Seán McGirr Makes His Debut at Alexander McQueen

Ana Colón

March 2, 2024 at 7:01 PM·7 min read

The industry puts a lot of pressure on a designer's debut. It's arguably when the brand has the most eyeballs on it, the captive audience expecting to be dazzled or sorely disappointed. Seán McGirr's first collection for Alexander McQueen, which debuted on a rainy Saturday night in Paris' 13th arrondissement during Paris Fashion Week, was even more charged: When Lee McQueen passed away, the keys were given to his longtime deputy, who, for many years, steered the ship with a careful consideration of the founder's legacy — meaning that McGirr would be the first person to lead the brand without a direct connection to Lee.

The Irish designer was a relative unknown when he was announced as Sarah Burton's replacement shortly after her final show in October. Up until that point, he'd mostly been behind the scenes. The Central Saint Martins alum had built up an impressive resume, though, with stints at Uniqlo (for Christophe Lemaire's line), Dries Van Noten and JW Anderson. Still, his aesthetic was unfamiliar to the masses — and the only thing the public could glean was that his strength appeared to be in menswear.

Tack on the fact that he's taking over at a time when there's increased scrutiny on the hiring process for these top jobs at fashion houses, which tend to go to white men, like McGirr. To his credit, he does acknowledge this, telling Nicole Phelps in a profile in Vogue published ahead of his Fall 2024 debut: "I'm really happy and really proud that my announcement sparked this discussion about diversity. I've worked around the world, and I've always noticed that diversity breeds creativity. I think it's really important to keep that conversation going."

Leading up to the show, there was goodwill towards McGirr, as well as genuine excitement about something totally new at a brand with such a rich, beloved and well-known history. However, there was also a nervousness: The Alexander McQueen archives are as close as fashion gets to a sacred text, so often referenced and imitated, reshared on feeds and discussed by fashion enthusiasts ad nauseam. People are rightfully protective of the brand.

Speaking to press backstage, McGirr said he didn't feel intimidated by the challenge in front of him — or, at least, he didn't see it that way. "I feel like Lee McQueen's message that he put out into the world is so relevant, it's more relevant than ever," he explained. "When I see the girls in the shows in the '90s, he was doing the opposite of what was happening in mainstream fashion in a way. The models looked like people on the fringes, the outsiders. That's something I'm really interested in."

McGirr does have obvious reverence for Lee. His first campaign for the brand starred two of the late designer's muses, Debra Shaw and Frankie Rayder, and revived the original McQueen logo. (Shaw and Rayder also walked the runway on Saturday.) The Fall 2024 collection is inspired by Lee's Spring 1995 line, titled "The Birds" — "the idea of these simple garments that had a slight twist to them and the idea of a compressed silhouette," McGirr told press. "I try to start with that essence of what is in that collection and bring it forward into more experimental ideas."

He did admit that he hasn't had time to really dig deep into the archives. He pulled two of the most noticeable motifs in his collection — the acid yellow and the T chain adorning the back of many looks — from original Lee designs. But, overall, McGirr's approach was to not just rehash or revisit already-beloved looks (prudent), but rather do something totally different, that communicates his interpretation of the brand's spirit.

Backstage, he spoke about wanting his McQueen to feel "uplifting" and "upbeat" — "there should be a lightness in the air somehow," he said. And, to Vogue, he talked about making pieces that "shouldn't feel too hard to live in," with an eye towards growing the ready-to-wear business, specifically.

Truthfully, it's hard to imagine a collection that would've felt satisfying right off the bat. And the industry is quick to make up its mind on someone's work, without giving them space to work through their ideas and find their footing.

Still, at least in this first show, there seems to be a big disconnect between what McGirr says his work is versus what we see on the runway: It's hard to imagine a stiff, quadruple-collar oversized wool knit that goes from your cheekbones down to your upper arm, or a single-sleeved draped dress that constricts arm movement, or a brushed mohair double-face knit corset that obscures the bottom half of your face as amenable to everyday wear.

There are some ideas worth exploring, especially when it comes to the outerwear. (The wrap-waist leather raincoats are slick and elegant, as is the studded bomber jacket.) But the overall vision doesn't yet feel cohesive, nor understanding of the way women want to dress right now. It doesn't look particularly comfortable, either — save for the hooded funnel-neck jumper, which I would love to curl into.

The conclusion I come to, though, is that I hope McGirr is given the time to embed himself and come into conversation with the house's history, and find how his voice fits into this next chapter.

See the full Alexander McQueen Fall 2024 collection below.