In 2020, to coincide with the 21st anniversary of the house of Shaun Leane, we published an extensive monograph in collaboration with AAC Art Books. Charting Shaun’s 36 years as a designer-maker, the book also acts as a retrospective that provides an exciting new insight into his collaboration with Lee Alexander McQueen through a collection of never-before-seen backstage photography by Ann Ray.
April 20th, 2020
The book which defines the journey so far
In 2020, to coincide with the 21st anniversary of the house of Shaun Leane, we published an extensive monograph in collaboration with AAC Art Books. Charting Shaun’s 36 years as a designer-maker, the book also acts as a retrospective that provides an exciting new insight into his collaboration with Lee Alexander McQueen through a collection of never-before-seen backstage photography by Ann Ray.
“Ann is a very tender photographer and she followed Lee around for 17 years. She shot every show backstage. And unbeknown to me, she was also following me… I spent three days in her showroom in Paris going through [her archive] and it was one of the most emotional experiences I’ve ever been through.”
SHAUN LEANE
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Image by Rob Rusling
Image by Nick Knight
Image by Nick Knight
Other notable contributions include celebrated editorial photographs by Nick Knight and important catwalk and backstage images, documented by leading fashion photographers Robert Fairer and Chris Moore.
Also included are essays examining the heritage and craft behind our collections; collaborations with McQueen; and our modern jewellery designs. Penned respectively by independent fine jewellery specialist Joanna Hardy, curator of fashion at the V&A Claire Wilcox, and jewellery writer and historian Vivienne Becker.
A special edition is also available which includes a never-before-seen print by photographer Rob Rusling, who also collaborated with the house on a series of images featured in the book that portray the Shaun Leane muse, the romantic warrior.
“I always strive to evolve and look with a different perspective. I see collaboration as a beautiful evolving process; a large part of my career has been through collaborations. I like to work with new emerging talent and passing on ethos and energy that ‘nothing is impossible’ as it was taught to me by Lee Alexander McQueen.”
SHAUN LEANE
“2020 is an important year for me, both personally and professionally, marking both my 50th birthday and the 21st Anniversary of the House of Shaun Leane. It felt like an important moment to pause and reflect, bringing together images that have defined my career to date and the many collaborations that have shaped my practice. Many of the images have been taken by Ann Ray, a unique talent who captured the essence of the beautiful friendship and collaborative journey I shared with my dear friend Lee Alexander McQueen.
As I hope the reader will discover, these works are a milestone in my evolution as a craftsman and designer. Together they tell a story that twists and turns from the goldsmithing benches of Hatton Garden to the catwalks of London and Paris. As a young apprentice, I often visited the jewellery gallery at the V&A to be inspired by past masters and collected books as forms of reference and inspiration. Over the years it has been incredibly flattering to speak with students who now reference my work - it fills me with pride to think that this book could become part of a blossoming new jeweller’s collection and inspire and provoke them, as much as I am by the beautiful books in my library.” SHAUN LEANE
