(Paris) Irish designer Seán McGirr, who worked at Dries van Noten and JW Anderson, has been appointed creative director at Alexander McQueen, luxury giant Kering, owner of the brand, announced on Tuesday.
He takes over from Sarah Burton, who took over the reins of the Alexander McQueen house in 2010 after the suicide of its founder, and distinguished herself the following year by designing the wedding dress of Kate Middleton, the wife of Prince William.
Seán McGirr was previously director of ready-to-wear at JW Anderson, which he joined in 2020 to take charge of the men’s collections, then added the women’s collections to his responsibilities.
“We can’t wait to open this new chapter in the history of this unique brand,” said François-Henri Pinault, CEO of Kering, quoted in the brand’s press release. “With his experience, personality and creative energy, he will bring to Alexander McQueen a powerful creative language while building on his unique heritage,” said Gianfilippo Testa, CEO of Alexander McQueen.
A graduate of Central Saint Martins in London, which trained many fashion designers, and moved to Burberry in his early days, Seán McGirr was part of the creative teams at Uniqlo in Tokyo and Paris from 2014 to 2018. He was then a designer wife for Dries Van Noten, in Antwerp (Belgium).