Alexander McQueen’s 90s Show: Fashion Satire on Our Future with AI and Robotics

Was the iconic 90s show by Alexander McQueen offering a type of satire through the medium of fashion—an exploration of what our relationship with AI and robotics might be in the future?

The “No. 13” Spring/Summer 1999 show was unlike anything the fashion world had witnessed before. The intersections of fashion and technology were echoed throughout this runway presentation as civilization was moving into a new century: the millennium. With the promise of innovation and new ideas, Alexander McQueen may have unknowingly captured the essence of what this century would bring through model Shalom Harlow’s experience on the runway—an experience that could be seen as foreshadowing the human condition today.

The fashion show featured two repurposed car factory robots spraying black and yellow paint onto Harlow’s white dress as she spun around on a platform. This performance is considered one of the most iconic moments in fashion history, blurring the lines between vulnerability and technology.

Shalom is quoted as saying:

“I walked right up to it and stood on top of this circular platform. And as soon as I gained my footing, the circular platform started a slow, steady rotation. And it was almost like the mechanical robots were stretching and moving their parts after an extended period of slumber. And as they sort of gained consciousness, they recognized that there was another presence amongst them, and that was myself.

And at some point, the curiosity switched, and it became slightly more aggressive and frenetic and engaged on their part. And an agenda became solidified somehow. And my relationship with them shifted at that moment because I started to lose control over my own experience, and they were taking over. So they began to spray and paint and create this futuristic design on this very simple dress.

And when they were finished, they sort of receded, and I walked, almost staggered, up to the audience and splayed myself in front of them with complete abandon and surrender.

It almost became this aggressive sexual experience in some way. And I think that this moment really encapsulates, in a way, how Alexander related to—at least at this particular moment—creation itself. Is that all of creation? Is that the act of a human being being created, the sexual act? Is it the act of, you know, the Big Bang, if you will—the violence, the chaos, and the surrender that takes place?

Alexander and I didn’t have any conversation directly related to this particular piece and to creating this moment within his show. I like to think that he wanted to interfere as little as possible and allow me to have the most genuine, spontaneous experience possible.”

Chrissy Newton is a PR professional and the founder of VOCAB Communications. Writer and Partner at The Debrief, a news site covering edge science and technology. She currently appears on The Discovery Channel and Max in "Alien Encounters: Fact or Fiction" and hosts the "Rebelliously Curious" podcast, which can be found on YouTube and on all major audio podcast streaming platforms. Follow her on X: @ChrissyNewton, Instagram: @BeingChrissyNewton, and chrissynewton.com.