Alexander McQueen . . but then Gucci came along

In 2000 Gucci aqquired 51% of the Alexander McQueen label. Though Gucci were the majority stake holders, McQueen remained the creative director and had full creative control over the business. Robert Plolet became the new cheif executive of Gucci in 2004 after Tom Ford and Domenico De Sole left. McQueen was able to triple his sales within three years and meet Polet's target by 2007. This was achieved by the expansion of a secondary line 'McQ', accessories, fragrance and footwear. A skull print scarf did extremely well, which sparked high street duplicates.