Alexander McQueen Releases S/S 20 Campaign (Featuring Our Design Download)

Alexander McQueen has just dropped its S/S 20 campaign. Shot by Jamie Hawkesworth, it features a host of notable faces including Vivien Solari, Felice Noordhoff and Imaan Hammam.

The new campaign is set in a wood-panelled beach house looking over the ocean, a soothing vista that adheres to the pared-down ethos of the collection, and reinforces the concept of reconnecting with the world. Framed by sea-facing French windows, models are bathed in soft daylight, setting off the delicate sheen of Irish linen, the flax for which is grown at a female-owned farm.

Puffed sleeves, lace trimmed blouses and pin-tucked bodices introduce a Romantic toile element, again highlighting the idea of stripping down to the essentials. The use of upcycled materials is also dominant in the collection, the house having used lace, organza and tulle from previous seasons.

The campaign notably features look one from the S/S 20 show: a billowy puffed sleeved dress cinched in at the waistline - a reimagining of the A/W 00 Eshu dress. You may also recognise this piece from SHOWstudio’s latest Design Download as the pattern was donated by McQueen’s Creative Director Sarah Burton. The design is available for all to download in an effort to democratise fashion, encouraging talented creatives to re-interpret the dress as they see fit.

'Each look tells its own story. The connection between the clothes is the time it took to make them,' Burton says. The relaxed, slow pace of life at the coastal hideaway reflects the thoughtful, hand-crafted creation process behind the pieces: the entire McQueen staff (including the HR department) pitched in to help embroider.