McQueen's London Homecoming
Alexander McQueen Returns to London Fashion Week, Reaffirming British Roots
Key Points
Seán McGirr was appointed creative director in October 2023 and previously worked in fashion houses including LOEWE (under Jonathan Anderson), Dries Van Noten, and UNIQLO, experiences he is now bringing to McQueen’s return to London.
McQueen’s most recent London show before 2026 was a one-off in 2022 staged by former creative director Sarah Burton “inside a dome on an East London rooftop,” per industry coverage of the brand’s departure from the London schedule.
BFC CEO Laura Weir tied the decision to a long-running personal goal, saying: “One of my earliest ambitions as CEO has been to see Alexander McQueen return home to London Fashion Week… now is the time to welcome the brand back to its London roots,” adding that the return is “a statement of confidence in British creativity… fearless and distinctive.”
The move back to London also reflects a specific historical pivot: Lee Alexander McQueen founded the label in 1992, then moved its shows from London to Paris in 2001—anchoring why the September 2026 show is framed as a reconnection to the brand’s origin city.
CEO Gianfranco D’Attis, who joined in 2025, is described as having led major luxury groups including Prada and Christian Dior Couture, bringing that executive background to the brand’s BFC-linked “future from its roots” strategy.
Alexander McQueen will return to London Fashion Week on September 20, 2026, for its Spring/Summer 2027 show — the brand's first scheduled London runway appearance in years. Creative director Seán McGirr will present a collection spanning womenswear and menswear, reconnecting the house with the city where Lee Alexander McQueen founded it in 1992, according to PAUSE Magazine and Luxury London.
The move ends a long stretch of Paris-led shows and lands as the brand fights through a serious slump. McQueen's revenue fell 60% between 2022 and 2025, Luxury Tribune reported. A new CEO, a major restructuring, and now a homecoming show: the September date marks a pivotal moment for a house trying to rebuild from its roots.
A House Returns to Where It All Began
Lee Alexander McQueen launched his label in London in 1992. The city's raw, gritty energy defined early shows like The Birds in 1995. But in 2001, the brand shifted its schedule to Paris to align with the global luxury calendar under the Gucci Group, now Kering. That move stuck — until now, according to NSS Magazine.
McGirr said London has always been central to the house's identity.
"London has always been at the heart of McQueen," McGirr said. "There's a uniquely visceral energy to the city that runs throughout the house's history. Returning to London Fashion Week allows us to deeply engage with that spirit," according to Dscene Magazine. The SS27 collection will lean into the house's signature sharp tailoring and occasion dressing, while revisiting the McQueen archive for a new generation.
New CEO and Kering's Turnaround Push Drive the Decision
Kering appointed former Prada CEO Gianfranco D'Attis to lead Alexander McQueen in June 2026, according to Reuters. His arrival came weeks before the London announcement. D'Attis called the return "a meaningful moment for the house" and said the brand is "proud to reaffirm our commitment to the British Fashion Council and to the city's extraordinary creative ecosystem," per NSS Magazine.
The move is part of Kering's broader "ReconKering" strategy, unveiled at its April 2026 Capital Markets Day. The plan focuses on what the group calls "True Luxury" — slimming brands down to their core strengths. For McQueen, that means a sharper focus on tailoring and eveningwear and a move away from the sneaker-heavy model that once drove 80% of its revenue, according to Grazia Daily.
BFC Calls It a Vote of Confidence in British Creativity
British Fashion Council CEO Laura Weir, who took the role in 2025 with a mandate to revitalize London Fashion Week, said the return fulfills a goal she has held since day one. "One of my earliest ambitions as CEO has been to see Alexander McQueen return home to London Fashion Week," she said, per PAUSE Magazine. "Now is the time to welcome the brand back to its London roots."
Weir described the move as "a statement of confidence in British creativity — fearless and distinctive." London Fashion Week saw an 18% rise in on-schedule designers during the SS26 season, according to Head Topics. McQueen's return is expected to add major international media weight and draw further big names back to the British calendar.
McGirr's Mixed Start and the Road to Redemption
McGirr was appointed creative director in October 2023, succeeding Sarah Burton after her decade-long tenure. His debut Fall/Winter 2024 collection in Paris drew mixed reviews. Critics at SHOWstudio called parts of the show "weak caricatures." But his Fall 2025 collection, which explored Victorian Gothic themes and dandyism, won more praise and was seen as a deeper engagement with McQueen's London-rooted archives.
The brand's last London show before this announcement was a 2022 event staged by Burton at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, according to NSS Magazine. Before that, she showed inside a dome on an East London rooftop in 2021. Both were off the main schedule. The September 20, 2026 show will be fully on-schedule — the clearest signal yet that London, not Paris, is now McQueen's home stage.
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