# McQueen's London homecoming tests fashion's biggest question

> Seán McGirr brings Alexander McQueen back to London Fashion Week after 23 years away, forcing the industry to reckon with what the brand can be under corporate ownership.
- Title: McQueen's London homecoming tests fashion's biggest question
- Summary: Seán McGirr brings Alexander McQueen back to London Fashion Week after 23 years away, forcing the industry to reckon with what the brand can be under…
- Keywords: alexander mcqueen, seán mcgirr, london fashion week, christopher kane, mulberry, kering group, sarah burton, fashion design, luxury brands, brand heritage, McQueen's, London
- Source: Vanity Fair — https://vanityfair.com/story/london-fashion-week-mcqueen-mulberry-christopher-kane
- Author: José Criales-Unzueta
- Published: 2026-09-21T23:32:02.511+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: alexander mcqueen, seán mcgirr, london fashion week, christopher kane, mulberry, kering group, sarah burton, fashion design, luxury brands, brand heritage
## London's fashion exodus to Paris
Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano, and Lee Alexander McQueen all started in London but eventually moved to Paris, where haute couture's prestige has long pulled the world's top designers.
## An unknown takes the McQueen helm
When Seán McGirr, a relatively unknown designer from JW Anderson, took over Alexander McQueen in October 2023 after Sarah Burton's exit, the fashion world was shocked. Burton had kept the brand alive for 13 years after McQueen's death in 2010.
## McGirr's debut divides the crowd
McGirr's first McQueen collection in March 2024 sparked polarized reactions. It lacked Burton's polish but seemed intentional, as if McGirr wanted to return McQueen to its raw, edgy roots.
## McQueen returns to London after 23 years
McGirr brought the spring-summer 2027 show back to London Fashion Week, which McQueen left in 2001. The show took place in a historic Tudor-era gatehouse in Bloomsbury with tall stone arches.
## Neoclassicism meets London rave culture
McGirr drew inspiration from Piero della Francesca's Renaissance painting The Baptism of Christ at the National Gallery, wanting to blend neoclassicism with London's rave culture to create tension.

> "This painting represents this idea of transcendence, serenity, these words I could not get out of my mind."
## Cyberdog and the London attitude
McGirr cited Camden's Cyberdog Rave Bar, which he visited at age 13, as inspiration. He enlisted producer A.G. Cook, known for collaborating with Charli XCX, to create the show's soundtrack.

> "There's a different attitude in London; there is a playful edge. I love the wrongness."
## The archive is worth more than the company
A Naomi Campbell ensemble from Lee McQueen's final show sold for 1.586 million dollars at auction. An Italian editor suggested McQueen's archive could be worth more than the brand itself under Kering Group ownership.
## Can a corporation deliver artistic grit?
McQueen under its founder felt urgent and raw, like a personal journal. But now it's a luxury maison owned by Kering that dresses celebrities and sells four-thousand-dollar handbags. Can McGirr deliver both art and commerce?
## Christopher Kane tackles Mulberry
Christopher Kane, who shut down his eponymous label three years ago, debuted Mulberry by Christopher Kane at London Fashion Week. The brand needs to reclaim the "It" factor it once had with bags like the Bayswater and Alexa.
## Kane's austere first move for Mulberry
Kane's debut collection was austere and severe rather than the "It-girl catnip" some expected. He repeated the Bayswater bag's flap outline through seams and hems, signaling a clear strategy to build the label around leathergoods language.

> "He landed the plane!"
## Two brands, one shared challenge
Both McQueen and Mulberry face the same test at London Fashion Week: can they blend heritage with fresh energy? McGirr and Kane represent beloved designers tasked with reviving contemporary luxury brands that have lost their edge.
## Key takeaway

Legacy fashion brands face an impossible tension: fans demand the raw artistic vision of their founders, but corporate owners need profitable, polished collections.