The Spring/Summer 2024 show will be the last under Burton’s reign.
After more than two decades, Alexander McQueen creative director Sarah Burton has parted ways with the iconic brand.
In a statement to Vogue Business, Kering chairman and CEO François-Henri Pinault said in a statement: “I am immensely grateful to Sarah, and I want to personally thank her for her work over the past two decades, first alongside Lee Alexander McQueen, where her role was instrumental to his success, and then as the creative director since 2010. Through her own experience, sensitivity and talent, Sarah continued to evolve the artistic expression of this iconic house. She kept and continued Lee’s heritage, attention to detail and unique vision, while adding her own personal, highly creative touch.”
Burton has been a steadfast shepherd of the McQueen brand. Joining the team as an intern in 1996, she was promoted to head of design for womenswear in 2000. After McQueen’s death in 2010, Burton was named Creative Director, where she continued his legacy through her audacious tailoring and romantic ethos — the same tenets that defined the brand under McQueen’s helm, though updated for a more accessible ready-to-wear offer. In 2012, she was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services to the British fashion industry.
On September 30 — during Paris Fashion Week — the Spring/Summer 2024 show will be the last under Burton’s reign. In a press release, Burton stated: “I am so proud of everything I’ve done and of my incredible team at Alexander McQueen. They are my family, and this has been my home for the past 26 years. I want to thank François-Henri Pinault for believing in me and offering me this amazing opportunity. Above all, I want to thank Lee Alexander McQueen. He taught me so much, and I am eternally grateful to him. I am looking forward to the future and my next chapter and will always carry this treasured time with me.”
No reason for Burton’s departure has been stated yet. Given her successful track record at McQueen and her relatively well-received Spring 2024 menswear collection, questions abound. This story will be continually updated with more information. 🌀