American Friends of Sarabande
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Sarabande
Foundation
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Sarabande offers an international support system and home to artists from more than 37 countries.
Our London studio complex houses a rich creative community with a plethora of artisans reflecting the multifarious span of Lee’s talent and the variety of craftspeople he worked with in his own collections.
Our tactile artists include sculptors, fashion designers, jewelers, textile designers, painters, performance artists, silversmiths, costume designers, ceramicists, and dancers. Sarabande also houses filmmakers, animators, photographers, digital designers, and visual artists.
Sarabande’s support goes beyond those in house – once a Sarabande artist, always a Sarabande artist. Since 2012, we awarded scholarships for students to study at prestigious institutions in London.
Successful students are chosen with the input of an industry expert from within the foundation’s network for being fearless in their creativity but lacking in financial backing. Recent specialists have included Sarah Burton OBE, Nick Knight OBE, Matthew Slotover, Sadie Coles, Daniel Roseberry, Jake Chapman, and Marina Abramović. The scholarship program is the backbone of Sarabande’s work, supporting the education of future generations’ most visionary creatives.
The Legacy
The late designer Lee Alexander McQueen established Sarabande in 2006 to support exceptional creative talent to advance the arts. In addition to providing mentoring, scholarships, and studio space for artists, Sarabande helps with grant-making for the relief of financial strain, and the progression of education for the general public through an accessible program of talks and workshops that develop essential creative and business skills over multiple disciplines.
Lee Alexander McQueen
Photograph by David Bailey
Lee Alexander McQueen CBE established Sarabande, named after his Spring/Summer 2007 show, as a charitable foundation to support the creatively fearless minds of the future. To date, Sarabande has nurtured more than 150 artists and designers, and supported tens of thousands more through a pioneering public events program.
Lee McQueen was born in London on March 17, 1969. He left school at 16 to begin an apprenticeship first with Anderson & Sheppard and then at Gieves & Hawkes on Savile Row in London. After persuading his way onto the MA Fashion Design course at Central Saint Martins, Lee showed his MA collection in 1992. He founded the Alexander McQueen label in 1994 and grew it to become one of the foremost creatively-led fashion brands in the world. Lee’s collaborative spirit ensured the brand’s success. He sought out and invited fellow artists, artisans, and creatives to work on collections, shows, and campaigns. This merging of skills and visions allowed Lee to continually push the limits of fashion and expand its relevance, artistry, and meaning.
Sarabande’s support is offered in three core ways – scholarships to study at top level institutions in London, a subsidized studio programme with bespoke mentoring, and a public programme of on-site events for the wider creative industries.
