British fashion designer Alexander McQueen, who committed suicide in February last year, left £50,000 of his £16 million fortune to his beloved pet dogs, details of his will showed.

Mr McQueen, the former enfant terrible of the fashion world who went on to find huge success with his provocative designs, left the equivalent of €56,500 to ensure his dogs were pampered after he was gone.

Family members, his housekeepers and his favourite charities also received large sums in the will.

The will, seen by AFP and originally released after a request from Britain’s Press Association news agency, said £50,000 was being left “for the upkeep and maintenance of my dog or dogs so long as my dog or dogs shall live.”

He left behind three dogs called Minter, Juice and Callum, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported.

Mr McQueen wrote a suicide note asking his family to “look after my dogs” before he hanged himself in his central London flat on February 11 after taking a cocktail of drugs the day before his mother’s funeral. The designer – full name Lee Alexander McQueen – left over €18 million on his death.

He bequeathed €56,000 to each of his two housekeepers, Marlene and Cesar Garcia, for their “long and faithful service”, according to the will. Four charities – HIV and sexual health charity The Terence Higgins Trust, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, the London Buddhist Centre and animal welfare charity Blue Cross – each received €113,000.