Shaun Leane

“Shaun Leane is a definitive example of the genre on every level. It dazzles, it provokes, it astounds, and it teaches you what can happen when you push yourself to perfection and beyond . . .”

There are very few times when this reader is absolutely gob-smacked by a book, but Shaun Leane is that rare moment times one hundred. This monograph is one of the most incredible examples of what a true, unadulterated, unequivocal, and matchless creative can do with his talent.

“His work demonstrates how jewellery can speak as powerfully as a voice; his jewellery allows men and women to feel confident and elegant, while at the same time portraying a sense of romance,” says Joanna Hardy

The name was familiar, but the total oeuvre and scope of his work was not. There aren’t enough adequate adjectives or superlatives that can describe what lives between the covers of this once in a lifetime opportunity to know Shaun Leane, the author, the designer, the dreamer, and the friend.

Shaun Leane lays bare the extraordinary relationship as well as the parallel and divergent trajectories of him and Lee Alexander McQueen; to say they were kindred spirits would be a gross understatement as their collaborations came quite literally as happenstance. These two boys, at the time, became best of friends and even more so that they spoke a language that was solely understood by them when it came to the creations that accompany every show that bore McQueen’s name as designer.

“With his jewllery, Leane is touching a part of you without you really realizing it. Age is never a factor, for Leane’s jewellery cannot fail to spark confidence, energy and joy,” says Joanna Hardy.

What it all boils down to is simply that they fed off of each other’s brilliance and built this indescribable collaborative oeuvre that will never be repeated. It also marks the beginning of one of the most talented, humble, and brilliant jewelry designer’s career. Leane is with no equal in his distinction, DNA, vision, and vocabulary when it comes to the jewelry designs that bear his name.

The epic tome is unimaginably and exquisitely brimming with the most incredible visuals as well as telling the story of the author and Alexander McQueen as friends. It is both heartwarming and incredible how their combined successes were fed by each by challenging each other’s abilities and comprehension of the tasks at hand.

Shaun Leane is a definitive example of the genre on every level. It dazzles, it provokes, it astounds, and it teaches you what can happen when you push yourself to perfection and beyond no matter what is asked of you or what you believe is expected of you. This is a book for the seasoned fashionphile who can appreciate the images and also have an appreciation for the story of a créateur.