April 10, 2020 |
Craving your fashion fix during lockdown? There’s no need for you to look further than Alexander McQueen. The brand has been quick and crafty in creating quality content to keep their community entertained and inspired. Last week marked the launch of McQueen Creators, an Insta campaign that invited the brand’s followers to artistically engage with a selection of images pulled from both McQueen’s latest and most legendary collections, which includes digital tutorials from the McQueen team and their long-time collaborators. The theme rotates each week, with the focus currently on the Sarabande flower dress that ‘s installed at the Roses exhibition at Alexander McQueen’s New Bond Street open studio.
And that’s not all. The McQueen team are virtually opening the doors to their own studio, giving exclusive, never-before-seen access into the makings of their collections.“The connection between the clothes was the time it took to make them,” wrote creative director Sarah Burton in an official press release. “I was interested in clarity and paring things down to the essence of garments – stripping back to the toile. I love the idea of people having time to make things together, to meet and talk together, to reconnect with the world.”
This week the focus will be on the beetled linen that was used to create a large chunk of the brand’s phenomenal SS20 collection. Beetled by William Clark, the oldest linen mill in Ireland (and the only remaining specialist in garment beetling), the linen is distinct for both its pressed and natural sheen. Over the upcoming days, you will be able to witness the rarefied technique that goes into crafting the beetled linen which is highly elaborate and time-consuming. To successfully beetle the linen required the McQueen team to full ensemble garments before dissembling them again, sending the individual pieces to the mill for them to be hand-painted with potato stark and hammered by wooden blocks. The pieces were then sent back to the McQueen studio for the garments to be remade once again. The final outcomes were the exquisite trompe l-oeil tailored jacket and the crisp, white puffed-sleeved dress that opened the show.
Need something to listen to whilst you’re witnessing such McQueen magic? It just so happens the brand has got you covered for that as well. McQueen Music, a new initiative that allows followers to stream music taken from McQueen fashion shows, is now available on Spotify. John Gosling, who has soundtracked McQueen shows for over 20 years, has packed nine hours worth of music into a playlist that will keep growing from here on out. Pop your headphones in and enter the mystical world of McQueen.
All images courtesy of Alexander McQueen. Keep locked into @AlexanderMcQueen for all things #McQueenCreators.
