The Queen of Fashion is a bold and brilliant new biopic celebrating the visionary British fashion icon and muse, Isabella Blow. The film, which wrapped in the UK this week, tells the incredible true story of Blow’s extraordinary ability to discover and champion unknown, marginalised artists, including fashion designer Alexander McQueen and milliner Philip Treacy, turning them into global cultural icons, all while battling her own bipolar disorder.
British writer, director, and producer Alex Marx makes his feature debut, after working on the film for over eight years. Academy Award® nominee Andrea Riseborough stars as Isabella Blow and also serves as a producer. Dane DeHaan stars as Blow’s husband, Detmar Blow, Joe Cole as designer Lee Alexander McQueen, Michelle Dockery as British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman, Emily Beecham as Isabella’s best friend Lucy Birley, Stacy Martin as designer Daphne Guinness, and Bafta-winning Ncuti Gatwa as Tatler’s legendary style and art director, Michael Roberts. Bafta winner Miranda Richardson and Sebastian De Souza also star, joining the previously confirmed cast of Richard E. Grant and Fionn O’Shea. Richardson and Grant play Blow’s parents, while O’Shea and De Souza play couture hat designer Philip Treacy and his partner, Stefan Bartlett, respectively.
“Isabella Blow was lightning in a bottle – a whirlwind of creativity, wit, and audacity,” said UK filmmaker Marx, to Screen Daily. “To tell her story with this astonishing cast, to capture her fire and fragility, is both an honour and a privilege. This isn’t just a film about fashion; it’s about the woman who dared to make it art, every day.”
John Gore Studios is proud to support this epic biopic of an extraordinary tastemaker, talent scout, and fashion pioneer. This is a captivating British story which deserves to be told on a global stage by the best of British film-making talent.
The Queen of Fashion is produced by Matthew Rhodes for The Hideaway Entertainment (US), Elise Freeman and Marx for Mystic Dawn Media (UK), Robert Barnum for The Barnum Picture Company (US) and Andrea Riseborough for Mother Sucker (UK). Co-producer is Juliette Woodcock.
Executive Producers include John Gore, Emma Bell and Hilary Strong for John Gore Studios, alongside Jonathan Gray, Ryan Cassells (The Hideaway Entertainment), TPC, Rocket Science, and Black Bear UK, as well as Alison Owen, August Getty, Michael Sklut, Jason Tan, Thomas Pierce, and Keni Silva.
Rocket Science is handling international sales, while CAA Media Finance represents North America.
Born in London, Blow moved to New York where she worked as Anna Wintour’s assistant at American Vogue and befriended Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat. After moving back to London, she worked as a stylist for Tatler magazine in London, then Fashion Editor for British Vogue and The Sunday Times.
Known for recognising young talent and influencing the trajectory of British fashion, Blow discovered Irish milliner Philip Treacy and began wearing his hats – making them a signature part of her famously flamboyant, enigmatic personal style. In 1992, Blow bought Lee Alexander McQueen’s entire graduate collection for £5,000. She was a significant influence in catapulting both designers to their lucrative careers in the fashion industry as well as leaving a lasting impact on many other artists and creatives.
Meanwhile, Blow’s personal life was a rollercoaster and her mental health suffered.Towards the end of her life, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and ovarian cancer. After multiple attempts, she eventually took her own life in 2007.
Isabella Blow was a true original. A unique and trailblazing force behind the scenes of British fashion, a visionary who championed artists and reshaped the industry with her exceptional eye for talent and flair for innovation. Yet her own talent was frequently overlooked during her lifetime. The time has come for her incredible story to take centre stage.
