Fashion

The Scots island where fashion legend Alexander McQueen’s ashes were scattered

Published

7 months ago

May 2, 2024

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The Scots island where fashion legend Alexander McQueen’s ashes were scattered

Few fashion designers have left as big an impact as Alexander McQueen.

The London-born couturier, born in 1969, founded his own iconic Alexander McQueen label in 1992, before being appointed chief designer at French luxury fashion house Givenchy from 1996 to 2001. His groundbreaking designs and shocking catwalk shows commanded attention, and made headlines all over the world.

McQueen tragically passed away in 2010 at age 40, shortly after the death of his mother. However, his legacy lives on and he continues to inspire countless fashion designers and other creatives to this day.

One thing you may not know about McQueen is that he was particularly fond of Scotland. One of McQueen’s most iconic collections took inspiration from the Highland clearances, while he also wore full Highland dress to collect his CBE in 2003.

In fact, one Scottish island was actually found to be the designer’s ancestral home. McQueen’s mother once tracked their family’s ancestry to the Isle of Skye, which is also where his father was born.

The designer’s Scottish heritage was extremely important to him, and he was a regular visitor to the island over the years. With his ancestors being Jacobites, he believed that it was a McQueen who helped Bonnie Prince Charlie escape to safety in Skye following the devastating defeat at the Battle of Culloden.

The unique headstone dedicated to McQueen features the same Shakespeare quote that he had tattooed on his arm(Image: Dave Fergusson, CC BY-SA 2.0 )

Unsurprisingly, although McQueen’s funeral took place at St Paul’s Church in West London, his ashes were later scattered in Skye. A small and very intimate ceremony was held in a cemetery at Kilmuir, amidst the breathtaking coastal scenery.

Today, there is a headstone commemorating McQueen at Kilmuir that you can visit yourself. The stone is engraved with the same Shakespeare quote that he had tattooed on his arm: “Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind”.