McQueen sales bask in royal dress success
ALEXANDER McQueen sales reached “unprecedented levels” last year, thanks in part to the Duchess of Cambridge’s iconic wedding dress, which catapulted the brand further into the global spotlight.
The fashion house – led by creative director Sarah Burton, who designed the dress worn by the Duchess in April 2011 – reported sales of £52.4m in the year to 31 December 2012, a 29 per cent jump on the previous year.
“Both retail and wholesale reached unprecedented levels, confirming strong development of the Alexander McQueen brand,” it said in accounts filed last week at Companies House.
However profits slipped to £3.8m from £5m in 2011, after it made a “significant investment” in opening new stores and relaunching McQ, its more affordable collection.
The group opened a flagship for its McQ label in Dover Street last September and its first menswear store on Savile Row in October.
Alexander McQueen is owned by French luxury goods group Kering, formerly known as PPR, which also owns fashion brands Gucci, Stella McCartney and Balenciaga.
The group owns 36 stores, concessions and franchises across the globe. However the accounts filed under Alexander McQueen Trading only cover its online business, stores in the UK, US and Italy and its US wholesale operations.
The brand was founded by the eponymous designer in 2001. Burton took over as creative director after McQueen’s death in 2010.