Eshu (collection)

Eshu is the sixteenth collection by British fashion designer Alexander McQueen, released for the Autumn/Winter 2000 season of his eponymous fashion house. Its name comes from Eshu, a trickster god in the Yoruba religion variously identified with travellers, luck, and death. Drawing on the twentieth century dress of the Yoruba people of West Africa, the collection presents an aesthetic of primitivism that contrasts couture techniques and luxury materials with distressed garments and an emphasis on animal materials. Many garments had silhouettes which were deliberately exaggerated away from Western norms, although others featured more conventional tailoring.

The runway show was staged on 15 February 2000 at the derelict Gainsborough Studios building in London, among mounting opposition to McQueen's use of fur. The day before, anti-fur protesters broke into the venue and vandalised the set, and a small group of protesters harassed guests on the day of, although the show proceeded regardless. Runway theatrics were kept to a minimum, with no special effects or grand finale; the only set dressing was covering the runway with shards of slate. Sixty-three looks were presented, including several showpieces. Accessories were inspired by African traditions, including neck rings, nose bars, and one mouthpiece that forced the lips wide open.

Contemporary response to the collection was mixed. McQueen had long been subject to accusations that his designs were misogynist, and the aggressive styling in Eshu reignited these criticisms. Later academic analysis reconsidered these accusations and commented on the African inspiration and natural materials. Items from the collection have appeared in exhibitions like the retrospective Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty.