Erin O’Conner: A Model’s Perspective on Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2001 (SHOWstudio Film)

It’s been four years since Alexander McQueen left us, yet his influence continues to pulse through the veins of the fashion world. In a captivating dialogue between Nick Knight of SHOWstudio and English supermodel Erin O’ Connor, Erin shares her unique insights and experiences from her time as a model in McQueen’s extraordinary Spring/Summer 2001 show. 

It’s been four years since Alexander McQueen left us, yet his influence continues to pulse through the veins of the fashion world. In a captivating dialogue between Nick Knight of SHOWstudio and English supermodel Erin O’Connor, Erin shares her unique insights and experiences from her time as a model in McQueen’s extraordinary Spring/Summer 2001 show.

Known as “The Mozart of Fashion,” McQueen was not only a master craftsman but also a provocateur, renowned for his intricate creations that stirred emotions and ignited controversy. From his early training on Saville Row to his tenure at Givenchy, McQueen’s designs challenged conventional notions of beauty and ugliness, offering audiences a fresh perspective on these complex concepts.

Until his untimely passing in 2010, McQueen continued to captivate with each fashion show, meticulously crafted to transport viewers into realms of fantasy while conveying profound messages and themes. His Spring/Summer 2001 collection, VOSS, stands as a testament to his creative vision and daring storytelling.

Up till his death in 2010, he made waves with every single fashion show of his. Created with utmost strategic planning and intrinsic attention to the tiniest detail, from lighting down to the choice of models and ambience to emulate, McQueen’s fashion shows were always abound with fresh stories and overhanging concepts to tell in the most theatrical manner. They were also deemed as the sort that would whisk his audience on a trip to a fantasyland, peppered with the communication of deep, profound messages as well as connotations.

VOSS was a spectacle like no other, set in a darkened room with a mirrored cube that revealed an asylum-like setting when illuminated. Models emerged in bandages, feathers, and brocade, performing within the mirrored box as the audience watched their reflections.

A dress from Alexander McQueen’s Spring/Summer 2001 “VOSS” collection. The bodice of the dress is made out of microscope slides painted red to represent blood, while the skirt is made of Ostrich feathers dyed red and black. According to Alexander McQueen, “there’s blood beneath every layer of skin”.

 The ‘asylum’ of Alexander McQueen in VOSS

Erin O’Connor’s unforgettable performance, tearing off razor-clam shells inspired by Hitchcock’s “The Birds,” symbolised a liberation from inner demons.

Erin O’Connor tore off the shells on her dress in VOSS whilst under a “possession”

 

In SHOWstudio’s film, O’Connor reflects on her experience, describing it as a cathartic moment of shedding pain and armor, a testament to McQueen’s ability to push boundaries and evoke raw emotion.

‘To me it defines why I love my job,’ stated O’Connor of her performance in the now iconic runway show, ‘It was stripping away the pain, and the armour, and going ‘here I am’… he pushed me, and I’m glad’. 

– Erin O’Connor in the video interview with SHOWstudio

The show concluded with Michelle Olley trapped in a glass box, a poignant reminder of society’s tendency to mask those deemed less than “beautiful.”

McQueen’s legacy lives on, immortalised in his groundbreaking designs and the indelible impact he left on the world of fashion.

Erin O’Connor discusses modelling for the late Alexander McQueen in SHOWstudio’s film

About SHOWstudio’s ‘Subjective’ series

Nick Knight and SHOWstudio present the history of contemporary fashion photography as told from the subjects’ perspectives. When envisaging ‘Subjective’, Knight sought to empower models by putting their oft-unheard stories in the spotlight. He talks to a range of women, including Kate Moss, Alek Wek, Lily Cole and Tatjana Patitz, whose faces and forms helped create the world’s most iconic images.

 

Visit SHOWstudio for more films (link to Erin O’ Connor’s interview)