When you see a woman wearing McQueen, there’s a certain hardness to the clothes that makes her look powerful. It kind of fends people off.
You can only go forward by making mistakes. I’m twenty-seven, not fifty-seven. I’m not Givenchy, I’m Alexander McQueen.
The turnover of fashion is just so quick and so throwaway, and I think that is a big part of the problem. There is no longevity.
I think sometimes I might scare the editors, because they might feel they’re getting old and they’re not understanding it. The problem lies on their side of the fence, not mine. I come from a different era and I design clothes for our era.
I’m not big on women looking naive.
There is a hidden agenda in the fragility of romance.
I always wanted to be a designer. I read books on fashion from the age of 12.
There’s blood beneath every layer of skin.
I like the concept of dressing people. I used to not care whether people bought the clothes or not, but I kind of like it now. I wouldn’t label that commercialism; it’s more like I do this work because I want people to wear it.
Some couture collections have everything including the kitchen sink! Everything gets thrown on to make it look expensive. I find it grotesque when clothes hit you in the face and there’s no room for fault. But I don’t expect to turn things around all by myself. I’m not a saint.
The explosion of museum exhibitions is only a mirror image of what has happened to fashion itself this millennium. With the force of technology, instant images and global participation, fashion has developed from being a passion for a few to a fascination – and an entertainment – for everybody.
I work with people I admire and respect. It’s never because of who they are.
I spent a long time learning how to construct clothes, which is important to do before you can deconstruct them.
I come from a different era and I design clothes for our era. I think of people I want to dress when I design.
You can get insular with fashion.
Youth culture now really looks back and embraces the past, but keeps it contemporary but not sticking to one particular style.
I like the idea of infiltrating an area that is not really exposed to me or my work.
I think there is beauty in everything.
There comes a time in your life when you focus solely on what you believe is right, regardless of what everybody else is doing.
When a woman gets dressed up to go out at night, she wants to give 50% away, and hold the rest back. If you’re an open book, there’s no allure.