Alexander McQueen was born in London on March 17th 1969 as the youngest of six children. He left school at the age of 16 and was immediately offered an apprenticeship at the traditional Saville Row tailors Anderson and Shephard and then at neighboring Gieves and Hawkes, both masters in the technical construction of clothing. In December 2000, 51% of Alexander McQueen was acquired by the Gucci Group, where he remains to this day as Creative Director. Collections include womens ready-to-wear, mens ready-to-wear, accessories, eyewear and fragrance (Kingdom 2003 and MyQueen 2005). Expansion followed and included the opening of flagship stores in New York, London and Milan. Alexander McQueen collections are now distributed in over 39 countries through 194 wholesale accounts including speciality shops and better department stores.