Alexander McQueen, "The reason I took on Givenchy" in Ryuko Tsushin No.404 (march 1997)
In the fall of 1997, a young man from the British working class was appointed as a designer for a major maison in the Paris couture world. Alexander McQueen, the man at the center of the controversy, shares his thoughts on this topic, which was the biggest news in the fashion scene in 1996.
Alexander McQueen, now 27, was named as Givenchy's successor two weeks after he unveiled his latest collection in London. The task of leading this prestigious couture house into the 21st century now rests on his shoulders. He will be taking over from John Galliano, the “Enfant Terrible'' designer. As you may know, Galliano will be following the rules of the musical chairs game typical of the French fashion world and will become a designer at Christian Dior from next season. Meanwhile, McQueen emphasizes that he is facing anger in the French fashion world over the transfer of two major couture houses into the hands of young Brits.
“I'm not intimidated by Paris haute couture people. I'm not scared of them at all. I want to bring back the sophisticated ‘ease of wear’ that is unique to Givenchy. That's what I want to do. Ultimately, it's important to be true to yourself."
He also says that there is a need to stimulate people with an English touch.
“British fashion is known for charting the future. That's what is required. The UK is number one in the world when it comes to producing fashion designers. It's good to go back in history. It's been that way from the beginning. After all, wasn't Charles Worth (1825-1895, who worked as a fabric store clerk before opening the world's first haute couture store in Paris in 1857) an Englishman? He was the first person to practice couture in Paris."
He is confident that in the Machiavellian world of Paris fashion, he can restore the glory of Givenchy on one hand, and establish the individuality of “Alexander McQueen'' on the other hand.
On the day his appointment as designer was announced, he had already started designing the fall/winter ready-to-wear collection, and was working on the concept for the spring haute couture collection, to be shown in January. He also advised Givenchy executives not to expect magic. He says he's prepared for some criticism for the first few seasons until he perfects his own style.
“Such great things don't happen overnight. I don't expect people to jump on my designs right away. I just do what I want to do. People are free to like it or hate it.”
It's not like he spared any effort to become a Givenchy designer.
“I got this job because I have experience in men’s tailoring. I knew it was possible. I don't remember asking for it. They came to me."
Such statements are by no means mere bravado. After all, this designer once pulled down his pants and showed his butt to the British press sitting in the front row of a show (as revenge for not supporting him). He was surprisingly able to escape without receiving any punishment. In fact, they have just generously chosen McQueen 1996’s Designer of the Year.
But he spent quite a while trying to figure out whether he wanted the pressure that comes with working at Givenchy. He also says that he had decided to withdraw two days before the announcement. However, after discussions with his family and the advice of his close friend, stylist Isabella Blow (known for her work in British Vogue and other publications, she has supported him since he was a student), he changed his mind.
“It took me two weeks to figure out what I wanted to do at Givenchy. But in the end, I knew it. Once I stopped thinking about it, started calming down and started working, it would come naturally".
Although he has set up an apartment in Paris, he remains based in London and continues to work with the same team.
“There are no bumsters on the Givenchy runway,” McQueen says with a laugh. “Bumster'” refers to those terrifically low-crotch pants that are his trademark.
“While John (Galliano) focused on dresses and bias cuts, for me it was the tailoring that was the star. Hubert de Givenchy made a name for himself with the clean tailoring he learned from his work with Schiaparelli, influenced by Balenciaga right ? I want to bring back that sophisticated wearability. Givenchy couture requires more suits and everyday wear. Especially when it comes to ready-to-wear.”
One of his goals is to sell clothes, says McQueen. Galliano’s Givenchy received endless press attention, but not so much consumer interest. McQueen isn’t that far removed from reality. “John was immersed in pure romance, but my feets are firmly planted into the ground, and my clothes are straighter. Nowadays couture is seen as nothing more than a whim of the rich, but I want to make something that sells. In the 1940s and 1950s ordinary customers bought clothes. I want to go back to that era. I want not only mothers to wear them, but also their daughters to wear them too.”
His appointment at Givenchy coming only three years after graduating from Central St Martins School of Arts, he has made the impression that he is the number one growth stock in the fashion world. Born in London, McQueen’s father was a taxi driver and he’s always conscious of his working-class roots. His use of language and rude behavior created a complicated relationship with the press. Working in the fashion industry since he was 15, he trained as a pattern-cutter at Savile Row’s tailors Anderson & Shepherd and Gieves & Hawkes. He also worked as an assistant for Romeo Gigli and Koji Tatsuno before starting a two years master’s course at St Martins.
“The early collections were full of clothes that only the most serious fashion groupies would wear. However, recently, my direction has become clearer, and my clothes have been easier to wear than before.”
This spring’s collection source of inspiration is German artist Hans Bellmer’s 1949 works consisting of deformed dolls. The show’s venue, The Royal Horticultural Society’s hall, was turned into a temple with a 150 yard pool filled with 2 inches of water. The models walk through this water while making splashes. He calls this collection a retrospective of the various concepts he has developed over the years. However, there are few other designers other than McQueen who can create new ideas one after another while looking at the past.
He says he’s never affected by pressure. Even after stepping into the world of couture he said “At first I couldn’t decide whether I should take on Givenchy, but now I see it as a conquest. I’m very excited.”
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(This interview was first published in Japanese in Ryuko Tsushin No.404 from March 1997, and translated for the first time in English by the Archaism studio team.)