My friend George and I were walking on the beach in Norfolk, and there were thousands of [razor-clam] shells. They were so beautiful, I thought I had to do something with them. So, we decided to make [a dress] out of them. . . . The shells had outlived their usefulness on the beach, so we put them to another use on a dress. Then Erin [O’Conner] came out and trashed the dress, so their usefulness was over once again. Kind of like fashion, really.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the transient nature of beauty and usefulness, particularly in fashion.
In this quote, Alexander McQueen explores the concept of repurposing discarded items, like razor-clam shells, into something beautiful, such as a dress, only to have that creation rejected later. This illustrates the cyclical nature of fashion and art, where something may initially hold beauty and purpose, only to eventually lose its significance, mirroring the fleeting trends in the fashion industry and life itself.
In practice
This quote can be used in a presentation about sustainability in fashion.
I want to be honest about the world that we live in, and sometimes my political persuasions come through in my work. Fashion can be really racist, looking at the clothes of other cultures as costumes. . . . That’s mundane and it’s old hat. Let’s break down some barriers.
I was this young boy and I saw this man with his hands round my sister's neck, I was just standing there with her two children beside me... Everything I've done since then was for the purpose of making women look stronger, not naïve. And so, when everyone started saying I was a misogynist, that really freaked me out. They didn't know me. They didn't know what I had seen in my life. That was the first part of fashion that I hated - people labeling me without knowing me.
I came to terms with not fitting in a long time ago. I never really fitted in. I don't want to fit in. And now people are buying into that.
Fashion should be a form of escapism, and not a form of imprisonment.
I'm interested in designing for posterity.
It is important to look at death because it is a part of life. It is a sad thing, melancholy but romantic at the same time. It is the end of a cycle - everything has to end. The cycle of life is positive because it gives room for new things.
All the soarings of my mind begin in my blood.
It's possible for me to make a bad movie out of a good script, but I can't make a good movie from a bad script.
I gave my hero a talent I'd love to have. Who wouldn't want to fly?
The more I photograph women, the less it is about transformation. Women are beautiful. All that really matters is enhancing that.
Lean your body forward slightly to support the guitar against your chest, for the poetry of the music should resound in your heart.
Animators can only draw from their own experiences of pain and shock and emotions.
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