EXPLORING the crevices of his Irish heritage, Creative Director Séan McGirr brought the unrelenting spirit of the folklore figure, the Banshee to McQueen for SS25. Not only rooted in his own history but also the one of the British House, for the adjoining campaign he enlisted a cast of characters to bring this idea to life.
Lensed and directed by Glen Luchford, the images are set in Llansteffan Castle in Wales and set the scene of an eery, gothic presence being among them. Navigating land and shore, both intrinsic parts of the McQueen world, we are shown the liminal spaces between fantasy and reality.
McQueen SS25
McQueen SS25
McQueen SS25
“The banshee was a figure that was very present in my childhood imagination growing up in Ireland and she has recently taken on a new meaning for me,” said McGirr. “She embodies a sense of strident self-expression that resonates now; something freeing that drives connection with others”.
McQueen SS25
Sharp and twisted suiting is contrasted with ethereal moments of undulating sheer chiffon, silk creponne and shredded silk. Ivory meets grey, and black sits neatly beside bursts of orange and yellow. Strength is seen in the strict and rigid forms crafted in the tailoring, whilst femininity peeks through the fragility of the dresses to pull us into the banshee’s spell.
by Imogen Clark