Job cuts loom at Alexander McQueen amid global restructuring

British fashion house Alexander McQueen is opening collective redundancy proceedings in its Italian operations, with 30% of its local workforce at risk, as the company undergoes a global strategic restructuring to restore profitability.

Redundancies will affect 54 out of the 181 employees currently employed by the brand in Italy, according to an announcement by the trade unions Filctem Cgil, Femca Cisl and Uiltec Uil, which expressed their “deep concern and firm opposition” to the process.

They highlighted that the dismissals represent a substantial reduction in the workforce, with potentially serious consequences for local workers, including the organisation of work and the stability of the supply chain the company relies on.

In an official statement McQueen shared with TheIndustry.fashion, the brand confirmed that the redundancy process is part of its strategic review of global operations to restore profitability, announced in November 2025.

A comment from McQueen said that the "difficult decision is consistent with the strategic review of our global operations announced in November and part of the Group-wide effort to restore the business to sustainable profitability over the next three years, while laying the foundations for its long-term future. We will continue to engage with our employees and their representatives during this critical period and remain committed to supporting them throughout the process and the transition.”

With the appointment of Luca de Meo as CEO of McQueen's parent company Kering in September 2025, the group has been undergoing sweeping changes as part of a restructuring process.

The effect could also be seen in the UK. Last year, McQueen had announced that around 55 roles could be cut from the brand's London headquarters, roughly 20% of its head office workforce. The Kering-owned house had confirmed it had entered a consultation process with affected staff as part of a wider programme to reset the business and streamline operations globally.

De Meo told WWD in February that he had to make a "difficult decision" to take drastic action to revive the McQueen brand, which had reportedly been suffering significant losses in recent years. Both an aggressive expansion of its international store network to 135, as well as over-reliance on sneaker sales - which at one time represented nearly 80% of the brand's income - were named as reasons for the brand's poor performance.

McQueen's star designer Sarah Burton left the brand in September 2024 and is now at the helm of Givenchy.

As part of the restructuring, De Meo announced that more than half of Alexander McQueen's store network could be shuttered, with some locations transferred to other brands within the Kering group, which include Gucci, Saint Laurent and Bottega Veneta.

Income of the Alexander McQueen brand is not disclosed in Kering's annual accounts but is classified in the “other houses” group, which in the fourth quarter of 2025 reported a 3% increase in sales. These accounts also noted, however, that "losses at Alexander McQueen weighed on profitability despite ongoing deep restructuring efforts."