What Is A Brand Without Its Founder?

“Who wants to live forever?” sang Freddie Mercury, five years before he passed away. If designers could, the fashion industry would certainly be a less tumultuous place. Watching Paris Fashion Week, it was impossible not to ponder the question of legacy: what it means, what to do with it and how to honour it.

The latest touch point for this weighty conundrum is Seán McGirr, whose first collection for Alexander McQueen was not universally loved. When McQueen died in 2011, Sarah Burton took over, his right hand woman since the start, wholly immersed and invested in his legacy because she helped create it. McGirr, parachuted in from JW Anderson (he’s also worked for Dries Van Noten and Burberry), had huge shoes to fill, and it’s neither kind nor fair to pan his first collection. But with Balenciaga presenting luxed-up versions of thrift store clothing, and Saint Laurent more focused on youth than ever (judging by the surfeit of sheer tops, at least), it’s tempting to wonder why parent company Kering is pitching so many of its brands at customers who are too young to afford the price points.

Until now, McQueen was an aspirational brand worn by The Princess of Wales. When she finally resumes her public duties, I can’t see her in a Lamborghini yellow knitted bra top. Catwalk shows are always directional and rarely representative of the clothes that end up in store,  but there was no showcasing of the ateliers’ skills; no jaw-dropping innovations such as Burton always showed. What is a brand without its founder? It’s a question with no easy answer.