Seán McGirr Is Exiting McQueen

Seán McGirr is officially parting ways with the house of McQueen.

As reported by WWD, Kering CEO Luca de Meo acknowledged the designer’s “contribution and dedication” to the house in a statement, while McGirr called himself “incredibly proud of the progressive energy we cultivated as a team, anchoring our creativity in contemporary culture, and seeing it resonate with the most forthright, expressive figures across art, music, cinema, and more.” He added, “I leave with profound gratitude for the dedication of the studio and atelier, and craftspeople.”

The designer succeeded Sarah Burton, who led the brand as creative director for 13 years (26 total at the company), following her close friend and mentor Lee Alexander McQueen’s death in 2010.

The Irish-born McGirr studied at Central Saint Martins and worked at houses including Burberry and Dries Van Noten before being appointed head of menswear at JW Anderson. While at McQueen, his designs often tapped back into the avant-garde feel of the house’s origins, while still utilizing the atelier’s tailoring (honed and polished by Burton) to the best of its abilities. His most notable homage to McQueen was possibly his revival of the iconic skull scarf. Though the product had never actually left production, it hadn’t been seen on the runway since its debut in the spring/summer 2003 collection, titled “Irere.”

This past season, the designer enjoyed a full-circle moment, returning to London Fashion Week to show his spring/summer 2027 collection. It was the first time McQueen had officially shown there since 2001. Following the show, McGirr told the press that he was inspired by the wonderful “wrongness” of the city’s style. The designer has yet to announce his plans, but he did say, “I look forward to my next chapter and wish the house every success.”