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Alexander McQueen was a British fashion designer who worked as chief designer at Givenchy from 1996 to 2001 and then founded his own Alexander McQueen label in 1992. Hailed as an industry prodigy, he died by suicide in 2010 at the age of 40 at his home in Mayfair, London.
One of McQueen’s most celebrated catwalk shows was his 2001 Spring/Summer collection, named ‘VOSS’.
A reflective glass case dominated the centre of the room, forcing the seated audience to view their own reflection. The show purposefully started late, adding to a sense of unease, upon which lights came on inside the glass case and revealed the interior to be filled with moths and a naked model (British writer Michelle Olley) on a chaise longue with her face obscured by a gas mask. The glass walls fell away and smashed on the ground. The show also featured Kate Moss and Erin O’Connor.
The British fashion photographer Nick Knight later said “…It was probably one of the best pieces of Fashion Theatre I have ever witnessed.”
