In order to find inspiration for his S/S 2009
collection ‘Natural Dis-Tinction Un-Natural Selection’ (which can be seen in full here), the program notes
stated that McQueen had been looking into the works of Darwin and his theory of
evolution. This research was evident in the abundance of animal print in the
collection as well as the warehouse location of the show which was lined with taxidermy
animals ranging from polar bears to tigers. The show appeared to be divided
into two halves – one of which depicted a life untouched by man and another
which depicted man’s interference with nature, creating an overall commentary
on man’s influence on evolution. The theme was not unusual for McQueen, and it
is one that he would go on to visually discuss in more detail with his
following two collections.
