Featured Article Summary #282

The Hunger was Alexander McQueen’s seventh fashion collection, created for the Spring/Summer 1996 season of his brand. It drew mainly from The Hunger, a 1983 erotic horror film about vampires, and was made with limited money. The designs focused on sharp tailoring and emphasized female sexuality, and it was also McQueen’s first collection to include menswear. The runway show took place at London’s Natural History Museum during London Fashion Week in October 1995, and it used provocative gothic imagery, including a translucent plastic corset containing real worms. Reviews were mixed: some praised it as a standout, while others criticized McQueen as immature and accused his work of being misogynistic. Later looks back highlighted the film influence and the dark worm corset, and several of the team members went on to become long-term collaborators. British designer Alexander McQueen created imaginative and sometimes controversial fashion, using themes such as sexuality, death, violence, romance, and history. After studying at Central Saint Martins, where he met future collaborators, he graduated in 1992 and gained early fame for shocking runway shows and highly provocative collections, which sparked major controversy and helped lead to his role as head designer at Givenchy. Early on, he had little financial support, so he made designs on tight budgets and sometimes relied on collaborators who were paid very little, paid in garments, or even worked for free. After the success of The Birds (Spring/Summer 1995), Alexander McQueen received funding from Eo Bocci, which helped set up distribution through Bus Stop. The collection was produced in Milan, with support from a fabric designer. Even with this backing, McQueen still faced financial problems, and many collaborators worked for little or no pay, trusting that the opportunity would benefit them long term. McQueen’s Spring/Summer 1996 “The Hunger” was his seventh collection and drew inspiration from erotic horror films like The Hunger and Cat People, using sharp tailoring, unusual materials, and carefully placed reveals of skin. He aimed to make clothes that were both artistic and wearable, while also “breaking rules” to shock, and the designs largely used a red, white, and black palette with nature-themed prints and experimental fabric techniques. Sexuality dominated the styling through extreme cutouts and provocative references, while standout details echoed earlier themes of violence and decay, culminating in a major moulded corset made from translucent plastic and live worms. The Hunger runway show took place on 23 October 1995 during London Fashion Week at a tent on the East Lawn of the Natural History Museum. McQueen was given the final slot, drew a much bigger audience than the previous season, and despite support from Bocci, reportedly had a very small £600 budget. He also kept some journalists out or gave them worse seats after criticism of Highland Rape, while friends and associates had major roles, including Björk providing the soundtrack and Katy England serving as creative director. Jeweller Shaun Leane, who had worked on Highland Rape, created the accessories, aiming to suggest “animal” hunger and an edge to the look. His key designs included the single long “Tusk” earring and the thorny “stag piece” ring that wrapped around the hips.