The pressure is arguably higher for McGirr: he succeeded Sarah Burton, who left Alexander McQueen last September after 26 years at the brand, 13 as creative director — during which she won plaudits for balancing the brand’s couture ethos with a strong ready-to-wear offer. He has “big shoes to fill”, as Vogue Runway’s Sarah Mower put it. His debut collection for Alexander McQueen, with its exaggerated neck knits, shearling jacket and jet-beaded pantsuits, was met with mixed reviews, straying far from Burton’s work, shooting for a younger audience with a less tailored silhouette.
There’s a lot riding on this next show. “Who is the McQueen woman going to be under the new direction, are we digging in the archives or is there a new vision for the future that will take the house forward into new territories?” Johnson asks.
“The first collection was about exploring and interpreting the codes of McQueen — with much more explicit references. This one feels like an evolution with a focus on signature silhouettes, tailoring and craft. I wanted to look at the distinctive house codes through a contemporary lens — to explore how the McQueen energy translates now,” McGirr tells Vogue Business over email.
McGirr only started on 1 December — two months before the show. “Honestly, the first collection was a sprint,” he says. “We had two months to work on it, and McQueen is a house with such a huge legacy that you want time to really immerse yourself in it. I’ve had six months to do that now, connecting with the depth and nuances of the McQueen world and with my incredible team.”
This additional time is important, says Picart, but also raises expectations. “The press is more lenient for the first [show]. It’s just a draft; the designer often runs out of time. For the second, the creative director has the same time as the rest of the industry.”
Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@voguebusiness.com.
More from this author:
Paris Fashion Week cheat sheet: Spring/Summer 2025
Inside Boucheron’s big US expansion
Sarah Burton is Givenchy’s new creative director
