David Koma vs Alexander McQueen: Same School, Different Dress

David Koma and Alexander McQueen are compared for a reason that has nothing to do with price: both are London houses whose founders came through the Central Saint Martins MA under Louise Wilson, and both cut a dress to the body with a tailor’s discipline. Beyond that they diverge, in age, in ownership, in scale and in what a dress is for. This page sets the two side by side on the things a shopper can check: who designs them, what they cost at Luxury Shoes , how they fit, and which to buy for which occasion.

Key facts

• Founder and ownership: David Koma is designer-owned and independent, founded 2009; Alexander McQueen was founded in 1992 by Lee McQueen and is owned by the Kering group, designed since 2024 by Sean McGirr.
• Both designers trained on the Central Saint Martins MA Fashion course under Louise Wilson, McQueen in the early 1990s and Koma graduating in April 2009.
• At Luxury Shoes : David Koma 365 styles in stock, median $3,270; Alexander McQueen None styles, median $3,470.
• Signature: Koma is the sculpted cady dress with one crystal placement, made in the UK; McQueen is the corseted tailoring, the bumster, the dramatic gown, made in Italy.
• Fit: both cut close through the bust and waist; Koma sizes on the UK ladder with no sizing instruction; McQueen sizes in Italian numbers.

Two houses, one school

The shared teacher matters. Louise Wilson’s MA produced designers who draft a bodice like a tailor, and it shows in both labels: a McQueen gown and a Koma gown both hold the torso hard and let the skirt go. The difference is temperament. McQueen, from its founder onward, dresses the body as theatre, with historical references, Savile Row tailoring, the corset as armour. Koma dresses the body as the point, with the embellishment placed to draw the eye to it and nothing to distract. A McQueen dress is about the house; a Koma dress is about the woman in it, which is the house’s own claim and, in the fitting room, a fair one.

Price

At Luxury Handbags the medians are close enough to be compared: David Koma at $3,270 across 365 styles, Alexander McQueen at $3,470 across None. Koma’s range runs $520 to $10,468, and its ceiling is hand embroidery; McQueen’s runs $630 to $13,630, and its ceiling is Italian tailoring and leather. For a sculpted cocktail dress with crystal, Koma is the cheaper house at the same level of handwork: the Crystal Star And Straps Midi Dress at $4,660 has no McQueen equivalent under $4,000. For a tailored jacket, McQueen is the specialist and Koma the occasional visitor, though the Structured Sleeve Tailored Jacket at $5,910 is a serious piece.

Which for which occasion

For a black-tie evening where you want to be photographed, Koma: the Crystal Pendant Halterneck Gown, the Cactus Dahlia Detail Gown. For a gala where the dress should read as a house, McQueen. For a cocktail party, Koma every time; the mini is his form and the Crystal Star Draped Mini Dress is its best current expression. For tailoring to wear for a decade, McQueen. For a wedding guest, Koma’s Crystal Leaf And Halter Mini Dress and Crystal Rose Halter Midi Dress are the easier buy because they are lighter and cheaper. For a bride, both houses sell white gowns, and Koma’s Lace Rose Embroidered Gown In White is the one that will not be mistaken for anyone else’s.

How they fit

Both houses cut close. Koma sizes on the UK ladder and publishes a body chart and no sizing advice; order your usual UK size and take the larger of two on a corset. McQueen sizes in Italian numbers, and a UK 10 is an Italian 42 in both houses’ conversion. A Koma cady dress has a little stretch and a firm lining; a McQueen tailored piece has none and a canvas, so McQueen is the one to have altered by a tailor and Koma the one to buy in the right size. The David Koma size guide has the chart.

“I imagine her as a 21st-century femme fatale,” David Koma told British Vogue when the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund named him its 2020 winner. “Every decade has its own sense of modernity and glamour.”

Frequently asked questions

Is David Koma similar to Alexander McQueen?

In training and in the close, tailored cut of a bodice, yes: both came through the Central Saint Martins MA under Louise Wilson. In temperament no: McQueen dresses the body as theatre, Koma dresses it as the point.

Is David Koma cheaper than Alexander McQueen?

At Luxury Handbags the medians are $3,270 for David Koma and $3,470 for Alexander McQueen; for a crystal cocktail dress Koma is the cheaper house at the same handwork.

Who designs Alexander McQueen now?

Sean McGirr, creative director since 2024, under the Kering group; David Koma still designs his own independent label.

Which is better for a wedding guest, David Koma vs McQueen?

David Koma, for the lighter, cheaper crystal-leaf and crystal-rose dresses that are made for exactly that; McQueen for a formal evening wedding where tailoring is the point.

Do David Koma and McQueen size the same?

Koma sizes on the UK ladder and McQueen in Italian numbers; a UK 10 is an Italian 42 in both. Koma has a little stretch and a lining, McQueen tailoring has a canvas and none.

Where are they made?

David Koma mostly in the United Kingdom, with Turkish denim and Chinese knits; Alexander McQueen mainly in Italy.

Read next

Read brands like David Koma, David Koma vs Safiyaa and is David Koma a luxury brand. Shop the David Koma collection at Luxury Shoes and the Alexander McQueen collection.

More David Koma guides

Every David Koma page by Luxury Shoes ’s fashion editor Gemma Deeks: Is it a luxury brand?, Brands like David Koma, How to wear, Which dress to buy, Who is David Koma?, History timeline, Size guide, Price guide, Where to buy, Sale, Review, Real vs fake, Materials and care, Glossary, Mugler and Blumarine, Who wears it, Pre-fall 2026 Supergirl edit, Spring-summer 2026 edit, Resort 2026 edit, vs Safiyaa, Gowns, Mini dresses, Midi dresses, Tops, Jackets and tailoring, Jeans and denim, Trousers, Skirts, Wedding dresses, Wedding-guest dresses, Crystal dresses, 3D flower and lace, Sequins, Feathers, Cut-outs, Satin and velvet, Corsets, Black, White and ivory, Red and pink, Yellow, blue and green.

Sources and method

Checked on 18 September 2026 by Gemma Deeks, fashion editor at Luxury Shoes . Product facts, the compositions, linings, embroidery fibres, care lines and country of manufacture, are the brand’s own product-page text; counts, prices and price ranges are Luxury Shoes ’s live catalogue on that date and move with stock; the designer’s biography and the house history come from the brand’s own About page and the press articles listed below, each read on the date above; the size chart is the brand’s own. Where a claim could not be checked against one of these it was left out, and where the fitting room is giving its own advice the page says so.

• davidkoma.com, About us: the brand story, the brand vision and the designer biography in the house’s own words
• davidkoma.com, Size guide: the UK, Italy, US, France and Japan conversion chart and the body measurements by UK size
• davidkoma.com, Delivery and returns: dispatch, delivery windows, duties and the 14-day returns window on the brand’s own store
• David Koma product pages: the description, composition, lining, embroidery, care and made-in lines of every style (306 pages saved 18 September 2026)
• David Koma on Wikipedia and its cited articles
• Wikidata Q5236101
• London Fashion Week, designer profile: David Koma
• British Vogue, 11 May 2020: the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund winner profile (“a favourite of red-carpet stars from Scarlett Johansson to Michelle Obama”, the “21st-century femme fatale” quote)
• Vogue, 5 December 2017: Casey Cadwallader succeeds Koma at Mugler, with the description of Koma’s Mugler years
• Luxury Handbags live catalogue, 18 September 2026: prices, sizes and stock