“I learned a lot from her death ... that life is worth living,” said Alexander McQueen on the death-by-suicide of his best friend and fashion legend, Isabella Blow in 2007. Yet, he chose to take his own life by hanging himself. His body was discovered by his housekeeper on February 11, 2010. Fashion was dispossessed of a person known as the industry's enfant terrible. The world was deprived of an individual who defined crazy fashion and put together some of the most elaborate and original shows in fashion history.

Lee Alexander McQueen was the youngest of six siblings and knew from a very young age that he wanted to become a designer. From sowing clothes for his sister, Lee, at the age of 16 developed technical skills at cutting jackets while working as an apprentice at Savile Row before he moved to Gieves & Hawkes where he applied the same to making trousers. While at Savile Row he fit famous clients such as Prince Charles and once boasted that he scribbled profanity in the lining of Prince Charles's coat with a tailor's chalk.

He moved on to Angels & Bermans to work on theatrical costumes and worked on big musicals such as Les Miserables. During this entire time, he continued working on mastering his skills in pattern cutting, and would often use methods applied from earlier centuries, much of which is still visible in his work today. From there he went to work for Koji Tatsuno (while the designer was still under the patronage of Yohji Yamamoto) before moving to Milan to work with his idol, Romeo Gigli, who at that time (late-80s) was at the peak of his popularity.

Lee returned from Milan in 1990 with the intent of teaching pattern-making and cutting at the prestigious Central Saint Martin's College of Art and Design, but instead of a teaching position he was offered to enroll for a Masters degree in design. When he graduated in 1992, his entire thesis collection was bought by the influential stylist and icon, Isabella Blow. She would prove to be instrumental in Lee's success as she subsequently went on to become his patron, muse and self-proclaimed PR agent. With her help, he quickly established a reputation for being the l'enfant terrible of the fashion industry owing to his oft -controversial, shocking yet delightful collections.

He established his own label at the Bluebird Garage at King's Road and in October 1996, after only having produced eight collections, he was appointed Designer-in-Chief at Givenchy in Paris. Lee was just 27 at the time. He was also replacing John Galliano (who went to work at Christian Dior) and upon meeting the designer after joining, Lee called him “irrelevant”. His debut collection for Givenchy in October 2007 received bad press from critics, who demanded that Lee tone down his extravagant ideas when designing for a house whose muse was Audrey Hepburn. He ended his tumultuous four-and-a-half year tenure at Givenchy and courted controversy when he sold 51 per cent of his label's share to the Gucci group which has always traditionally been Givenchy's biggest rival. With Gucci, Lee expanded his label into an international brand to include a menswear collection, an accessories collection and eyewear.

He's won many fashion accolades. In 1996, he was the youngest designer to be named British Designer of the Year and subsequently received that titled three more times in 1997, 2001 and 2003. In 2003, he was also honoured as Most Excellent Commander of the British Empire (for his services to the fashion industry) and in the same month was awarded the International Designer of the Year by The Council of Fashion Designers of America.

Lee unofficially married George Forsyth on a yatch in Ibiza, but they parted ways several years later. A big blow came to the designer and he was in the middle of controversy again when in 2007 his best friend and fashion icon Isabella Blow committed suicide in May 2007, after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Rumours circulated that there had been a rift between Lee and Isabella due to the former's lack of appreciation for the latter. Lee responded in an interview with righteous anger “It's so much bollocks. These people just don't know what they're talking about. They don't know me or my relationship with Isabella. What I had with Isabella was completely dissociated from fashion, beyond fashion.”

In 2010, days before Lee took his own life, his mother Joyce McQueen passed away as well. Lee was very close to his mother. Her funeral took place on February 12, 2010, a day after Lee's body was discovered. The designer was just several weeks shy of showing at the London Fashion Week. — MS