>> This morning, Francois-Henri Pinault, president of PPR announced: "The Alexander McQueen trademark will live on. This would be the best tribute that we could offer to him."  Pinault noted that the decision was made quickly after McQueen's death, and said he was confident the house continues to hold "very important potential." Sales of McQueen clothes are reported to have surged 1,400 percent in the last week.

Robert Polet, president of Gucci Group, confirmed that the Fall 2010 collection the designer was finishing before his death will be shown at Paris Fashion Week next month.  Polet said he spoke to McQueen a few weeks ago, and the two men decided that they had "transitioned from being the name of a designer to putting in place the building blocks of a brand." He recalled McQueen telling him: "That means that will be my legacy. That's something I will always leave behind."

There was no explanation as to who might replace McQueen; Polet only said: "Lee is of course irreplaceable . . . We believe in the future of the brand. Lee was very proud of the people working in his company, and so am I."

McQueen's company failed to be profitable from 2001 until breaking even in 2007.  A relatively small profit was made in 2008 before it returned to losses again last year during the financial crisis.