Seán McGirr leaves McQueen as Kering seeks a “bold new direction”
After three years, Seán McGirr is stepping down as creative director of McQueen. He showed his last collection in London in September. A successor is to be named soon.
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Video: YouTube · McQueen · youtube.com
Luxury group Kering confirmed on 15 October that Seán McGirr is leaving the creative leadership of Alexander McQueen. The former ready-to-wear head at J.W. Anderson succeeded Sarah Burton in October 2023 and showed his first collection in March 2024. Kering CEO Luca de Meo thanked him for his “contribution and dedication” and said the group aims to “establish a bold new direction for the house, building on its unique heritage of exceptional tailoring.” A successor is to be announced soon and will be based in London.
According to FashionNetwork, McGirr's collections drew a mixed critical response and targeted a younger market than Burton's. McQueen is currently being restructured, including significant store downsizing, and the label is believed to turn over less than €300 million. The exit comes less than a week after it was announced that Anthony Vaccarello is leaving Saint Laurent. McGirr said his vision had been “grounded in the interplay between raw, visceral, human beauty and the precision and rigour at the heart of the House.”
McGirr presented his final collection, for spring/summer 2027, in September at Lincoln's Inn Chapel – the brand's first London show under his direction. He blended rave culture with the calm of Piero della Francesca's paintings: evening gowns with wing-like panniers, jackets with sleeves cut like angel wings and tailoring made with Savile Row's Huntsman. “I was thinking of London – grandiose, and brutal,” he said. The video can be watched on McQueen's official YouTube channel.