Alexander McQueen’s Skull Scarf Turns 10
It is easy to draw parallels between Damien Hirst and Lee Alexander McQueen. There are the obvious aesthetic similarities—the references to nature, the obsessively symmetrical, kaleidoscopic patterns and, of course, the skull—but it goes deeper than the visual. Both exemplify rebellion. Both have a flair for the theatrical. Both have pushed themselves to dark places to achieve their vision. (“You’ve really got to get down on the floor with yourself and get low in order to make great art,” Hirst told us in 2008).
It is appropriate, therefore, that Alexander McQueen, the late designer’s unwavering legacy, has teamed up with Hirst to create an exclusive scarf collection. A celebration of the 10th anniversary of McQueen’s skull scarf, the collaboration marries the now iconic McQueen motif with Hirst’s Entomology series, which features a slew of endlessly replicated creepy crawlies. Since its first appearance in McQueen’s SS ’03 “Irene” collection, the skull scarf has become an emblem of the brand and a staple accessory for any fashion lover. Crafted in chiffon, pongé, twill, and cashmere, the collection will be in stores from November 15. The scarves, which come in 30 unique prints, are at once morbid and playful, a sentiment which permeates the work of both artistic visionaries. As McQueen told us in 1997, “It’s only fashion; my God!”
