The Birds (Alexander McQueen collection)

The Birds (Spring/Summer 1995) is the fifth collection by British designer Alexander McQueen for his eponymous fashion house. The Birds was inspired by ornithology, the study of birds, and the 1963 Alfred Hitchcock film The Birds, after which it was named. Typically for McQueen in the early stages of his career, the collection centred on sharply tailored garments and emphasised female sexuality. McQueen had no financial backing, so the collection was created on a minimal budget.

The runway show for The Birds was staged on 9 October 1994, during London Fashion Week. The venue was a warehouse in the London district of King's Cross best known for hosting raves. Like his previous professional shows, The Birds was styled with imagery of violence and death; some models were covered in tyre tracks and others wore white contact lenses. Corsetier Mr. Pearl appeared in a pencil skirt and tailored jacket.

Reception was generally positive, although the extreme styling drew accusations of misogyny. Many of the people who worked on The Birds with McQueen would go on to become longtime collaborators. The success of the show allowed McQueen to secure the financial backing to stage his next show, Highland Rape (Autumn/Winter 1995), the collection which effectively made his name. Garments from The Birds appeared in both stagings of the retrospective exhibition Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty. Seán McGirr heavily referenced The Birds for Autumn/Winter 2024, his debut collection as creative director for the Alexander McQueen brand.

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