his design team will be able to have the same vision that he did, but I think it’s worth a shot.
Denise
Wow! I think the topic/s discussed in the comments are so sidetracked.
I agree with Paige when it comes to using euphemism rather than using the actual word itself.
Krystin also had a point when she said about the article. Although it was meant to be a blog post, it isn’t a personal blog post so a certain style of writing must be imposed.
On the other hand, I am thrilled that they are keeping the Alexander McQueen brand because it defines our generation. I just hope they maintain McQueen’s vision and not get carried away.
fan
his dear friend Lady Gaga is the one to fulfill his vision,she is the visionary for McQueen
Kat
I’m excited about the McQueen brand living on…but I’m apprehensive that it will turn into something that it’s not. Hopefully they’ll be able to find the Lagerfeld of the McQueen brand!
Sorry guys. Alexander McQueen died. Coco Chanel is dead. They have both experienced death. Tiara is just telling it as it is. This is a blog post not a eulogy.
Zephyr - CF Editor
Wow, the grammar police came out on this one! Unfortunately every article can’t be perfect. We aren’t robots and none of us (not even the grammar police) is exempt from the occasional error. Thanks for alerting us to these small errors, though. I’ve updated the post.
Anna
Paige – But this is not an eulogy nor a memorial service, it is a blog post comparable to a neutral magazine article. Of course no one goes to a memorial service and speaks in the same way one writes a blog post – and reversed. (And, IMO, there is such a thing as too many euphemisms, for that matter. “No longer with us” is not something I’d think appropriate for anything but eulogies and more personal-sounding writing than this.) Coco Chanel HAS been dead for a long time – how is it crude to say that? Sure, it could have been put “Chanel passed away in X, and —”, but I don’t really see how that changes things overly. Perhaps putting in the exact amount of years would make it less blunt and more informative at the same time, though.
“Spitting on his grave” is taking this to really unnecessary levels, I feel. This whole post is in honour of McQueen and happy to see the brand continue, as per his own wishes – that’s really the opposite of spitting on his grave.
kaley
Paige,
Perhaps she meant to say, “Alexander McQueen will live on just like McQueen wanted it to, bitch.”
JG
It’s a tough situation….Although the brand will never bee the same without the man behind it, Lee McQueen, it would still be devistating to see it close their doors. I’m happy in a way McQueen will continue but it’s still sad to know the genius behind the incredible collections is no longer here.
Luana
I am so pleased that Alexander McQueen’s line it continuing-his collections produced outstanding and memorable works.
It will be hard to find a successor who can keep their work as innovative and unique has his one. Maybe in time they can find someone whose vision is befitting to what his was. After all, it did take time to find Karl.
With Chanel, I think the brand was able to continue because of Coco’s establishment of her classic pieces-the little black dress, the pearls, the leather bag. Almost every collection has taken these pieces and manipulated them into a new season. The line has a set “canon” of how things should be designed but leaves room for enough creativity that has allowed it to reach great success.
In looking at McQueen’s work he took has a canon. And whoever takes over his line needs to be able to use these in a way that’s classic but new. To whoever is able to do this well-I wish them luck.
myvogue
well of course the brand won’t go away, if that was the case 90% of the best and most famous designer’s brands would be long gone. Alexander McQueen was an incredible designer and artist…so sad he is no longer with us.
Tiara - NYU
Paige – I’m more interested in your thoughts about the future of Alexander McQueen and McQ. Let’s keep the conversation there, shall we?
Kaley – Ha! No, that’s not what I meant to say but your interpretation made me laugh.
Fan – I am obsessed with Lady Gaga so my first thought was to have her headline the brand but…she’s too busy with her music and Polaroid to truly commit to the brand. Don’t you think?
Luana – Very interesting point. I completely agree with you. Alexander McQueen was very avant garde. Each collection was different. Chanel, on the other hand, focused on the same pieces and reinvented them each season. You get a gold star, Luana.
Talent Watcher
His designs gave me goosebumps every time.. i cannot wait to see what the show in march will bring. he will no doubt be honored by many great memories, forever.