Inside the bustling Alexander McQueen studio in Clerkenwell, final fittings are underway ahead of a runway presentation that marks a major turning point for the storied British fashion house. For nearly three years, Creative Director Seán McGirr has immersed himself in the rich, complex legacy left behind by the brand’s visionary founder, studying the nuances, the dark romance, and the technical mastery that defined Alexander McQueen’s career. Now, with a new collection set to debut, McGirr is preparing to make his definitive pitch—an effort to synthesize the codes of the house with his own distinct design identity and push the brand into its next evolutionary phase.
"In a brand with the legacy of McQueen, it takes a while to learn the codes," McGirr reflects amidst the hum of the studio, surrounded by racks of garments, swatches of fabric, and meticulous embellishments. "In each collection so far, I’ve done something slightly different in order to understand certain periods of his work. Now, with this one, I want to go to the next level."
The creative convergence on display in this upcoming collection also intersects with a significant geographical shift for the brand. The show marks Alexander McQueen’s first official appearance on the London Fashion Week schedule in more than two decades, with their last major London presentation taking place back in February 2001. That is not to say that the house has been entirely absent from its hometown in the years since. During Sarah Burton’s celebrated tenure as creative director, there were several notable menswear shows hosted under the sadly defunct London Collections: Men banner, followed by a pair of off-schedule spring presentations for the spring and summer seasons of 2022 and 2023.
However, the return to the official London Fashion Week calendar carries profound symbolic and practical weight, both for the fashion week itself—which remains perennially dedicated to championing the British capital as a global crucible of avant-garde creativity—and for the house of McQueen and McGirr personally.
"It felt like the right moment, and everything aligned," McGirr says, pausing briefly from his work in the studio. He adds with a sense of conviction: "London is about being free."
Choosing to show in London also provides McGirr with an authentic and resonant pedestal from which to project his new vision. Both his own creative identity and the foundational lore of the McQueen brand were forged in the distinct energy of the British capital. McGirr’s personal journey with the city began when he first arrived from Ireland at the age of 17, a formative period that shaped his artistic sensibilities.
"I found my people here," he recalls, fondly remembering "a bunch of weirdos at Saint Martin’s."
His early life in London was defined by the quintessential experiences of a young, broke, and fiercely ambitious creative. His first home was situated on a council estate around Haggerston. Later, while deep into his studies, he spent three years living in a derelict former old people’s home in Camden, cleverly carving out space within the decaying structure to set up a makeshift sewing studio. By day, he became a familiar face in London’s world-class museums and galleries, and by night, he immersed himself in the city’s underground club and rave scenes. Among his daytime haunts, the National Gallery exerted a magnetic pull; one work in particular became an obsession that lingered in his mind for years: Piero della Francesca’s masterpiece, The Baptism of Christ.
"I would go to the National Gallery and just stare at this painting for ages," he notes, reflecting on the quiet moments of contemplation that balanced the kinetic energy of his youth.
This upcoming collection serves as a bridge, reconnecting McGirr not only with those deeply personal, formative London influences of his youth, but also bringing the modern house of McQueen back into the immediate orbit of its first-generation collaborators. Among them is the celebrated jeweler and sculptor Shaun Leane, whose historic, boundary-pushing creations alongside Alexander McQueen helped define the theatricality of the early runway shows. Leane has contributed to the upcoming presentation, creating a tangible link between the house’s legendary origins and its current chapter.
During a preview at the Clerkenwell studios, McGirr pulls back the curtain on some of the intricate craftsmanship driving the new collection. He showcases a striking silver hourglass dress, its heavy jacquard surface intricately overlaid with drifts of metallic foliage. The alloy leaves have been meticulously dipped in paint to create a shifting, iridescent play of tones, moving fluidly between different shades of silver and shadow. Beneath the fierce, almost armor-like construction of the upper garment, a delicate section of organza introduces unexpected lightness and movement to the base of the look.
"It’s a really quintessential McQueen silhouette," McGirr says, tracing the sharp, dramatic proportions back to the house’s late-2000s period, evoking the cinematic tension of Hitchcock heroines reimagined through a dark, modern lens. He pauses, then adds, "I love this idea of embroidery on top of things that are already decorative. Everything really needs to have energy. I don’t want anything to feel too solid or static."
To allow the collection—or the brand itself—to become static would run entirely counter to the restless, revolutionary spirit of Alexander McQueen himself. The late founder famously observed back in 2010 that fashion cannot afford to stand still, stating: "You can’t keep rehashing the same concepts of the good, the bad, and the ugly."
McGirr’s creative philosophy is deeply aligned with that sentiment. He views the immense pressure of the house’s heritage not as an anchor holding him back, but as a springboard for forward momentum.
"You can’t go back. You have to move forward," McGirr asserts. "He was the first one to chop everything up and move forward. You have to have the same thinking."
Embracing the freedom, risk, and fearlessness that such a mindset demands is the ultimate key to translating the enduring essence of Alexander McQueen into a contemporary context. As the fashion world gathers in London for the upcoming shows, Seán McGirr is set to put that philosophy into definitive practice on the runway.
