Designer Alexander McQueen Dead

Alexander McQueen, the British fashion designer known for producing some of the most controversial collections of the last two decades, was found dead Thursday morning at his apartment in London.. Mr. McQueen was 40.

McQueen was born in the East End of London on 17 March 1969, the son of a taxi driver and the youngest of six children.

After graduating McQueen set up his own label, based in London's East End, where he launched his "bumster" trousers – extremely low slung trousers revealing the wearer's buttocks – and increased the fame of his label through numerous newspaper headlines.

He was appointed head designer at the French label Givenchy in October 1996, working there until leaving in March 2001, reportedly claiming the contract was "constraining his creativity".

McQueen was named British designer of the year in 1996, 1997, 2001, and 2003, and international designer of the year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2003. He won the Fashion Directors Award in 2007 for his McQ denim-based brand, and was GQ's menswear designer of the year in 2007.

He was awarded the CBE in 2003.