It's hard to believe it has already been one year since the shattering news arrived that Alexander McQueen had taken his own life. Just as we were rolling up our sleeves and soaking in the first rush of Fashion Week, we were sobered by the loss of this creative genius. At age 40, the British designer left a legacy behind him that was cut far too short. And while it's hard not to mourn the amazing collections he would have continued to create had he not ended his life, it was a truly beautiful, epic show while it lasted. Today we set aside that same Fashion Week rush for a few minutes to recall the words of those who loved him and respected him as an artist and a visionary.
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"He was a genius and his talent was second to none. Like many others I always cited him as a hugely inspirational leader of world fashion."—Matthew Williamson (Guardian)
"There's clothing then there's art, and he was an artist... If he'd have wanted to be a painter then he would have been one of the best in the world. His shows were like pieces of theatre - they were mindblowing."—Daphne Guinness (Vogue UK)
"McQueen was daring, original, exciting. He was a fashion revolutionary."—John Galliano (New York Post)
"At one level he was a master of the fantastic, creating astounding fashion shows that mixed design, technology and performance and on another he was a modern-day genius whose gothic aesthetic was adopted by women the world over."—Alexandra Shulman (Guardian)
"I loved him."—Kate Moss (Vancouver Sun)
"I found his work very interesting and never banal. There was always some attraction to death, his designs were sometimes dehumanized. Who knows, perhaps after flirting with death too often, death attracts you."—Karl Lagerfeld (E Online)
"He was one of our gems. There aren't many designers or artists that are able to let you into their minds and their hearts simply through vision and creation. We will all feel his absence forever."—Kelis (Guardian)
"He brought a uniquely British sense of daring and aesthetic fearlessness to the global stage of fashion. In such a short career, Alexander McQueen's influence was astonishing."—Anna Wintour (Reuters)
"Every single inspired, original, lofty, whimsical, stunning, brilliant and jaw dropping detail was Alexander Mcqueen. There has never been anyone like him. And there simply never will be."—Sarah Jessica Parker (Fashion Bride)