Alexander McQueen

I am a die-hard Alexander McQueen fan. Those who know me best know that my heart really, and truly, only belongs to him, and it is an absolute tragedy that such a force has been lost. My greatest dream is to one day work at the McQueen label, prior to his death, it was to train underneath him. Sadly, I cannot train under him, but I will work there! One day... 

For me, Alexander McQueen is more than a pretty label to look at. It is an idealistic view at what can be attained through human ingenuity. It is more than fashion, it is art. It is psychology, it is macabre, but most importantly, it is a kick-start to what I hope will be a long career in fashion.

Long before the thought of fashion design ever wandered its way across my head, my heart was dead set on acting. I was young and naive, I thought I could make it. Sure, winning the award for Best Actor in a Stageplay or Musical four years in a row at regional competitions meant that I was pretty damn good, but I knew that the chances of me succeeding in that particular industry were slim to none.

Then one day I was home sick. After several hours of bored channel flipping, I finally decided to watch a rerun of Fashion Television. I hadn't seen it and I liked fashion, so why not? What seemed like an innocent half-hour of television viewing quickly grew to be life changing. It was coverage of the Fall / Winter 2007 show, whereupon Lee drew inspiration from his own background. He discovered that one of his ancestors was burned at the stake at the Salem Witch Trials. People didn't like it. They said that it was too dark, too sinister. But I adored it! I was instantly drawn to the theatricality of the pentacle shaped runway, the inherent drama of the Egyptian make-up, and the clothes were simply marvelous. I skipped to the computer and spent the rest of the day watching his runway shows.

It was that moment that I knew that I was meant to be a designer, and that nothing would make me more happy. Sadly, I cannot thank my hero in person for introducing me to my future, but anything I do in this industry is for him.

RIP

Alexander McQueen