Follow Vogue Arabia

This Alexander McQueen Documentary Will Soothe Your Spirit

alexander mcqueen smiljan radic

The Right Angle House in Chile, by architect Smiljan Radić. Courtesy Alexander McQueen

The new Alexander McQueen flagship in London conceived by designer Sarah Burton and Chilean architect Smiljan Radić, on 27 Old Bond Street, and opened in 2019, continues to bring the outside in. In a new documentary, it explores the making of pieces by Radić along with his wife, sculptor Marcela Correa. The pieces are drawn from the couple’s unique Right Angle House in Vilches, Chile, which encompasses the same materials as the Alexander McQueen concept store. “When Sarah saw the photos of our house, well, she really liked that image. There is a wooden sculpture hanging in that house…” recalls Radić. This sculpture, “Dibujo,” meaning drawing, is suspended, coiled wood, created by Correa. Also to be discovered in the Old Bond Street store is granite playfully joined by wool, and light-filled alabaster. The architect and sculptor explain that they examine form and restrain themselves from intervening as little as possible. “It says something about simplicity,” they note. “With Smiljan, we’ve always worked on the idea of refuge. Both the space and the forms are very simple with very little light, very little noise, and very little color,” says Correa.

Explore the making of pieces now housed in the Alexander McQueen Old Bond Street concept store in the documentary above.

The coiled wood structure “Dibujo” as hanging inside the Right Angle House in Chile. Courtesy Alexander McQueen

“I think we use a lot of sculpture, rocks, and that kind of thing because sometimes in these new places you need many kind of times, reflects Radić, offering that geological, natural time layerings offer a new ambiance, and a new complexity to a space. These pieces from another time will co-exist in dialogue with Burton’s seasonal collections. Perhaps what is most interesting, though unsurprising for those familiar with Burton’s work for Alexander McQueen, is that the idea to incorporate this deeply intuitive feeling for luxury, one that is natural and unforced, soothing and not ostentatious, was conceived and executed ahead of the pandemic, which has incited a global reset in the world, not least fashion. Without doubt, post lockdown, the Alexander McQueen stores around the world will offer a conscientious refuge where one’s material gains will reflect an assured extension of a desired state of mind.

READ NEXT: Don’t miss this Saudi exhibition featuring works by 17 regional artists

Suggestions
Articles
View All
Vogue Collection
Topics