McQueen has confirmed the departure of creative director Seán McGirr, ending his three-year tenure at the Kering-owned fashion house. The announcement comes shortly after McGirr presented his Spring Summer 2027 collection in London, marking another significant leadership change within Kering’s portfolio.
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The house will announce its next creative director in the coming period, with the successor expected to debut in London. McQueen returned to the British capital for its Spring Summer 2027 presentation, and the company has confirmed its intention to continue showing there.
Kering CEO Luca de Meo thanked McGirr for his contribution and outlined the company’s plans for the label. “Our ambition is to establish a bold new direction for the house,” he said, identifying exceptional tailoring, uncompromising creativity and rebellion as central elements of McQueen’s future.
McQueen president and CEO Gianfranco D’Attis also acknowledged the designer’s work, particularly his efforts to reconnect the house with London’s creative community. He credited McGirr with bringing his own perspective to the label while maintaining a close relationship with its history.
McGirr joined McQueen in October 2023, succeeding Sarah Burton, who had spent 26 years at the house, including 13 as creative director. Before his appointment, McGirr served as head of ready-to-wear at JW Anderson. His previous experience included design positions at Dries Van Noten, Uniqlo and Burberry.
His arrival introduced a younger approach to McQueen’s established visual vocabulary. For his debut in Paris, McGirr chose a warehouse setting that recalled the industrial environments associated with Alexander McQueen’s early presentations in London. The collection featured exaggerated knitwear, shearling outerwear and jet-beaded tailoring, drawing mixed reactions as he introduced his interpretation of the house’s identity.
His subsequent presentation at the École des Beaux-Arts developed a more focused direction, incorporating a clearer commercial perspective into his runway designs.
For Spring Summer 2027, McGirr brought McQueen back to London, presenting the collection beneath the Gothic ceiling of Lincoln’s Inn Chapel. The designs explored darker elements of the house’s identity through sculptural shoulders resembling folded angel wings, gowns with disruptive details and sharply constructed silhouettes. The presentation became his final runway collection for the label.
Reflecting on his tenure, McGirr described his approach as an exploration of raw human beauty alongside the precision of McQueen’s design language. He expressed pride in the creative work developed with his team and its connections to contemporary art, music and cinema.
The departure arrives during a substantial restructuring of McQueen’s business. Earlier this year, Kering announced plans to reduce the house’s store network by approximately 50 percent by the end of 2026 compared with the previous year. The company also introduced organizational changes and job reductions as part of a broader effort to reshape the label’s operations.
During Kering’s Capital Markets Day in April, de Meo acknowledged that the group’s previous approach to managing its brands had created difficulties for smaller, more specialized houses. He identified McQueen’s distinctive position within luxury fashion and emphasized the importance of concentrating on tailoring, occasionwear, gowns and accessories.
The company subsequently reported the closure of 20 McQueen stores during the first half of 2026. Industry estimates cited by Vogue Business placed the house’s 2025 revenue below €200 million, although Kering does not publish individual sales figures for McQueen.
The leadership change adds another major creative vacancy within the group following Anthony Vaccarello’s departure from Saint Laurent earlier this month. Kering is scheduled to release its third-quarter financial results on October 22, as the company continues to reorganize its fashion portfolio.
McGirr concluded his departure announcement by thanking the studio, atelier and craftspeople who worked alongside him during his tenure. He also expressed his best wishes for the house’s future.
For McQueen, the next appointment will arrive at a critical point in its restructuring. The incoming designer will inherit a house with a distinct creative identity, a reduced retail presence and a renewed focus on the categories that established its reputation. London will provide the setting for the next chapter.
