A deep dive into Seán McGirr's debut for Alexander McQueen

One of the biggest new appointments for this edition of Paris Fashion Week was that of the young Irish designer Seán McGirr, who finally made his debut as the latest creative director of Alexander McQueen. As such, McGirr took to Paris for his first womenswear collection for the British brand’s autumn/winter 2024 season, where he in a way presented himself as a sort of new (and somewhat more perplexing) Jonathan Anderson.

Far from being gratuitous, the comparison between McGirr and Anderson, Loewe's creative director since 2013, is based on the clear concomitants and points of union that could easily be discovered from this debut, with what has been the evolution experienced over the last few years by both Loewe and the fashion house JW Anderson.

Both labels are still under the creative direction of Anderson, with whom McGirr had spent the last few years of his professional career, having joined JW Anderson in 2020 as the head of the brand’s men's division, later becoming director of ready-to-wear. McGirr was then named as Sarah Burton’s successor at Alexander McQueen in the beginning of October 2023, replacing Burton who was stepping down after a 13 year run at the helm, with her last collection being for the SS24 season.

Thus, McGirr stood out in Paris as one of the new creatives at the helm of an established house, adding to a series of awaited presentations for the season, beginning with the debut of German designer Chemena Kamali at Chloé. This was followed by McGirr, who closed the day of shows with his ‘Manifesto’ collection, a proposal about which the fashion house itself has offered no further details beyond a few brief lines and a more detailed description of each of the styles that ended up parading on the improvised catwalk, installed inside the Segro Centre Paris Les Gobelins, an old refurbished metro station in Paris's 13th arrondissement. The location served as a way for McGirr to establish the first point of union between his leadership and the house’s history, referencing McQueen’s taste for opting for “provocative” locations for his shows to arouse a clash of sensations among audiences.

Through this proposal, the aim is to exploit the sensations and impressions of "a rough opulence", "revealing the animal inside us", the British fashion house's management attempted to explain. To do so, McGirr drew "a compressed and elongated silhouette", with "embedded objects" and fabrics that "envelop" it, and with a knitted fabric that acquired a new "sculptural" dimension.

All of these elements present a clear relationship with what has been the creative language that has dominated the aesthetics of both Loewe and JW Anderson in recent years, which in no way implies a loss of originality in how McGirr will manifest them within the new universe that he has begun to give shape to as McQueen's new creative director. A purpose for which we won't even be able to unveil what came before, nor who contributed or influenced who more – McGirr to Anderson, or Anderson to McGirr – in what ends up leaving his choice by parent company Kering as a brilliant strategic decision, which can only be confirmed as the Irish designer continues to advance in his objective of relaunching the iconic fashion house.

The objective of Alexander McQueen already seems clear, however: to open a new chapter within the company, from which to promote its approach to the young generations of fashion consumers, encapsulating a new McQueen that must be capable of attracting them, while presenting itself as a clear direct competitor to Loewe itself. This in itself appears to be evident in the selection of the young McGirr and his ability to connect with new generations, as well as the more open and intergenerational character that the Spanish house has decided to open up to, in an equally strategic move to try to broaden the target audience.

Between ‘bird silhouettes’ and broken mirrors

Going into the particularities of this collection, first of all it is necessary to highlight how McGirr has not hesitated to bathe it in a series of elements so intimately linked to the McQueen house, and especially to the 1995 ‘Birds’ collection, as well as to the modern day. A past and a present that have been stripped and pushed to the forefront through tight and bright designs, in clear reference to McQueen's "plasticised" gowns for SS95. Motifs that at the core of this collection seem to build on an inspiring journey towards that natural world, where we can reconnect with that "animal we carry within us", without being devoid of risk. These dangers take shape in shiny "broken" clothes like the screens of a mobile phone, covered in the remains of the broken reflectors of a bicycle or armour that reflect cars that both distance us and protect us from the world that surrounds us.

Continuing with this analysis, the collection is presented based on a dark but vibrant chromatic palette, dominated by black. Colouring to which a wide range of shades, ranging from the purity of stained and textured whites to burgundy browns, beige, stone greys, reds, blues and lime greens, are in charge of providing luminosity and rhythm. A clash of tonal accents, against which the texturisation of fabrics and finishes acquires a special relevance, and among them are plasticised finishes of fur effects, chunky wool knits, animal prints, glossy leather or sumptuous velvets.

This contrasts the looks that open the collection, namely a "draped dress deformed in black laminated knit", which moves onto celebratory styles such as coats and dresses in "natural wool"; "hand-knitted" wool jumpers with a chunky knit; jackets and coats with rounded shoulders in wing effect; and tops/corsets in hand-brushed mohair.

In addition to those already mentioned, we can highlight a wool knit used in a sculptural stone/musk finish, embroidery of broken crystals and the metallic finish of corset dresses in a car body armour effect. A series of elements with which McGirr manages to present us with a brilliant composition based on a myriad of aviary-inspired silhouettes. The finale came in the form of “car dresses”, with which McGirr also seems to pay homage to his father, a mechanic by profession, closing the show of his first women's collection for Alexander McQueen.