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Born
in the East End of London on 17 March 1969, the
son of a taxi driver, Alexander, whose real name
is Lee McQueen, started running up dresses for
his three sisters at a young age and announced
his intention of becoming a top designer. McQueen
went on to leave school at 16, landing himself
an apprenticeship with top Savile Row tailors
Anderson and Shepherd, then working for Gieves
and Hawkes and the famous theatrical costumiers
Angels and Bermans. While on Savile Row, McQueen's
clients included Mikhail Gorbachev and Charles,
Prince of Wales. The rumor is that McQueen graffitied
four-letter words into the lining of the Prince's
Savile Row jackets. When he was 20, McQueen went
on to work for Koji Tatsuno and Romeo Gigli. McQueen
applied to London's most prestigious fashion school,
Central St Martins College of Art & Design
for a Masters Degree. Though he had no formal
education, he was immediately admitted on the
strength of his portfolio. He graduated from Central
Saint Martins College of Art and Designin 1991.
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his own studio in East London in 1992, McQueen
developed a reputation for controversy and shock
tactics (earning the title "enfant terrible"
and "the hooligan of English fashion"),
with trousers aptly named "bumsters",
and a collection entitled "Highland Rape".
His provocative designs attracted a small but
loyal clientele, including such influential fashion
figures as stylist Isabella Blow, who purchased
everything from his first collection, and was
said to have persuaded McQueen to change his name
from Lee to Alexander when he launched his fashion
career. (It has also been claimed that he was
on income support and that he needed to change
his name for his first show so that he could continue
to receive cheques.)
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