PARIS–Provocative British designer Alexander McQueen has died, the cheap cufflinks that owns his eponymous fashion house said Thursday.

“He has passed away,” said a spokeswoman for Gucci Group, part of Paris’s retail-to-luxury group PPR SA. Mr. McQueen’s body was found at his London home Thursday morning, according to Samantha Garrett, a spokeswoman for the British fashion icon.

Little was immediately known about the circumstances surrounding his death, which came as the fashion elite gathered in New York for the start of fashion week, but police said it wasn’t being treated as suspicious.

Recently posted comments on his Twitter page showed signs of anguish over the Feb. 2 death of his mother. He said he wanted his mother to rest in peace, adding “but life must go on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” The British designer’s death also comes three years after the suicide of fashion guru Isabella Blow, who helped launch Mr. McQueen’s career.

Mr. McQueen was the creative chief behind the brand he founded in the 1990s and sold to Gucci Group in 2000. His dramatic designs, such as reptilian dresses and hoof-like shoes, were met with critical acclaim–he was named British Fashion Designer of the Year on four separate occasions. Yet he struggled to get cheap earrings success.

“He’s such an amazing talent. It’s hard to put into words. That’s a gigantic loss to the fashion world,” said Simon Doonan, creative director at Barneys New York, which carries the Alexander McQueen brand. “His shows were just so extraordinary and such amazing hire-wire acts of creative tension it sort of raised the bar on what people perceived as a fashion show.”

Mr. McQueen, who was also once the designer for French fashion house Givenchy, was due to present his collection during Paris fashion week in less than a month. A presentation of his secondary label, McQ, had been scheduled for Thursday’s opening day of New York fashion week. Mr. McQueen had never been expected at the show, which was quickly canceled.

News of the designer’s death sent shock waves through the fashion industry, casting a pall over New York fashion week. “I think everybody is absolutely devastated and shocked,” said Linda Fargo, women’s fashion director at Bergdorf Goodman. “Life churns on, but you feel it here [at the tents]. Everybody’s feeling not good this morning.”

Fashion designer Richard Chai, who learned of the news as he was preparing for his 11 a.m. show at Bryant Park, called Mr. McQueen’s death a tragedy. “He was a genius. I really have no words. It is just sad,” he said.

Known for his dramatic statement pieces and impeccable tailoring, Mr. McQueen helped raise the profile of British fashion and was recognized by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003 when she made him a Commander of the British Empire for his fashion leadership.

The designer received his training at London’s Central St. Martin’s College of Art and Design, cheap jewelry recognized for its fashion-forward approach and encouragement of young designers. He worked for traditional Savile Row tailors Anderson and Sheppard, and Gieves and Hawkes before branching out into his own more theatrical designs.

“He was 16 when he came here,” said John Hitchcock of Anderson and Sheppard. “He was a boy from Essex, he wanted to learn tailoring. He was a little bit different–he was very ambitious.”

The Associated Press and Ray A. Smith contributed to this article.