Walking down the ramp as a Creative Director
I studied the triumphs of one of the most remarkable brand - Alexander McQueen to feed my interest to become a Creative Director.
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Why being Creative Director is cool?
Why being Creative Director is cool?
The creative director is in charge of choosing the general theme, color scheme, and styling for a season's collections. They are responsible for overseeing and guiding the creative vision of a brand or organization. They can work for an apparel company or fashion magazines. You get to work with so many people from other fields, which I think is a wonderful way to expand your vision- personally and professionally.
In order to uphold the creative vision of a project or brand, the position of Creative Director is important. They ensure that the creative work successfully communicates the intended message and connects with the target audience by bridging the gap between creativity and goals. To succeed in their line of work, creative directors frequently have to strike a balance between artistic innovation and practical matters.
Major responsibilities
Major responsibilities
Concept Development and Building Creative Vision: Conceptualizing and brainstorming ideas for a wide range of projects, including fashion collections, advertising campaigns, art installations, product design, development of themes, narratives, and visual concepts. Creating an idea or concept that is both creative and compelling, in line with the objectives and identity of the brand.
Art Direction: They oversee a project's artistic elements, ensuring that the visual and aesthetic aspects align with the creative vision. Making decisions about photography, design, color schemes, and other visual elements is a part of this.
Trend Analysis: Staying current with industry trends and cultural shifts is important. Creative Directors need to understand what is happening in the creative landscape and how it may impact their work.
Team Leadership and Collaboration: Creative Directors manage and lead teams of designers, artists, writers, photographers, and other creative professionals. They provide direction and inspiration to ensure that the team works together to achieve the established vision. To ensure that the creative work aligns with the overall business strategy, creative directors frequently collaborate with other departments such as marketing, product development, and sales.
Brand Identity: Creative Directors play a key role in shaping and maintaining a brand's identity, ensuring that the creative work is consistent with the brand's values, target audience, and messaging.
Quality Control: They are in charge of ensuring that the creative work produced is of high quality. This includes the review and approval of concepts, designs, and final products.
Budget Management: They may also have responsibility for managing budgets for creative projects, which includes making decisions about resource allocation and expenditures.
Pay Scale
Pay Scale
Salaries of individuals may vary according to the location and employee's level of experience. But all in all, average salary of a creative director is $75,000 or 62 lakhs per annum (now its cool, huh).
I was always intrigued by couture and avant-garde designs I saw on the runway. One such design that stimulated my mind was the 2011 Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. I then realized, I want to create something like this, I want to direct something like this.
About the brand - Alexander McQueen
About the brand - Alexander McQueen
The British luxury fashion label Alexander McQueen is renowned for its cutting-edge, inventive, and regularly challenging designs. The well-known British fashion designer Lee Alexander McQueen launched the company in 1992. In the fashion industry, McQueen was a visionary known for his originality and skill before his untimely death in 2010.
Official website: alexandermcqueen.com
Some attributes you should know about the brand
Alexander McQueen is mainly known for his extravagant Avant-Garde style. The brand frequently uses dramatic styling, elaborate tailoring, and unusual materials in their designs.
McQueen's artistic interpretations and theatricality were well-known features of their runway showcases. His dramatic styling usually has a gothic-romantic vibe around it. He was renowned for fusing contemporary couture with Gothic and Victorian aesthetic components to create distinctive, and often eerie beauty in his creations.
"Bumster" pants (though now they are like one of the most hated trend, fad you can say) and fitted jackets with powerful shoulders are two of Alexander McQueen's most well-known designs. The fashion industry has been profoundly impacted by these timeless silhouettes.
Alexander McQueen provides a variety of accessories, such as scarves, handbags, and shoes, in addition to apparel. The brand's distinctive look is often seen in their accessories, which fashion fans significantly admire.
After Lee Alexander McQueen's sudden death in 2010, the Creative Director position was taken over by the exceptional British designer Sarah Burton. The brand has developed further under her direction without losing sight of McQueen's original intent.
Who is Sarah Burton?
Who is Sarah Burton?
She was Lee McQueen’s right hand woman for many years. As the latter Creative Director of the British fashion brand Alexander McQueen, Sarah Jane Burton is a well-known British fashion designer. She was born in Manchester, England, in 1974. She is well known for her exquisite tailoring, fine craftsmanship, and for her ability to infuse her designs with a sense of dark beauty and romanticism. She is super versatile when it comes to managing her work. She oversees absolutely everything – womenswear, menswear, accessories, campaigns, communications, retail concepts.
Celebrities who wore Sarah Burton: Beyoncé, Timothée Chalamet, Lady Gaga and Zendaya
Years of service in McQueen: 1996 - 2023 (27 years)
Estimated net worth: $5 million
Her accomplishments
Burton was in charge of overseeing the development and creative direction of all collections for the brand, which consists of accessories and ready-to-wear collections for men and women as well as the more upscale contemporary line McQ, which also includes accessories and collections for men and women.
She gained international popularity in April 2011 as the designer of the wedding gown for the Duchess of Cambridge, Catherine Middleton's for Prince William, costing $434,000.
In tribute to her contributions to the British fashion industry, Burton was also given an Order of the British Empire. The highly acclaimed designer has also won the
> CFDA Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti International Award in 2019,
> Harper's Bazaar Woman of the Year Award and Glamour Award for The Visionary in 2014,
> The Walpole Award for British Luxury Design Talent in 2013, and the
> Designer of the Year Award at the British Fashion Awards in 2011.
Under her leadership, McQ has upheld its reputation for pushing fashion boundaries and fusing artistry and wearability.
The current Creative Director of Alexander McQueen is Seán McGirr.
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