British Fashion Council to honor designer with a posthumous award

The late Lee Alexander McQueen will be presented with a posthumous award for Outstanding Achievement in Fashion Design during Tuesday's British Fashion Council Awards.

To commemorate McQueen's life, the ceremony will open with a short film featuring the British designer's most iconic pieces directed by Nick Knight, styled by Edward Enninful, with a soundtrack by Bjork. The clip will be streamed live online at Showstudio.com starting from 7 p.m. London time.

Speaking about his film, McKnight told Style.com, "It is being styled by Edward Enninful and will feature black models only. We felt it was important to have the clothes featured one last time on flesh and blood before the museum takes them away."

The museum that McKnight is referring to is the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is staging a major retrospective on the late designer's career titled, "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty."   Running from May 4 through July 31, 2011, the exhibit will feature 100-plus pieces and highlight everything from his Central Saint Martins postgraduate collection in 1992 to his final runway presentation, which was staged posthumously in February 2010 following his suicide earlier this year.

Born in London in 1969, McQueen began his fashion career with an apprenticeship at the traditional Savile Row tailors Anderson and Shephard. He went on to create his own eponymous label and was later appointed chief designer of the French haute couture house Givenchy. McQueen's shows were reputed for their theatrical elements, emotional power and raw energy, and were often the highlights of the international fashion weeks.

Harold Tillman, Chairman of the British Fashion Council, commented, "The Outstanding Achievement Award celebrates the exceptional talent of an individual who has contributed to the British fashion industry both internationally, and here in the UK throughout their career. There was only one person we felt we could recognize with this award this year- Lee McQueen."

Stream the short film featuring McQueen's iconic works live from 7 p.m. here:

http://showstudio.com/