When Simon Ungless graduated from Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design in 1992, he embarked on a collaboration with his best friend, Lee Alexander McQueen. The pair created “Taxi Driver,” an important collection that gave rise to the brand Alexander McQueen.
Ungless continued to collaborate with McQueen on numerous collections showcased in London and New York, each with an unforgettable title including “Nihilism,” “Banshee,” “The Birds,” “The Highland Rape,” “The Hunger,” and “Dante.” In 1996, Ungless introduced the late designer to Sarah Burton, who would later become the creative cirector of Alexander McQueen.
That same year, Ungless ventured to California to establish the Fashion School at the Academy of Art University, initiating a remarkable journey in education. He extended his educational footprint to Arizona State University, Polimoda, Auckland University of Technology, College of Creative Studies, and West Valley College.
Ungless furthered his career in 2002 as the creative director of Member Holiday, a Korean-based contemporary brand, launching both men’s and women’s collections and expanding to 37 freestanding stores. His return to Alexander McQueen in 2020, under Burton’s direction, saw him contributing to McQueen Creatives and leading the print direction for women’s Pre-Spring 2021 and Men’s Summer ’22 collections.
In Fall 2022, Ungless took on the role of consultant for Rebel Fashion – 30 Years of London Fashion, an exhibition celebrating British fashion with New Generation’s support. He played a pivotal role in conceptualizing, inspiring, and curating exhibition pieces for the “Taxi Driver” Alexander McQueen collection.
For Spring 2024, Ungless is steering the print direction for Alexander McQueen’s men’s ready-to-wear collection. With an illustrious 35-year tenure in the fashion industry, his expertise spans fashion and textile design, forecasting, brand development, marketing, show production, and publishing, with collaborations extending to brands like Tory Burch, Givenchy, Paul Smith, Versace, The Burton Group, Nigel French, Selfridges, Nike, Levi’s, and Calvin Klein.
Today, Ungless operates two artisanal and sustainably centered design companies under the U.N.-Production banner: “When Simon Met Ralph,” focusing on apparel and textiles, and “Blackened,” which centers on accessories and home.