PHOTOGRAPHY Kent Baker
WORDS David K Shields
Inferno: Alexander McQueen captures a precise moment in time. One fashion show. One crew. One night. KENT BAKER & OLLY WALKER’s book features contributions and insights from friends, notable collaborators, and the audience. In showcasing Dante, the seminal 1996 collection that would resonate throughout Alexander McQueen’s career, Baker’s timeless photographs give us a real glimpse into this historic event: a feast for the eyes and senses that would change the fashion world forever.
The DANTE show was an enormous landmark. strip back everything layered on top of the clothes and it was one of those moments when fashion really pivots. MARION HUME
Lee was as brilliant a showman as he was a designer. In my mind, the show was of equal importance to the clothes; the design statement wasn’t complete without the theatrical performance. It was put together on a tiny budget, helped along by Lee’s friends out of sheer belief in what he was doing in fashion. Not for money, but out of a shared excitement and for a chance to be involved in something that felt vital. KENT BAKER
The main thing I remember about that show was how freaky the vibe was backstage. There was electricity bordering on hysteria. Everyone was feeling the spirits in the church. Lots of them, slightly pissed off and menacing. There were men harassing us on the runway, ghosts in the crowd and an all-round feeling that this was something totally mad that would never, ever be repeated. It was very cool. Lee was very good at creating his own fucked-up world; he did it magically that night. EMMA BALFOUR
I oscillate between life and death, happiness and sadness, good and evil. ALEXANDER McQUEEN
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