Lee Alexander McQueen, born 1969, described his work as electric and eccentric. Known as "l'enfant terrible" he replaced John Galliano as head of Givenchy haute couture in 1996 but left in 2001. His first perfume (Kingdom) was launched in 2003 and in 2004 his men's ready-to-wear line was shown in Milan for the first time. One of his best friends was the influential fashion stylist Isabella Blow. On February 11, 2010, Mcqueen committed suicide and left the fashion world bereft of one of its most beloved, genius designers. (from NY Times 2010 article)