As the announcements that the McQueen house will go on, many assume a specific heir. Right now the names that people deem logical to take over the legacy are Gareth Pugh and Olivier Theyskens. What fans do not know are that when houses need heirs, they put those who studied and worked under the head, on top. From Yves Saint Laurent for Dior, Tom Ford for Gucci, and to Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, it’s the natural way to how new names receive praise in addition to how brands keep their established aura solid by each new collection. So who are those that worked under McQueen that have gained eligibility? Or will Gucci Group and PPR truly consider someone who did not work alongside McQueen to know his exact likes and dislikes? I strongly doubt that possibility. It can go two ways, a very commercial luxury brand, or with a proper heir, a stable global luxury brand that continues to evolve. When it’s commercialized completely, brands are brands. They’re known for their specific taste, it doesn’t matter now if anything truly fresh is produced, people will buy just for the label. I believe the closest example for this would be Coach. As for a brand that meets in the middle: Louis Vuitton, which they luckily have Marc to level it out with RTW. When someone takes over that is already a talented designer, then it can live on through new collections as well as through its trademarks. Like Dior chose Yves before he passed, hopefully Lee had an idea to who’d take over his legacy through the unreleased suicide note he left.