Inspiration
The Queen Leaves McQueen
Fashion giant Sarah Burton has stepped down from her throne after more than 25 years as creative director of Alexander McQueen.
I remember my first time coming face to face with the work of Alexander McQueen. The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art honored him with a posthumous retrospective, Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, in 2011, only a year after his untimely passing.
I trekked fifty blocks uptown after a long day of working for free in the sewing room of a major fashion house. I didn’t have enough money to get uptown and then get home, so I walked. My boss had let us out early in order for us to catch the show, but having to walk landed me uptown at the same time as everyone else, so I ended up standing in line for three hours before gaining entrance. It was worth every second.
As I studied the intricate details of McQueen’s work, falling more and more in love with fashion, I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen to his brand in his wake. How could anyone take his place? And more important: how would the brand survive?
Sarah Burton, who had started at the house of McQueen in 1997, was tasked with leading a brand with an Alexander-sized shadow looming over it. I can’t imagine the strength necessary to run a major fashion house, deal with the loss of a close friend, and know that the world would compare you to him—your legacy tied to his. But somehow she did the impossible and found her own creative voice.
When I think of Sarah Burton’s knitwear (knit, crochet, Irish crochet, and tatting), I think of sculptural shapes, texture, embroidery, and oh so many cables. She brought a warmth to the McQueen brand that had not previously been there, while at the same time creating strong, almost armorlike silhouettes. Her goal has always been to empower the wearer. Her knitwear pieces simultaneously make you want to touch them and tell you to stay away.
Over the years some have criticized her designs for being safer than Alexander McQueen’s work. But in the end she saved the house of McQueen from going under and left a lasting mark on the fashion world.
Alexander McQueen is owned by Kering, a multibillion-dollar company you may never have heard of. Kering owns a huge number of the brands you know and love, including Gucci, Saint Laurent, and Bottega Veneta.
Burton’s departure means that there is no longer a woman at the head of any major fashion house owned by Kering. The loss of her voice in the room is monumental. With the announcement of Burton’s successor, Seán McGirr, the reality is that the brands owned by Kering will be run exclusively by white men. From NotJustALabel.com:
“Over 85% of graduating majors from top fashion schools are female and one in six individuals employed by the fashion industry globally identifies as female (Fair Trade Certified), but only around 14% of the top 50 major fashion brands are run by women (2018). More women are graduating with a fashion education than men, but instead of giving them a competitive edge to climb the industry ranks, women are still primarily running the shop floors and design studios as opposed to the houses themselves.”
To paraphrase Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, there is a trickle-down effect in fashion. While the looks that Burton created might never end up on our needles or hooks, she inspired countless handknit designers whose patterns we do make.
In no way do I want to take away from the accomplishments of these men, many of whom I am a fan. But if there is only one perspective at the top of these houses, what does that mean for fashion? And what will that mean for the pool of inspiration that the pattern designers you love will be drawing from over the next few years?
Only time will tell what the fashion world will do about this loss and how it will decide to move forward. But I, for one, want to take a moment to honor the knitwear (and yes, that includes crochet, Irish crochet, and tatting) that Burton meticulously created.
Let me know in the comments below if you see any similarities in the knits pictured here to patterns you’ve made over the last decade. I hope that you find it as inspirational as I do.
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It so sad to hear that not one woman heads the houses owned by Kering. Fashion will suffer for it. The knitwear is AMAZING from the McQueen house. Those balloon sleeves remind me of a coat I knit in the early 70’s, which I wish I still had!
Thank you, Samantha, for bringing the work of Sarah Burton to our attention. I’ve long been troubled by the predominance of men at the head of deciding women’s fashion. Like you, there are many men leading fashion companies that I admire, but I would really like to see more women leading the industry that has such influence over what women wear.
So interesting! I didn’t know anything about these inner workings at the major fashion houses. And the photos of those knits are amazing, thanks for sharing Samantha.
I am not sure which is more sad – the fact that there was only one female house head or the fact that I am not surprised. Ballet is the same way; female dancers dominate but artistic directors for major companies are overwhelmingly white males. Incredibly talented white males but still…
When I was growing up, Helen Reddy sang, “I am Woman,” and Shirley Chisolm was my mother’s favorite Congressional representative (we were in NYC but not Ms. Chisolm’s district). I really thought we would be much further along towards equality by now.
Bravo! Thank you, Samantha, for diving deeper into the impacts of this news.
I saw that incredible retrospective, too, and it took my breath away. Let’s hope there is someone in the wings with such creative drive.
A side note:
The models pictured are beautiful, in part because they are somewhat androgynous. But speaking of Things Never Changing”, when will the fashion industry as well as millions of other users of models begin to use beautiful, normally shaped people to present their creations? Yes, “Thin Sells”, but isn’t that because we’re bombarded constantly with the implication that only Very Very Thin is beautiful? A vicious circle for sure!
I noticed that, too, but was more concerned that 85% of graduates of fashion schools are women, but only 1 in 6 people in the industry are women – there’s something wrong here and I hope it’s a typo!
Thanks for this fascinating article Samantha. I have shared it with my son who is studying costume design and he loves it too ❤️