It’s been more than six years since the death of iconic enfant terrible Lee Alexander McQueen, who continues to intrigue and inspire as much now as he did when sending baby Gisele and plumber’s cracks down the runway in the 90s. The spectacular exhibition of his work, Savage Beauty, prompted the Victoria and Albert museum to stay open 24 hours a day when it opened there in March last year, while his “Jack the Ripper Stalks His Victims” graduate collection even inspired one enterprising Central Saint Martins student to create a leather textile grown from McQueen’s own skin.
One of the many fascinating elements of the late legend’s short life was his tumultuous relationship with Isabella Blow, the editor credited with discovering McQueen and who remained a muse throughout his revolutionary career. This relationship will be the basis of a new film called The Ripper, reports Variety. Maven Pictures will helm the feature-length drama, with Gesha-Marie Bland in charge of scriptwriting. Whether the film will explore McQueen’s working class East End beginnings (or passion for birdwatching) is yet to be announced, as is who will actually play the legend and his hat-savvy muse.
Related link: an interview with Alexander McQueen from the Graduate issue, 2002
Credits
Text Hannah Ongley
Photography Craig McDean
[The Influential Issue, No. 170, November 1997]