Gareth Pugh is front runner to take over Alexander McQueen's fashion label

Just a week after Alexander McQueen's funeral, the company in charge of his fashion label is believed to have identified his successor.

Gareth Pugh, 28, is understood to be the designer that PPR wants as the new creative director of Alexander McQueen, of which it owns 51 per cent.

After McQueen's suicide at the age of 40, Francois-Henri Pinault, the chairman of PPR, pledged to sustain his "genius".

Kylie Minogue and Lady Gaga are fans of the Sunderland-born designer, who shares McQueen's theatricality. Pugh also has a highly influential cheerleader in Anna Wintour, the editor of American Vogue, who was the inspiration for Meryl Streep's memorable ice queen in The Devil Wears Prada.

If chosen, he would at least have no problem paying for his accommodation. While designing his 2005 debut collection, he was a squatter in a London warehouse until forced to leave by a court order.