Seán McGirr is the new creative director of Alexander McQueen. The news hit the press just a few days after Sarah Burton put her final collection on the McQueen runway in Paris. So who is McGirr? And what is his vision for Alexander McQueen?Alexander McQueen
Kering and @alexandermcqueen announced the appointment of Seán McGirr as Creative Director of the House last week.
Seán McGirr was previously Head of Ready-to-Wear at JW Anderson. He joined JW Anderson in 2020 to head up the men’s collections, eventually adding womenswear to his responsibilities. Prior to that, he was Women’s Designer for Dries Van Noten in Antwerp. From 2014 to 2018, he was part of Uniqlo’s creative offices in Tokyo and Paris working on the men’s collections guided by Christophe Lemaire. He started his career assisting at Burberry and Vogue Hommes Japan. An Irish national, born in Dublin, he is a graduate of Central Saint Martins in London, where he obtained a Master of Arts in Fashion in 2014.
Who’s the New Blood?
Prior to this, McGirr oversaw the menswear and womenswear collections as head of ready-to-wear at JW Anderson. The Irish designer is a graduate of Central Saint Martins in London. His background is extensive. His resume includes womenswear designer at Dries Van Noten, Burberry and Uniqlo.
McGirr’s hiring is a part of a larger trend in the industry. The corporations are selecting less well-known, up-and-coming designers from within their own ranks rather than selecting famous, established designers to take their place. Consider the appointment of Sabato de Sarno, a former Valentino head of ready-to-wear, to the position of director at Gucci, or the recent promotion of Matthieu Blazy to creative director at Bottega Veneta from design director.
The End of an Era…
“This collection is inspired by female anatomy, Queen Elizabeth I, the blood red rose and Magdalena Abakanowicz, a transgressive and powerfully creative artist who refused ever to compromise her vision. The show is dedicated to the memory of Lee Alexander McQueen, whose wish was always to empower women, and to the passion, talent and loyalty of my team.” Sarah Burton, Creative Director #McQueenAnatomy#AlexanderMcQueen #McQueenSS24
Burton spent 13 years with the British fashion brand. Her experience at the company overall, is 26 years with the company, at the time of her departure.
Before his death, she had worked closely with Lee Alexander McQueen, the label’s founder. Her last collection, for the spring/summer 2024 season, in an homage to McQueen’s philosophy of empowering women. Top models Kaia Gerber and Naomi Campbell were amongst the models that walked the show. This was met with a passionate standing ovation from the crowd for the last time as Burton displayed her collection.
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