Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen is a British luxury fashion house founded in London in 1992 by the designer of the same name [2]. It specialises in couture, ready-to-wear, leather accessories and footwear, and its beauty presence has come mainly through licensed fragrances rather than an in-house cosmetics line. The house remains active: it operated 106 stores worldwide in 2025 and is owned by the French group Kering.

The founder, whose provocative early collections earned him the label "the hooligan of English fashion," built the brand's reputation on theatrical, confrontational shows. He designed 36 collections for his London label, was named British Designer of the Year four times between 1996 and 2003, and was appointed a CBE in 2003.

The label began in 1992 as the personal project of Alexander McQueen. Its early identity was shaped by pieces that drew both attention and criticism, including the low-slung "bumsters" trousers and a collection titled Highland Rape. That combination of technical tailoring and deliberate provocation defined the house's public image through the 1990s.

In December 2000 the Gucci Group acquired 51% of the company and retained McQueen as creative director [2]. Runway presentations moved from London to Paris beginning with the Spring/Summer 2002 collection. Through later corporate changes — Gucci Group became PPR and then Kering — the house passed to its present parent, Kering, where it sits alongside other fashion and luxury houses such as Gucci, Balenciaga and Bottega Veneta. The business expanded to about 100 stores by the end of 2020, with revenues estimated at €500 million that year [2].

Alexander McQueen died in February 2010, at a point when the company carried £32 million in debt [2]. Sarah Burton, who had been his deputy for 14 years, became creative director and held the role until 2023. During her tenure she designed Catherine Middleton's royal wedding dress in 2011. Seán McGirr succeeded her as creative director in October 2023 [2].

The house entered fragrance in January 2003 with its debut scent, Kingdom, developed with perfumer Jacques Cavallier; a second fragrance, My Queen, followed in 2006. These early releases were produced under a licence with YSL Beauté, a collaboration that ended in 2008 [3]. In 2007 the brand became the first fashion label to take part in MAC Cosmetics' designer-collaboration programme, with a collection inspired by the 1963 film Cleopatra.

Fragrance production later passed through a chain of licensing partners. Procter & Gamble's Prestige Beauty division signed a fragrance licence agreement with the house in 2013 [5], and in 2016 it launched McQueen Parfum, initially exclusive to Harrods and priced at $385 for 50ml. According to trade coverage, the fragrance was built around sambac jasmine, tuberose and ylang-ylang, with top notes of pink and black pepper and vetiver [3]. In January 2016, Coty Inc. confirmed that ten P&G fragrance licences — Alexander McQueen among them — would transfer to Coty, which became the current licensee for the house's fragrances [6].

Beyond the early Highland Rape and "bumsters" pieces, the house has drawn criticism at several points. The Autumn/Winter 2009 show, The Horn of Plenty, prompted accusations of misogyny. In 2010 the Hell's Angels motorcycle club filed a trademark-infringement lawsuit over a winged death's-head symbol used on merchandise; the matter was settled, with the offending items destroyed [2].

The house is active. Its official online store trades the current season's fashion collections, it reported 106 stores worldwide in 2025, and its fragrance line continues under the Coty licence [6]. The brand site functions as a fashion storefront and does not carry a beauty or fragrance section, since McQueen scents are sold through the licensing partner rather than directly.