Shot by Theo Sion at The Coach & Horses, a dim, wood-paneled pub in the heart of Soho, the AW25 McQueen campaign is set on one of those London corners where art and conflict have always coexisted. It’s where figures like Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud once passed through quietly, and where McQueen himself might have felt the weight of not belonging, and turned that friction into fuel.

The campaign casts figures like Soho George and jazz singer Florence Joelle, faces that channel the spirit of the neighborhood. Their presence anchors the imagery in something specific and local, suggesting the kind of people who give it texture.

Courtesy of Alexander McQueen

The palette ranges from yellow to grey, interplaying with light and shadow. Tailoring is taut and sculptural, made heavier by intent. Trained on Savile Row at Anderson & Sheppard, McQueen was obsessed with anatomical precision. His cuts were razor-sharp, his structure often subversive.

Under Seán McGirr, that legacy holds reimagined rather than replicated. Shoulders are exaggerated, collars sharply defined. Naval elements like wool gabardine, sailor collars, laced fastenings are present all throughout. Faux fur appears at the edges for added texture, while duchesse satin trimmed in lace is combined with antique leather. Embroidery draws on the language of sailor tattoos—swallows, butterflies, fragments of flight—reinterpreted in bullion, referencing the archives but worn with immediacy.

Amid the shifting streets and fading landmarks of central London, what McQueen captures is archival continuity. There’s an enduring sense of community stitched into the clothes, present in the casting and atmosphere.

Courtesy of Alexander McQueen