On this date in 1969, fashion designer Lee Alexander McQueen was born in London’s East End, the son of a taxi driver. He dropped out of school at 16 to apprentice himself to Savile Row tailors, worked for Romeo Gigli and Koji Tatsuno, then completed his master’s at Central St. Martins College of Art and Design in 1991.
McQueen soon introduced his own label and was named chief designer at Givenchy in 1996. McQueen won several “Best British Designer” awards. Among his famous clients were David Bowie and Kate Winslet, for whom he designed her “Titanic” dress.
In 2000 he had a marriage ceremony with his partner George Forsyth, a documentary filmmaker. At age 40 in 2010, McQueen committed suicide in his London home. He had suffered from anxiety and depression for some time. (D. 2010)
