The Alexander McQueen Knuckle: From the 2009 Clutch to the Jewelled Bag

The Alexander McQueen Knuckle is a ring handle shaped like a four-finger knuckle-duster. Lee McQueen created it in 2009 for an evening box clutch, the Knuckle Clutch, and it has stayed in the collection ever since. Today it also finishes the front of the Jewelled bags, set with the house skull.

What the Knuckle is

The handle is four linked rings, cast in metal, that you slide your fingers through so the bag is held in a fist. On the original clutch the rings were the grip. Over the years the house has reworked the rings with skulls, roses, snakes, talons and crystals, but the idea has never changed: an evening bag that you hold the way you would hold a weapon.

McQueen spent his career putting a hard edge next to something beautiful, and the Knuckle does that at the size of a hand. The McQueen skull carries the same idea, and the two sit together on the current bags.

A short timeline

• 2009: Lee McQueen creates the Knuckle Clutch, a box clutch with a four-ring handle.
• The 2010s: the rings are redesigned season after season, with skull, flower and creature motifs set into the metal.
• April 2025: the house relaunches the Knuckle as a capsule of new evening clutches combining archival handles with new embellishment.
• Fall Winter 2026: the Knuckle with the signature skull sits on the front of the Jewelled bags in croc-embossed calf leather.

The Knuckle bags at Coveti now

The Jewelled Bag in pop red has silver-finished Knuckle hardware and a chain, on a long, slim shape that sits on the shoulder from a tonal leather handle. The Jewelled Mini Bag in shell pink has tonal Knuckle hardware, and you can carry it by the Knuckle itself, which brings the original clutch grip back to a day bag. Both are made in Italy. The full comparison is in our McQueen bags guide.

How to wear a Knuckle bag

The hardware is the reason to buy one, so carry the mini by the rings with a plain dress and bare hands, no rings of your own. With the red Jewelled, keep the clothes black and grey: the Metallic Cable Knit Jumper with black trousers lets the bag carry the only colour in the look. For an evening, the Leather Mini Dress and a Knuckle bag need nothing else.

Spotting a real Knuckle

A signature this recognisable gets copied. Check that the hardware is solid metal with crisp detail on the skull, that the leather and stitching are even, and that the bag comes with its dust bag and care card. The reliable protection is to buy from a verified seller: every McQueen piece at Coveti is authenticated before dispatch. Our McQueen authentication guide explains the style code and labels.

Frequently asked questions

When was the Alexander McQueen Knuckle Clutch created?

Lee Alexander McQueen created the Knuckle Clutch in 2009. Its four-finger ring handle has stayed in the collection since, redesigned with skull, flower and creature motifs, and the house relaunched it as a capsule of new evening clutches in April 2025.

What is the McQueen Knuckle?

The Knuckle is a four-ring metal handle shaped like a knuckle-duster. You slide your fingers through it so the bag is held in a fist. It first appeared on the Knuckle Clutch and now finishes the Jewelled bags, set with the signature skull.

Which McQueen bags have the Knuckle?

At Coveti, the Jewelled Bag in pop red and the Jewelled Mini Bag in shell pink both carry the Knuckle with the signature skull. The Jewelled Mini can be carried by the Knuckle itself.

Is the Knuckle the same as the skull clutch?

They are related but not the same. The skull is a motif that has run through McQueen since the Autumn Winter 1996 Dante collection. The Knuckle is a handle. On the current Jewelled bags the two are combined, with the skull set into the Knuckle.

How do I know a McQueen Knuckle bag is authentic?

Look for solid metal hardware with crisp detail on the skull and even leather and stitching. Buying from a verified seller is the reliable test, and every McQueen piece sold by Coveti is authenticated before dispatch.

Read who Alexander McQueen was, and shop the bags on the Alexander McQueen page.