On December 29th 2022, we heard of the regrettable passing of our Queen of Punk, Vivienne Westwood, a trail blazer in the worlds of fashion and activism, and a life who will always be remembered. In 2016, in an i-cons interview with i-d, Vivienne told us that she didn’t believe in the word ‘icon’ or that she would even be remembered 10 years after her death, but I think this statement couldn’t be further from the truth. Her death has sent the fashion community into mourning, and her unique presence will be sorely missed.
After careers in both corporate work and school teaching, she followed a rather unconventional route into the fashion industry. Vivienne’s career began when she opened her first shop in London in the 70s, first named ‘Let it Rock’, and now named ‘World’s End’ which is still standing at the iconic 43 Kings Road. Throughout her entire career, Westwood never succumbed to the pressure of the fashion world around her, and consistently remained authentic to herself. Her work was influenced by the world around her, and more importantly, what she wanted to change about it. At the beginning of her career, in 70’s England, politics were conservative and much of the nation was influenced by this. These politics played a role in the chic, fitted and often reserved clothing which was the dominant trend at the time. Drawing inspiration from the Rock and Roll and Teddy Boys subcultures in London, Vivienne began designing clothes in her shop which pushed against the norm. What emerged were controversial graphic t-shirts, short spiky hair, and a growing fan base. This ultimately led to the creation of Punk. From here, opportunities like designing the clothing for The Sex Pistols emerged. Westwood admitted that this period was when she started to truly feel like a designer. Her career really took off, leaving a monumental legacy behind.
Westwood was already seen as a symbol of the British avant-garde by the end of the 70’s. However, she saw her work as far from done. The 80’s were an important decade in her career. Westwood had her first runway show ‘Pirates’ in 1981, which was unlike anything that had been seen on a runway to date. In 1983 she collaborated with Keith Haring to create ‘Witches’, a collection which would later be seen on Madonna, and cement Westwood as a household name in the fashion community. By the 90’s she was winning awards such as British Designer of the year, receiving the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire from Queen Elizabeth (which she decided to accept commando) and collaborating with models such as Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell to produce some of the most impactful moments in runway history; let’s not forget Naomi’s graceful fall at the peak of her career, and Moss’ appearance as a shirtless Marie Antoinette. While Westwood had placed herself firmly on the map of fashion history, she went far beyond just design, and I believe that it was her devotion to activism and creating change through her work that made her such an extraordinary designer and someone who will inevitably go down in fashion history.
From the beginning of her career she was a trailblazer by making rebellious political statements through her work. Her brand has always been political; Vivienne Westwood and activism are intrinsically linked, and it is activism that has always taken the forefront. Unlike many designers who support the causes they care about, she has always been the face of her activism, attending marches and making speeches, and believing in the importance of being seen and heard. The Vivienne Westwood brand is deeply thought provoking, and goes so far beyond clothing and accessory design.
Today, her impact is still present. She spent much of the 2000s dedicating herself to campaigning against climate change and over-consumption; launching her own campaign ‘Climate Revolution’, being an ambassador for Greenpeace and designing their official logo, and dedicating shows to issues she is passionate about, such as her AW16 show ‘Culture no consumption’. As well as all this, she simply raised awareness through her presence, she made sure that these issues were spoken about, and always given the attention they deserve. These are just some of the many reasons why her impact on fashion has been formally recognised in more recent years. In 2004, she had the largest show of any living British fashion designer dedicated to her at the Victoria & Albert museum in London, and earned the title of Dame Vivienne Westwood in 2006.
Everyone can learn something from Westwood; be kind, be passionate, be active, and always keep in mind her motto: “Let the next generation get a life”.
