Alexander Mcqueen showcases its Autumn/Winter womenswear collection in a new campaign, offering emboldened silhouettes and mushroom motifs. The campaign further affirming how creative director, Sarah Burton boldly extends McQueen’s legacy by preserving the fashion house’s mould-breaking roots.
Alexander McQueen understands depth and dimension. McQueen’s AW22 Womenswear campaign finds its way thru the lens of Paolo Roversi. The result is a cosmos of garments. The use of shadow artistically frames models Achenrin Madit, Awar Odhiang, Celina Ralph, Florence Nicholls, Lucia Fairfull and Wang Han.
The dark and shadowy series of images epitomises the brand’s defiant nod to tradition and gothic allure. This is evident in combinations of high-definition shapes and bold textiles. Jackets receive expert tailoring and trousers come complete with bright yellow and black spore prints.
Leather, stud and strap motifs permeate the looks, a nod to the everpresent influence of punk subculture. In one image, Lucia Fairfull wears a black twisted biker jacket with a fishnet skeletal corset dress featuring interconnecting seam detailing. This finds pairing with an asymmetric drape skirt.
In another image, Awar Odihang clutches onto a black McQueen jewelled satchel bag encrusted with antique silver studs. Paired with a black slashed bustier dress with a draped skirt, it seems that Alexander McQueen’s distinctive take on fashion hasn’t faded, producing looks that are inevitable eye catchers.
Mushroom Muse
The collection – inspired by the notion of community, more specifically by mycelium, communicates the reality of nature as a long-standing, age-old community.
Mycelium is a network of fungal web-like threads known as hyphae. Through mycelium, fungus absorbs nutrients from its environment and connects trees with one another. For Burton, this root network right beneath our feet, becomes a metaphor for the interconnectedness of us all.
“Given everything that has happened over the past two years, that seems more important than ever. As a community we are infinitely more able to restore, reinvent, rejuvenate – heal.” Said Sarah Burton
Mushroom and mycelium clearly inspires the looks from the AW22 campaign. Throughout, it exhibits profound tailoring and craftsmanship. In one portrait, Achenrin Madit wears a black fishnet dress with bright red detailing, and yellow and acid green crystal mushroom embroidery. The vivid colours represent mycelia, with long silk fringing in a multitude of colours.
Inserts of acid greens and bright yellows juxtapose the sea of black; offering a charming splash of vibrancy. Burton says,
“I wanted it to have a pace to it and an energy to it … and there to be colour … I wanted it to have a vibrancy.”
Alexander McQueen’s AW22 campaign captures undeniable energy within the fabrics of each look. The bardot leather mini dresses, the deconstruction of its denim textiles. Burton certainly produces a lineage of versatile evening wear fit for every occasion and atmosphere. View and shop the full collection here.
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