From iconic shots to private snaps these are Alexander McQueen’s defining moments. A Life in Ten Pictures s2e4: Alexander McQueen, BBC 2024
Lee Alexander McQueen was born in London in 1969, the son of Joyce, a housewife, and Ron, a tax driver; he was the youngest of six children raised on a housing estate in London’s east end. ibid.
Aged 16, Lee left school with one O-Level and started an apprenticeship at a traditional tailors in London’s Savile Row. ibid.
Isabella [Blow] purchased Lee’s entire graduate connection using her industry connections to launch him as Britain’s next fashion star. ibid.
I felt so cool and accepted I had a piece of Brandy Mellville. Brandy Hellville and the Cult of Fast Fashion, young lady, Sky Documentaries 2024
The fashion industry has always been built on the back of exploitation. ibid. investigator
The story of Brandy Mellville is a story of antisemitism, racism, sexism, it’s a story about the wide system of exploitation at Brandy Mellville. ibid.
There’s one skinny perfect tiny ideal size. This is something that was explicitly part of their business model. ibid.
Who is actually running all these stores? ibid.
Ghana is a dumping ground for our unwanted fast fashion. ibid.
Fashion supply chains are really opaque. ibid.
Eating disorders are going to be with me a while. ibid. ex-exployee
When I saw him [CEO Stefan] wearing a Hitler outfit I wasn’t surprised. ibid.
It’s a cult. People are obsessed with it. ibid.
We’re all being exploited by the same system. ibid.
Brandy Melville employees described racism, Hitler memes and sexual exploitation at the ‘evil’ cult teen brand. ibid. social media article
American Apparel: [news]: It’s one of the fastest growing and hippiest clothing makers in the country. Treainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel, Netflix 2025
Things got progressively crazier and crazier. employee
I run American Apparel in an instinctive manner. ibid. Dov
American Apparel stores have opened in 11 countries around the world. ibid. news
Dov’s management style was basically to push people as far as they can go and to pit people against each other. ibid. employee
So many bad decisions being made. But rather than accepting responsibility he was started to blame people. ibid.
American Apparel CEO Dov Cherney is struggling to keep things afloat now, losing $86 in sales. ibid. news
He has driven this company absolutely into the ground. ibid. man on TV news
He was crossing all kinds of ethical, potentially legal, lines and boundaries. ibid. lawyer
American Apparel has terminated Dov Cherney. ibid. news
Don Cherney has never faced allegations of abuse in a public court. ibid.
Nine months after firing Dov Cherney, American fashion filed for bankruptcy. ibid.
First there was Harvey Weinstein and then Jeffrey Epstein … Now one of the biggest icons of modelling stands similarly accused of being a sex fiend … For decades Frenchman Gérald Marie was the super-agent who decided or topedoed the careers of supermodles. 60 Minutes Australia: Beauty & the Creep: Global Investigation, 2021
They say he’s a predator who ritually abused and raped young women including minors in his care. ibid.
But the glamour can be model-thin. As all these former models discovered making it into the coveted world of runways and magazine covers can be an ugly business. ibid.
Could time be up for the once untouchable Gérald Marie? ibid.