McQueen still makes a statement in the afterlife

As fashion week made its way to New York City and the who's who of the fashion world convened at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, a solemn gloom hung in the cold February air.

 On Feb. 11—the second day of the event—as details about the tragic death of Lee Alexander McQueen began to unfold and make headlines around the world, the entire fashion community was sent into a state of shock and sadness as they began to mourn the death of a man once called the, "Bad boy of British fashion."

His housekeeper had found 40-year-old McQueen dead in his London apartment and paramedics were quickly called to the scene. The paramedics, upon arriving at his Green Street home, announced the four-time British Designer of the Year Award winner dead in the late hours of the morning.

It was later confirmed that McQueen lost his battle to depression just nine days after the death of his mother, Joyce, whose funeral had been scheduled to take place a day after McQueen's death.

Additionally, McQueen was due to present his latest spring collection at Paris Fashion Week in March. Coroner official Lydia Martindill said that the postmortem report had ruled the cause of death to be asphyxia caused by hanging.   

Born in Lewisham, London, England McQueen left school at the age of 16 to pursue a career in the fashion industry and served as an apprentice at many Savile Row tailoring houses including Anderson & Sheppard, Gieves & Hawkes. His clientele included Prince Charles and former President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Grobachev.

McQueen later found himself working for Angels Fancy Dress—the renowned British costume supplying company that has supplied costumes for over 20 Best Costume Oscar-winning films including Titanic, Star Wars and Memoirs of a Geisha.

While working at these tailoring houses, McQueen was able to refine his talent and gained a great deal of exposure and experience in the world of fashion, design, tailoring and costuming that would serve as the foundation for his awe-and-shock career.

McQueen's education did not end there. Although first applying for a teaching position in 1994, McQueen enrolled as a student at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London, England where he received his Master's degree in Fashion Design.

Upon the completion of his degree, influential stylist and global style icon Isabella Blow who played a highly pivotal part in both McQueen's personal and professional life, purchased McQueen's entire graduation collection.

Blow has been credited with "discovering" McQueen as well as convincing him to go by his middle name, Alexander, when he entered the fashion world. Blow later became severely depressed and lost her battle to depression in 2007.

Icelandic singer Bjork, who would also become another great friend of McQueen's, wore one of his designs on the cover of her 1997 fourth album, Homogenic. McQueen also directed a video of the song, "Alarm Call," from the same album. 

In 1996, McQueen succeeded designer John Galliano when he was appointed as the head designer of French luxury brand Givenchy.

Although McQueen fulfilled his duties as head designer and stayed with the brand until 2001, on many occasions McQueen described his time spent at Givenchy as, "constraining his creativity," admitting later on that his time at Givenchy was "the biggest mistake of my life."

Despite causing a stir as a result of his disagreements with Givenchy, McQueen gained a considerable following in the fashion world. He started his eponymous label that has been worn by countless celebrities.

From Kate Moss, Victoria Beckham and Roisin Murphy, to Sarah Jessica Parker, Rihanna and recently Lady Gaga— who can be seen decked head-to-toe, in McQueen's Spring 2010 Charles Darwin-inspired collection, in the video for her song, "Bad Romance."

Throughout his career, McQueen garnered worldwide fame and acclaim for his genius, out-of-this-world, incredibly unique, trend-setting and controversial collections.

McQueen has always been know to push fashion to the edge even if it mean wearing a bunny suit in one of his shows, or not inviting famed fashionista Victoria Beckham to a showcase of hand-carved wooden prosthetics designed by McQueen himself.

In a later show McQueen projected a hologram of Moss as a show of his support during her drug-related downfall. The man who was once called "l'enfant terrible[terrible child] was later appointed one of the highest honors in Britain, Commander of the British Empire (CBE) by the Queen of Great Britain.

McQueen will be remembered both for his resistance of standard and popular culture including his innovative and dramatic work, intense passion for design and never-before-seen talent.