McQ Emblems: Swallows, Monsters and more…

From eye-catching designs to stand out motifs, Alexander McQueen’s diffusion line McQ by Alexander McQueen is far from boring. Launched in 2006, McQ offers more affordable, designer street pieces than the mainline Alexander McQueen collection. At Repertoire you will find a complete range of casual styles featuring hoodies, t-shirts, joggers and accessories; all recognisable by their unique emblems including birds, bunnies and big eyes. But what are the reasonings behind their iconic designs?

Swallows

Probably McQ’s most iconic emblem, the Swallows, was first introduced in ‘The Birds’, McQueen’s show inspired by Hitchcock’s films. Since then, the Swallow pattern has been a recurring theme for McQ. The swallow was re-imagined in 2016 by artist Tommy Tosseyn with a now more sinister appearance having skull-like eyes and a sharply pointed body. The Swallow has become one of McQ’s most recognised icons featuring heavily on their graphic t-shirts and sweats..

Rave Monsters

This stand out design is inspired from back when the Hacienda nightclub in Manchester was at its peak. From the club’s industrial interior, with its hazard warning signs and tapes, was born the ‘Rave Monsters’ emblem. The ‘Rave Monsters’ print is designed mostly with red and black stripes and a Monster creeping through; and sometimes incorporates a random swallow.

Madchester

‘Madchester’ is a monster character created by McQ by Alexander McQueen that represents the music culture in Manchester in the late 80s; a time of acid house and rave music. Manchester in the early 1980s was mainly dominated by bands such as The Smiths, New Order and The Fall and music journalists used the anagram ‘Madchester’ to describe the vibe of the city. To this day, ‘Madchester’s big eyes and spiky edges appears printed on many McQ t-shirts and sweatshirts.

Shop the latest of McQ by Alexander McQueen collection with emblems including ‘Pyscho Billy‘, ‘Flaming Bunny‘ & more here at Repertoire Fashion.