The luxury goods group has unexpectedly announced the departure of the artistic director of the House of Alexander McQueen. Sarah Burton had worked in style for 23 years, including 13 as Creative Director.
Another pebble in the shoe or an opportunity for Kering?
While all eyes are now on Gucci, its flagship fashion house, in the midst of its transition, François-Henri Pinault’s group is facing another emergency.
Without any warning, Kering surprised everyone by announcing the end of its Alexander McQueen collaboration with Sarah Burton.
Last show in September
“The Spring-Summer 24 show, to be held in Paris in September, will conclude a successful partnership that began when Sarah Burton became Creative Director of the Couture House in May 2010, after working alongside Lee Alexander McQueen for over 14 years,” the group explained in a statement.
But many points remain to be clarified.
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Firstly, the name of the designer’s future replacement. “A new creative organization for the house will be announced in due course“, says Kering for the moment.
For her part, Sarah Burton said she was “looking to the future and eager to open a new chapter”. Which chapter? Some observers suggest that the designer may well want to create a Maison in her own name. At 49 years of age, she has enough experience and hindsight to take on the adventure… But it’s also a challenge for the woman who spent the first part of her career working for Alexander McQueen.
Sarah Burton said she was “very proud” of all she had “achieved” and of “her incredible team at Alexander McQueen”.
She thanked François-Henri Pinault for believing in her and “offering her this exceptional opportunity”. And, “above all”, she expressed her gratitude to Lee Alexander McQueen. “He taught me so much, and for that I am eternally grateful,” she stressed.
Entered as an intern
Indeed, Lee Alexander McQueen, eponymous founder of his House in 1992, bought by Kering in 2001, was Sarah Burton’s providential mentor before she herself proved herself in his wake.
The designer joined Alexander McQueen as an intern in 1996, a year before graduating from the prestigious Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design.
Four years later, she was already running the women’s ready-to-wear studio.
And when Lee Alexander MCQueen took his own life in 2010, Kering asked her to take over as Creative Director.
A mission she took up at the drop of a hat, with great talent. This was no easy task, given Lee Alexander McQueen’s tormented, genial and visionary personality, which had left its mark on the fashion world.
She has continued to embody the style of a House that, according to Kering, “is distinguished by an innovative and uncompromising expression of boundless creativity” and “represents the power of individuality, subversive strength and provocative elegance“.
Kate Middleton’s dress
Sarah Burton had entered the media spotlight when, just one year after Lee Alexander MCQueen’s death, she designed Kate Middleton’s dress for her wedding to Prince William (April 2011).
Under her leadership, according to FashionNetwork, Alexander MCQueen’s collections became more feminine and the House moved towards a more global universe. Although undisclosed by its owner, sales are estimated at 700-800 million euros. This is certainly much less than the group’s powerhouse, Maison Gucci (10.48 billion euros by 2022), or even Saint Laurent (3.3 billion euros) or Bottega Veneta (1.74 billion euros). But this puts it not far behind Balenciaga (around 1.2 billion euros in 2021).
It will be the mission of Gianfilippo Testa, the House’s new CEO since 2022, to give new impetus to the House, starting with finding a suitable replacement for Sarah Burton. He was quick to salute Burton “for her contribution to such an important chapter in the history of Alexander McQueen”. For him, “Sarah’s imprint over the last 26 years will leave an indelible mark”. Extending the House’s history will therefore be a real challenge…
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Front page photo: Alexander McQueen
