McQueen is parting ways with creative director Seán McGirr after an uneven three-year collaboration, and amid a substantial retrenchment of the business involving layoffs and a downsizing of the retail network.
Kering, parent of the London-based fashion house, announced McGirr’s exit Thursday, and said it would name new creative leadership soon.
Luca de Meo, chief executive officer of Kering, thanked the designer for his “contribution and dedication” to the brand, and said he wants 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.”
Gianfranco D’Attis, who was named president and CEO of Alexander McQueen earlier this year, said McGirr approached McQueen “with great respect for its history while expressing his own vision. His talent and passion have helped us reconnect Alexander McQueen with London, its culture, and its extraordinary creative energy.”
McGirr said he was “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. I leave with profound gratitude for the dedication of the studio and atelier, and craftspeople. I look forward to my next chapter and wish the house every success.”
The Dublin-born McGirr, who succeeded Sarah Burton, was previously head of menswear at JW Anderson. A graduate of Central Saint Martins, he is also a photographer with a love of London’s inspiring street life.
Before joining JW Anderson, he worked at Dries Van Noten on the womenswear collection. His résumé also includes stints at Burberry and Christophe Lemaire for Uniqlo.
Very early in his career, he worked for Vogue Hommes International Japan and Taiwanese fabric producer Singtex. He has also worked as a writer for the trend-forecasting company Stylus.
McGirr was a great fan of the late designer Lee Alexander McQueen. For the spring 2027 collection, McGirr fulfilled a dream, inviting the jeweler and former McQueen collaborator, Shaun Leane, to create pieces for the runway for the first time in 16 years.
Kering, which welcomed veteran automobile executive de Meo as CEO in September 2025, seems in a mood to shake up its creative ranks. It recently announced the departure of Anthony Vaccarello from Saint Laurent after an acclaimed and eventful 10-year tenure.
His successor has yet to be named.
There is speculation, too, that Balenciaga, where creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli is plying his couture chops and returning the brand to its roots, might also be facing some changes.
McGirr’s departure comes roughly four months after Kering put D’Attis, previously CEO of Prada, at the management helm of McQueen, trumpeting his “powerful combination of strategic vision, operational rigor and deep luxury expertise.”
De Meo did not mince words about the need to cut deep at McQueen since the brand incurred heavy losses by opening 135 stores worldwide and allowing itself to become excessively reliant on sneaker sales, which at one point represented 80 percent of its revenues.