Alexander McQueen launches fabric donation scheme for student designers

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Feb 14, 2020

Luxury label Alexander McQueen has unveiled a new system that redirects surplus fabrics from the Kering-controlled business for students at fashion colleges in the UK to use in their work.

Donated fabrics are a major materials source for students and donations from a label known for its luxe fabrics and unique prints should be very much in demand.

“The ethos at Alexander McQueen means that everything we use in researching and designing collections has always been archived and stored,” the label’s creative chief Sarah Burton said. “We’ve never thrown anything away.” 

The fabrics stored as a result of this approach include materials from both the women’s and men’s collections going back 10 years.

It’s a “practical extension of the education programme” introduced by Burton, the company said.

A spokesperson added that the “donations build on the inter-relationships between Alexander McQueen teams, fashion colleges and students, which have developed since Sarah Burton opened a space for installations, talks, illustration and study workshops at the Alexander McQueen store at 27 Bond Street in January 2019”.

And Burton explained that setting up that space “inspired all of us, and reminded me of being a student, and how tough it is when you can’t afford to buy fabric for your final collection. I was so lucky because when I first worked at McQueen, Lee helped me source fabrics for my final collection. It’s even harder today, and at a time when we all feel precious resources must be properly used.”