Despite all the headlines and whispers that the Alexander McQueen label is up for grabs, it remains where it’s always been, under Kering’s minimal logo and thin lettering. The runways may dazzle from time to time, but backstage it’s all Kering calling the shots, and what’s really happening is a complete rethinking of the brand’s creative and business direction. The pressure is big, but its the house’s history that gives it weight.
The Kering Effect
If you think the McQueen shake-up is just industry gossip, think bigger. The French luxury group went in with scissors, about a quarter of London HQ staff got the chop, basically hitting the restart button the company couldn’t dodge anymore. Doors continued to close, no more keeping boutiques open just for vibes, and certainly no more McQ. The sub-label is officially on ice, benched while Kering figures out whether it should relaunch as a digital-friendly Gen Z line or vanish for good. Call it corporate detox. One that should’ve been done years ago. The label’s mothership pulls things together so current McQueen can finally stop being barely-there and hopefully start performing again.
Future Perfect McQueen
McQueen’s sales haven’t exactly been flirting with the brand lately, and today’s shoppers are far too clever to be spending on heritage alone. So the house is stripping back to what defines it, figuring out what still feels iconic, what deserves the archive and what is destined to stay in screenshots forever. With a new vision in the works, the big question is what does McQueen look like when it stops relying on its past and starts designing for a future that’ll actually open wallets?
The reboot isn’t about reliving its glory days, it’s simply fighting to stay in the luxury ring. Let’s face it, no creative director under the sun is ever going to bring back what Alexander Lee McQueen built in his era. The industry keeps trying to force the label’s collections to carry the same shock factor and emotional punch, but those days are gone, and they’ve been gone for a long time. So maybe this reset is exactly what needed to happen. A long-overdue acceptance that the McQueen we mourned isn’t coming back, and that the future version doesn’t have to pretend it will.
