Some of my own art- abstract painting series Sea Monsters

Some great quotes by Alexander McQueen (aka why I love him!)

"Beauty can come from the strangest of places, even the most disgusting of places"

"It's the ugly things I notice more, because other people tend to ignore the ugly things."

"I especially like the accessory for its sadomasochistic aspect."

"It needs to connect with the earth. Things that are processed and reprocessed lose their substance."

"Let me not forget the use of my own hands, that of a craftsman with eyes... that reflect the technology around me."

"You've got to know the rules to break them. That's what I am here for, to demolish the rules but to keep the tradition."

"I want to empower women. I want people to be afraid of the women I dress."

"When you see a woman wearing McQueen, there's a certain hardness to the clothes that makes her look powerful. It kind of fends people off."

"It is almost like putting armour on a woman. It’s a very psychological way of dressing."

"People find my things sometimes aggressive. But I don't see it as aggressive. I see it as romantic, dealing with a dark side of personality."

"I oscillate between life and death, happiness and sadness, good and evil."

"I'm about what goes through people's minds. The stuff that people don't want to admit or face up to. The shows are about what's buried in people's psyches."

"It is important to look at death because it is a part of life. It is a sad thing, melancholic but romantic at the same time. It is the end of a cycle-everything has to end. The cycle of life is positive because it gives room for new things."

"There is blood beneath every layer of skin."

"I do not think like the average person on the street. I think quite perversely sometimes."

"I think there has to be an underlying sexuality. There has to be a perverseness to the clothes. There is a hidden agenda in the fragility of romance. It's like a Story of O. I am not big on women looking naive. There has to be a sinister aspect, whether it's melancholy of sadomasochist. I think everyone has a deep sexuality, and sometimes it's good to use a little of it-and sometimes a lot of it-like a masquerade."

"Life to me is a bit of a (Brothers) Grimm fairy tale."

"For me, what I do is an artistic expression which is channelled through me. Fashion is just the medium."

"I am an avid follower of the news, and sometimes you just can't take any more war, any more disasters, and you want to remind yourself there's beauty in the world. I wanted to show a more poetic side to my work. It was all about... a feeling of sadness, but in a cinematic kind of way. I find beauty in melancholy."

"I've never aspire to mass production. Because of my training as a tailor, my work involves lots of love and care, which is why so many of my clothes are made by hand. Not to wow the crowd during the show, but because I love it."

"There is no way back for me now. I am going to take you on journeys you've never dreamed were possible."