The announcement of her departure was revealed in a statement released by Kering, the brand’s parent company, that said the fashion house’s Spring/Summer 2024 show on September 30 during Paris fashion week will be Burton’s last.
“I am so proud of everything I’ve done and of my incredible team at Alexander McQueen,” Burton said in the statement.
“They are my family, and this has been my home for the past 26 years. I want to thank Francois-Henri Pinault [Chairman & CEO of Kering] for believing in me and offering me this amazing opportunity. Above all I want to thank Lee Alexander McQueen. He taught me so much and I am eternally grateful to him. I am looking forward to the future and my next chapter and will always carry this treasured time with me.”
Sarah Burton became creative director of the fashion house in May 2010, following the death of visionary founder Lee Alexander McQueen. Burton had previously worked alongside Lee Alexander McQueen for more than 14 years but shot to international fame and recognition herself for creating the Princess of Wales’s wedding dress in April 2011.
She had first joined the brand as a student intern after receiving recommendation from one of her professors at the prestigious design school, Central Saint Martins.
Burton has remained a popular choice for the Princess’s outfits for events, including the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2018, her 40th birthday in 2022 and the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
In 2012 Burton was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services to the British fashion industry.
François-Henri Pinault said he was immensely grateful to Sarah for her work.
“I want to personally thank her for her work over the past two decades, first alongside Lee Alexander McQueen, where her role was instrumental to his success, and then as the Creative Director since 2010. Through her own experience, sensitivity and talent, Sarah continued to evolve the artistic expression of this iconic House. She kept and continued Lee’s heritage, attention to detail and unique vision, while adding her own personal, highly creative touch.”
Kerring said a statement a new ‘creative organisation’ for the house will be announced ‘in due course’.
