Its been one year since the passing of Dame Vivienne Westwood, one of the UK’s most notable fashion designers. Westwood's career spanned over 40-years; starting from a small boutique in London and becoming one of the most influential fashion designers to come from the UK. In celebration of this magnificent woman, let's take a look through her life and career.
Vivienne Westwood was born in Derbyshire in 1941, she and her family moved to London when she was a teenager. She originally trained as a primary school teacher, however, after divorcing Derek Westwood, and meeting art student Malcolm McLaren, she leant into her passion for fashion and dressmaking. She and McLaren opened a small London boutique “Let It Rock” in 1971. Uninspired by the hippie movement in the late 1960s, Westwood sought to challenge typical British society through fashion. She recreated vintage clothes from the 1950s, such as teddy boy clothes. Throughout the next few years, the small Chelsea-based boutique would change names 5 times, but in 1947 it became SEX, its most infamous title. Westwood's designs went from biker clothing to fetish wear. Her and McLaren loved to create a shock-factor, and garments that featured naked people and bondage were definitely a shock to 1970s London.
In 1976 ‘SEX’ became ‘Seditionaries: Clothes for Heroes’. McLaren also managed the ‘Sex Pistols’, known for their outspoken lyrics and anti-establishment ethos. Their hit song ‘God Save the Queen’ went to number one in the charts but the BBC refused to give it airtime. The clothes designed for the band by Westwood helped to create their image. The designs created for Seditionaries were known for their risque graphics, most notably the Queen with a safety pin through her lips. Seditionaries took elements of sexual fetishism, and turned it into wearable fashion with a DIY aesthetic. Westwood's designs were a ‘visual expression of the heretic lifestyle’. They showed her disdain for the establishment and the right-wing, and featured her passion for social and environmental activism. This was labelled as ‘Punk Rock’ by the media, giving birth to the punk movement of the 1970s.
The breakup of the Sex Pistols in 1980 and punk becoming mainstream in society left Westwood feeling uninspired. So she turned to ‘high culture’ and 17th and 18th century art for inspiration. She aimed to take a more subtle route to subvert the establishment. In 1981 she and McLaren created their first catwalk collection for A/W 1981. The collection, named ‘Pirate’, featured romantic looks inspired by 18th century pirates. The collection was eye-catching, with loose-bottomed trousers and oversized frilly shirts in colours of gold, orange and yellow. The silhouettes were similar to those popular in portrait photos of the 18th century. This collection helped to inspire the ‘new romantic’ look, which quickly became popular in mainstream fashion.
Although Westwood and McLaren had just released their first collection together, their personal relationship was not to last. They remained professional partners for another five years but in this time Westwood established herself as an independent designer. Continuing her theme of expressing her political opinions through her work, her next collections were inspired by different indigenous groups she has seen in national geographic. Her 1982 A/W collection ‘Buffalo Girls/Nostalgia of Mud’ was made to show how western culture is rooted in ‘primitive societies’. The collections were new and unique, taking history, politics and fashion, and fusing them together. This showed the conflicting ideals of restriction and liberation of women. In an era where other designers were showcasing new shapes and preppy styles, Vivienne was keeping original historical cuts and silhouettes, using fabrics and patterns popular in earlier centuries.
The 1980s were an important time for Vivienne. She married her second husband (and now creative director of her brand), Andreas Krothlanger, and continued to stand out with her collections like A/W 1987 ‘Harris Tweed’ and S/S 1988 ‘Britain Must Go Pagan’. The 1980s also saw Westwood's design of the ‘Mini Crini’, a mix of the Victorian crinoline with the modern mini-skirt, one of her most iconic designs to date. However, the1990’s are where we see her most iconic collections that are still spoken about today. We see the introduction of her infamous corsets in her early 90s S/S collection ‘Cut, Slash and Pull’. This collection was inspired by Tudor History. In 1993 she created the clan tartans for her ‘Anglomania’ collection (A/W). As part of this collection she created her own Scottish clan, ‘MacAndreas’, which the Lochcarron of Scotland recognised as a real clan. Anglomania pays homage to her earlier collections such as Pirate, SEX and Mini-Crini by including similar styles. This collection also features Naomi Cambpbells legendary fall on the catwalk whilst wearing 9-inch heels. Other notable moments for Vivienne Westwood in the 90s includes showing up to Buckingham Palace to receive her OBE, whilst wearing no underwear, showing her punk rock spirit.
Guardian
From the beginning of the millennium onwards, Vivienne Westwood continued to build her fashion brand, opening stores across the world and creating different fashion lines. She collaborated with institutes like King's College London and with Richard Branson to create uniforms for the Virgin Atlantic Crew. In 2021 the Vivienne Westwood Group agreed to end a franchise relationship with Hervia, who operated 7 of their stores. The deal led to a legal dispute in which Vivienne Westwood LTD’s pre-tax profits went from £527,863 to £5 million in the space of a year. Following this, Vivienne declared she would cease further expansion in an attempt to tackle environmental issues.
Vivienne Westwood was a well known activist for environmentalism and sustainability. She often voiced her concern for global warming and would try to bring as much attention to it as she could. From using her collections as a platform, to being an ambassador for Greenpeace she tirelessly tried to raise awareness about these issues. In the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Paralympics she marked the beginning of the ‘climate revolution’, which has its own website (https://climaterevolution.co.uk/wp/). Her 2017 A/W show “ecotricity’ was about renewable energy and urging luxury brands to use green energy instead of fossil fuels. Another example is her 2016 S/S show/protest which showed the runway models holding signs with slogans such as “Fracking is a crime”.
Vivienne's death marked the end of an era and a sad loss in the fashion world. Her brand has been taken over by her husband Andreas Kronthaler as the new creative director. Having worked closely with her he is probably the best person to have handed this iconic brand over to. They are, however, big shoes to fill, and it won't feel quite the same without her. Fortunately, Kronthaler seems to be keeping the brand true to Vivienne's style. The collection since her death was shown at Paris fashion Week for A/W 2023. With many famous faces showing up to pay their respects to Vivienne, it’s fitting that this show was a tribute to her. Kronthaler decided to honour her memory by retaining her punk spirit. The collection showed tailored designs, tartan patterns, and of course, corsets. His seconds show after her death however, showcased pieces from Vivienne's own wardrobe and the pieces that they spent the last 30 years designing together. After building a brand with such a recognisable style and personality, it would be a shame to see that lost with a new creative direction. Of course, the brand should continue to grow and evolve, but it should be in line with the brand's values that Vivienne herself established.
Vivienne Westwood, the mother of punk, will forever be remembered in history. She used the time she had on earth to build herself an empire, a platform to express her opinions, and to use her voice for good. It is sad to say goodbye to the UK’s most legendary fashion designer (in my opinion) but it is exciting to see where her brand will go.
Sources:
Biography. (2021). Vivienne Westwood - Clothes, Career & Life. [online] Available at: https://www.biography.com/history-culture/vivienne-westwood.
Braithwaite, N. (2023). Vivienne Westwood: how the brand will maintain the spirit of transgression and rebellion after her death. [online] The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/vivienne-westwood-how-the-brand-will-maintain-the-spirit-of-transgression-and-rebellion-after-her-death-197321.
Madsen, A.C. (2023). 5 Things To Know About Andreas Kronthaler For Vivienne Westwood’s Biographical SS24 Show. [online] British Vogue. Available at: https://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/andreas-kronthaler-for-vivienne-westwood-ss24 [Accessed 29 Dec. 2023].
The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica (2019). Vivienne Westwood | Biography, Designs, & Facts. In: Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Vivienne-Westwood.
Victoria and Albert Museum (2017). Vivienne Westwood: punk, New Romantic and beyond. [online] Victoria and Albert Museum. Available at: https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/vivienne-westwood-punk-new-romantic-and-beyond.
Vivienne Westwood’s own wardrobe raided to be used in Paris catwalk show. (2023). BBC News. [online] 30 Sep. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-66972861 [Accessed 29 Dec. 2023].
Westwood, V. (2023). The Story so Far | Vivienne Westwood®. [online] www.viviennewestwood.com. Available at: https://www.viviennewestwood.com/en-gb/westwood-world/the-story-so-far/.