McQueen channels the layered history of London’s Soho in a pre-collection while looking toward its future
By The Fashion Editorial Team
The McQueen Autumn-Winter 2025 Pre-Collection is set in The Coach & Horses—a pub opened in 1847 and long a haunt for artists and eccentrics. Its worn wood and flickering lights frame a collection steeped in contradiction and character. This is the Soho that nurtured Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud, inspiring creative forces that defined London's intellectual output in the 20th century.
It is here in SoHo that Creative Director, Seán McGirr interprets the legacy of the House through structure and story. Tailoring is assertive: broad shoulders, nipped waists, crisp collars. British-milled wools appear in sharply cut coats and shirts that recall both tradition and defiance. Naval references surface in sailor-inspired silhouettes crafted from wool-silk gabardine. Embroidery borrows from body art—metallic bullion forming abstract florals, swallows and butterflies rendered in sequins, crystals, and twisted beads.
The collection thrives on tension. Soft duchesse satin trimmed in lace is paired with strict wool tailoring. Antiqued leather rubs against raw indigo denim. Prince of Wales check disrupts otherwise minimalist lines. These pairings echo the contrasts of Soho itself—where elegance and edge live side by side.
Real Soho figures appear alongside the models. “Soho George,” known for his idiosyncratic style, and jazz-blues singer Florence Joelle brings an authenticity that deepens the collection’s connection to place.
Accessories extend the narrative: the T-Bar Sling and Skull Flower bags carry forward McQueen signatures with subtle updates. Footwear includes T-Bar mules and mid-century-leaning boots that nod to the rebellious glamour of postwar subcultures.
As Soho faces the slow churn of transformation, McGirr’s collection resists erasure. Captured by photographer Theo Sion and shaped by art director Christopher Simmonds, the campaign reads like documentation—an atmospheric snapshot of a neighborhood that continues to shape culture at its edges.
This pre-collection becomes a tribute to creative lineage and a reminder that McQueen has always been less about trends and more about the stories that clothes carry.
The McQueen Autumn-Winter 2025 Pre-Collection will be available in stores and online at AlexanderMcQueen.com from June 2025.