Vogue forces of fashion summit

The upper room of Alexander McQueen’s Bond Street flagship store has been transformed into a studio. “Anybody can come. Schoolchildren come, teenagers come, grandparents come,” Burton says. “It’s really a space for everybody to see how we put the collection together.”
The first #McQueenCreators was inspired by the brand’s Roses installation at their New Bond Street open studio

Demystifying the design process and promoting a democratic side of fashion has been a longtime McQueen trait; Lee himself came from a working class background and would rely upon the instinctive skill and creativity of young students and interns to assist in the creation of his early collections. “Everyone should have the door opened to them,” says current Alexander McQueen creative director Sarah Burton during the virtual Vogue Forces of Fashion 2020 summit. “There’s no hierarchy of ideas – it’s a really collaborative process,” she continues, referring to her team and their efforts to stay creative during lockdown by sketching or using dead-stock to drape and create shapes in their kitchens. She received “inspiring” pictures of their efforts, which have only served to substantiate her resolute hoarding of everything from old fabrics to Lee’s drawings (“He had a memory like an elephant, so I never threw anything away.”)
Sarah Burton talking to Sarah Mower during Vogue’s Forces of Fashion 2020 summit

Back in April, the brand further built on their idea of creative community by launching a social media project to inspire a conversation that anyone and everyone could be a part of. Each week, a moodboard was released on the brand’s Instagram and followers would be invited to engage artistically with their favorite images and #McQueenCreators – a visual dialogue began.
Alexander McQueen Fall 2019 / Courtesy of Vogue Runway

“I love the idea of imperfection in beauty,” says Burton, describing the draping and pinning process she used to create the exquisite and exaggerated ‘rose’ dresses for Fall 2019. “We wanted [the model] to become a rose,” she continues, explaining that her design process is always “very organic” and collaborative, even if her method might veer from sketching to draping to 3D design. Recalling the moment Lee altered a dress backstage just minutes before the Sarabande Spring 2007 show, taking away the tulle wrapping that held in place hundreds of live roses so that they gradually fell off as the model walked, it’s clear Burton values ‘the process’ of creative expression just as much as the final result.
While 2020 has certainly been a challenge for designers, Burton has enjoyed a different pace, too, referring to the past few months as a time to “cleanse the palette”, be more creative and really consider how things are made. Reciting a quote, “Nothing is impossible, you just have to try,” Burton reflects that it is one of the biggest lessons she learned from Lee, someone whose creative genius and collaborative instinct lives on within the community at McQueen.
Read Next: Anna Wintour Joins These A-list Models To Explain Why Fashion Needs To Be Size Inclusive

Anna Wintour opened Vogue’s annual Forces of Fashion summit with a message of positivity. Describing the recent US election result as “inspiring,” she went on to praise designers who have fearlessly pushed on despite the challenges faced during the ongoing pandemic, reassuring virtual attendees that this is “a moment of change and of hope” – an appropriate prelude to the first discussion of the day: “Whose Positivity?,” moderated by Gabriella Karena-Johnson and featuring models Paloma Elsesser, Precious Lee, Tess McMillan and Jill Kortleve.
Anna Wintour and the “Whose Positivity?” panel during day one of the Vogue Forces of Fashion summit

“We have to acknowledge the fact that there was a time, not long ago, where this entire panel wouldn’t exist,” said Karefa-Johnson, referencing the shifts in the industry over the past decade and increasing diversity now shown on the runway. Recalling her first entry into the world of fashion, Kortleve described a painful two-year period of simply trying to lose weight in order to fit with the zeitgeist, while McMillan found herself pigeon-holed by agencies who wanted to place her in their ‘Curve’ sections – something she described as “very offensive.”
Model Tess McMillan, Vogue Forces of Fashion 2020 summit

Critiquing the vocabulary used to describe models’ bodies, Lee talked of the divisive implications of using such terms as ‘plus-size,’ a categorization she feels is antiquated given the fact that the average size of women in the US is a 14.
“I’m more than capable of creating a beautiful moment in a picture,” she said, as the discussion dug deeper into their thoughts on tokenism. “I think of my work as art,” said McMillan. “I’m not just a body that sells clothes.” Elsesser supported this, referring to a time when she would only be styled in “lingerie and a jacket,” for high fashion editorials because there were no runway samples created to fit her shape.
Describing her appearances on the Alexander McQueen and Fendi runways as “amazing moments,” former Vogue Arabia cover star, Elsesser explained the importance of such castings in relation to the resulting trickle-down effect: samples are created for the runway show and later shot for editorials before ultimately making it into stores.
Left to right: Alva Claire, Precious Lee and Jill Kortleve walk for Versace SS21 / Courtesy of Vogue Runway

Collectively and throughout the discussion, topics linked back to notions of ‘labelling’ and ‘limitation’. These are beautiful women who don’t want to be dictated to by the fashion industry, society, or anyone else for that matter. Describing her experience of walking the Versace SS21 runway as “a win for so many women…an exhale almost,” Lee was grateful that her chosen look – a short, vibrant fitted dress with towering neon green platforms – celebrated (and not covered), her body. “Don’t allow my extra 12 inches to scare you away!” she said, laughing.
Read Next: Everything You Need To Know About the Vogue Forces of Fashion Summit, Happening Now

The excitement is mounting for this year’s first-ever virtual and global iteration of the Vogue Forces of Fashion summit—and as if the event wasn’t major enough already, the iconic supermodel Naomi Campbell has also signed on to participate. On November 16 and 17, industry giants and Vogue editors will join together digitally to discuss topics such as racial equality, social justice, sustainability, and the future of the industry. The lineup of speakers includes Lizzo, who will be in conversation with designer Jeremy Scott, along with Virgil Abloh, Victoria Beckham, and Alexander McQueen creative director Sarah Burton. Also participating this year will be Alber Elbaz of AZ Fashion, creative director Craig Green, Bottega Veneta creative director Daniel Lee, photographer Ethan James Green, Loewe creative director and founder of JW Anderson Jonathan Anderson, and writer and director Reggie Yates.
Campbell’s panel will be hosted by a yet-to-be-announced special guest, but the discussion promises to be one of epic—or shall we say, super—proportions, with Campbell talking about her stellar career and political activism. The two-day event schedule will include opening remarks from Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour, along with keynote sessions with Campbell, Abloh, Lizzo, and other industry leaders. Other components to this year’s virtual schedule include live Q&As with Vogue editors, networking sessions, and virtual drop-ins from surprise guests as well as a morning wellness session and happy hour on the second and final day.
More details and tickets are available on the Forces of Fashion website. Check back for updates ahead of the event, which will take place on November 16 and 17.
Vogue’s 2020 Forces of Fashion is presented by Jeep Wagoneer.
Read Next: The Vogue Fashion Prize is Back! Powered by NEOM and Bigger Than Ever
Originally published on Vogue.com