In 2009 inimitable designer Alexander McQueen invited photographer Nick Waplington to document what would become his final Fall/Winter collection before his premature death, and the all-access images are now celebrated in Working Process, a major exhibition at London’s Tate Britain. 

Originally conceived as a book project, the McQueen images are presented alongside other selections from Waplington’s portfolio, such as shots of landfill and recycling plants, highlighting themes of destruction and renewal in both men’s practices. “It was my remit to make work that enlightened and captured the creative nature of both our working methods,” explains the London-born, New York-based Waplington, renowned for his beautifully stark aesthetic.

Opening before the Costume Institute’s sell-out Savage Beauty comes to London’s Victoria & Albert Museum, Working Process not only offers the chance to revisit the stunning costumes of the Fall/Winter Horn of Plenty show, but also serves as a reminder of the extreme reactions that McQueen’s work provoked, between those who saw the “sex-doll lips and sometimes painful theatrics” as ugly or misogynistic, and those energized by the "spectacle" ever-present in his work.

How would you describe the experience of watching and capturing McQueen’s working process? 
Nick Waplington: There’s certain ways of working where you have to be there but not be there. I was very conscious when I started that people were informed that they weren’t to talk to me. I wasn’t there to make friends with the staff. The first time I spoke to a lot of them was at the party after the show.

What memory most stands out from this project?
NW: I made the mistake of bringing the contact sheets into the studio when I got the first film back. There was a meltdown moment as [McQueen] went off to his little dark room with his chaise longue and his cigarettes. I was advised that I shouldn’t show him the pictures again until the end.

How do you think your detachment from the fashion world affected the process?
NW: Showing the two different types of images together creates an air of mystery and possibility for the viewer to bring their own interpretation to the work and move out of fashion photography and into a conceptual art landscape.

Nick Waplington/Alexander McQueen: Working Process runs from March 10 – May 17, 2015, at Tate Britain, London.