What's to become of McQueen?

After the startling suicide of Alexander McQueen on Thursday, the initial outpouring of grief among fashion followers is starting to give way to the question: what will become of his business? Some have suggested that it "cannot continue" without its founder. However, from the point of view of the brand's owners - as well as the employees who depend on it for their livelihoods - simply shutting the business down is not an option.

Fortunately, the Alexander McQueen business may not have been as dependent on Lee McQueen the man as many thought. Yes, he put on spectacular shows - but fashion shows may not be essential to the immediate continuation of the brand. The commercial collections, the bread and butter of any designer business, were always more conservative, and it's likely that Mr McQueen had only a minimal part in creating them. His design team, then, may be able to carry on without him.

That doesn't solve the house's problems: eventually, it will need a new public face. I think it would be a mistake, however, to hire a new designer with McQueen's death so prominent in the public consciousness. It would serve only to underline the (glaring) fact that, in terms of sheer creative bravado, he is irreplaceable. Instead, the house should work on cementing his reputation by continuing to evoke the memory of the founder. Though the collection he was working on at the time of his death should be presented, if possible, afterwards fashion shows should be eschewed, at least for the foreseeable future.

One first step could be an equivalent to the Balenciaga Edition collection, which consists of couture pieces from the house's archive made new as ready-to-wear. I would suggest culling the McQueen archive for its most iconic pieces, offering clients one last chance to get their hands on a piece of the man's formidable skills. In fact, it would be unseemly to hire a new designer too quickly; it might suggest that the brand's executives care too much about the bottom line, disrespecting McQueen.

The brand should take the space of a few seasons to adjust, continuing the creation of commercial collections by the design team now in place. By then, maybe, a new head designer can be hired - and McQueen's fans might be ready to accept him.