Fashion Week may well be under way in New York but the fashion world is in stunned mourning at the news that one of its greatest designers has committed suicide. Alexander McQueen, dubbed by some as the bad boy of fashion, has been found hanged in his London apartment.
Born the son of a taxi driver Lee McQueen started his climb into the stratosphere of fashion in the nineties. It was at this time when he decided to adopt his middle name. This name quickly became the one rock stars, actors and members of high society wanted to see sown into their clothing. His bad boy image came about because of his outrageous antics. Legend has it that Prince Charles got more than McQueen’s name embroidered into a suit he had made and got a very personal message describing how the designer felt about him sown into one of the sleeves.
Tributes have been coming in from the highest circles of the industry. Karl Lagerfeld says that although he often associated McQueen’s designs with an attraction to death he was never bored by them. John Galliano echoed the sentiment saying that his designs were always original, exciting and daring. Parent company of McQueen’s brand the Gucci Group has issued a statement confirming that McQueen had been found dead and said that all thoughts are now with the designer’s family. Long time friend Kate Moss has also had a statement released saying that she is devastated by the loss. The super model was bridesmaid for McQueen when he married his partner George Forsyth in 2000.