SEÁN MCGIRR LEAVES ALEXANDER MCQUEEN AFTER THREE YEARS

Alexander McQueen

Summary:

• Seán McGirr leaves Alexander McQueen after three years as creative director.
• Kering will name a successor soon, who will present a first collection in London.
• The exit follows a strategic review, job cuts and a plan to cut McQueen’s store count by half.

Seán McGirr is leaving Alexander McQueen after three years as creative director. Kering, owner of the British house, announced the exit on Thursday and said new creative leadership will be named soon. The successor will present a first collection in London.

Luca de Meo, CEO of Kering, thanked the designer in the statement. “I would like to thank Seán for his contribution and dedication to Alexander McQueen. Our ambition is to establish a bold new direction for the house, building on its unique heritage of exceptional tailoring, uncompromising creativity and rebellion to reaffirm its position as one of the most innovative and culturally relevant voices in luxury.” McGirr said he looks forward to his next chapter.

Born in Dublin, McGirr was named in October 2023 to succeed Sarah Burton, who worked with founder Lee Alexander McQueen and led the house after his death in 2010. Press coverage calls the three-year collaboration uneven. The house returned to London Fashion Week last month, with its shows moving to the city for Spring/Summer 2027.

The exit follows a restructuring. De Meo announced a strategic review of McQueen’s global operations in September 2025 to restore profitability. In October 2025, the brand announced plans to cut 55 jobs at its London headquarters, about 20 percent of the staff there. Gianfranco D’Attis, former CEO of Prada, took charge of McQueen on 3 June. In April, De Meo said McQueen would run 50 percent fewer stores by the end of 2026 than a year earlier.

Kering does not report McQueen revenue separately. Market estimates put sales at about 820 million euros in 2022, and Italian unions said management described a 60 percent revenue drop between 2022 and 2025. In 2025, the Other Houses division, which includes Balenciaga and McQueen, posted a recurring operating loss of 112 million euros, against 9 million in 2024.