McQueen “He really liked Sinéad O’Connor. I always remember him walking along, listening to Sinéad O’Connor.” - John McKitterick, Designer for ‘Red or Dead’ during McQueen’s time there. Previously unseen home videos and interviews from family and friends tell Lee Alexander McQueen’s story in a new, intimate way in ‘McQueen’. Directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui were careful to keep the focus on the late designer and off the fabrics. “We didn’t want to make a fashion film. We made a film about an extraordinary man who happened to work in fashion,” Bonhôte said. Rather than overshadow the ups and downs that affected McQueen, his monumental runway shows—from his 1992 ‘Central Saint Martins’ 'Jack the Ripper’ debut to his 2010 ‘Plato’s Atlantis’ collection—serve as chapters within the film. When Ettedgui first heard about the project, he knew he had to be a part of it, “even if I was just making the tea!” Chubby, working class and obsessed with the music of Sinead O’Connor the young Lee McQueen was not an obvious fit for a career in fashion. But armed with little more than cocksure charm and a habit of doodling frocks when he should have been studying at school the teenaged McQueen talked himself into an apprenticeship at a Savile Row tailors. From this, he learned the craftsmanship for which he was famous, but it was a course at ‘Central Saint Martins’ funded by his Aunt Renee’s savings which launched him into the eye of the fashion world. His inspirations were diverse. The east London upbringing emerged, twisted and reconfigured, in nods to Bedlam and the Ripper. His Scottish ancestry was referenced in the controversial ‘Highland Rape’ collection and ‘Widows Of Culloden’ which saw a life size hologram of Kate Moss suspended above the runway. ‘McQueen’ will be released in UK cinemas on June 8, 2018. #neonurchin #neonurchinblog #dedicatedtothethingswelove #suzyurchin #ollyurchin #art #music #photography #fashion #film #words #pictures #neon #urchin #leealexandermcqueen #mcqueen #documentaryfilm #designer #fashion #iconic #isabellablow #savillerow #genius
