Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Coming soon: the scent of McQueen

Susannah Frankel Fashion Editor
Thursday 14 June 2001 19:00 EDT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Alexander McQueen is to follow the example of other fashion designers such as Vivienne Westwood by launching his own fragrance.

McQueen said yesterday he was "very excited" about the project but that it is still in its embryonic stages. "We haven't come up with a concept yet."

The first McQueen fragrance, part of a 10-year deal, will be developed with Yves Saint Laurent Beauté, part of the Gucci Group which last December bought a 51 per cent stake in McQueen.

Vivienne Westwood developed Boudoir, her best-selling fragrance, in 1998. Earlier this year, Tanya Sarne's Ghost label also put its name to a perfume which now sells in department stores and duty free shops worldwide.

The designer fragrances demonstrate British fashion designers no longer exist as part of some sort of cottage industry. Rather, alongside their American and European counterparts ­ Calvin Klein, Giorgio Armani, Gianni Versace and, most famously, Coco Chanel ­ they are now showing the maturity needed to become global brands in their own right.

At the time that the fragrance Ghost was launched by Cosmopolitan Cosmetics ­ also responsible for Gucci Envy ­ Tanya Sarne said its main purpose was to raise international awareness of the brand. There's a whole group of people who may not be able to afford Ghost's clothes but who can and will buy the fragrance.

McQueen has already announced his intention to do just this by signing the deal with Gucci in the first place.

The plan to develop not only a fragrance but also a range of McQueen accessories was obviously always going to be part of the deal.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in