Sad news yesterday: London designer Alexander McQueen was found dead at his Westminster apartment.

The so-called the bad boy of fashion, Alexander McQueen became a hugely influential force in the fashion industry, and his death is being mourned across the world.

He was born Lee Alexander McQueen, the youngest in a family of six kids, the son of an East End cab driver. Schooled in Stratford, McQueen remained proud of his working-class London roots. At the age of 16, McQueen began working as an apprentice at Savile Row tailor Anderson & Sheppard, then moved to Gieves & Hawkes on the legendary street. He also worked at Angels and Bermans, theatrical costumiers on Shaftesbury Avenue. In the 1990s, he completed an MA at Central Saint Martins.

In many ways, Alexander McQueen’s styles were typically London: rebellious, irreverent, creative and pragmatic.

US Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour called McQueen “one of the greatest talents of his generation.”

“He brought a uniquely British sense of daring and aesthetic fearlessness to the global stage of fashion. In such a short career, Alexander McQueen’s influence was astonishing – from street style, to music culture and the world’s museums,” she said in a statement. “His passing marks an insurmountable loss.”

His death comes just days before London Fashion Week, where he will be sorely missed.