Until the end of her life, punk priestess Vivienne Westwood remained fashion’s favourite revolutionary
and an active activist who openly raised serious social, political and environmental issues.
At the end of this year, the fashion world bids farewell to one of the greatest fashion designers, Vivienne Westwood,
or Vivienne Isabel Swirl, as her real name was, who passed away at the age of 81.
According to the official announcement of the British fashion house “Vivienne Westwood died quietly at home,
in Clapham, London, surrounded by her family. Until the last moment he continued to do the things he loved,
designing, working on her art, writing her book and changing the world for the better.”.
With a rich yet unconventional career that spanned more than half a century, Vivienne Westwood
will go down in history as the punk dame of British fashion, who never stopped reacting against everything orthodox.
5 things you need to know about Vivienne Westwood
1. She was self-taught
She studied jewellery, stayed only one semester at the School of Fine Arts, became a teacher in an elementary school.
So officially, Vivienne Westwood was never trained in fashion.
She learned everything on her own when she was a teenager, observing the design, cutting and making of used clothes
that he found at flea markets.
We should also remind you that he won the title “British Designer of the Year” 3 times !
2. He was a central figure in punk culture
Her meeting with Malcolm McLaren, the manager of the Sex Pistols, the most famous punk band of the 1970s,
was fatal and brought out her “innate perversion”, as she called it.
Together they opened the “Let it Rock” clothing store on the then upmarket King’s Road, which became a landmark for all
the unconventional youth, but also the punk culture of the time.
“There was no punk before me and Malcolm,” Westwood had said, going against British puritanism
and put punk and new wave into mainstream fashion.
Her unconventional spirit therefore shone through in her first fashion show entitled “Pirates” in 1981,
which was filled with unexpectedly for the time “pirate” looks, oversized clothes and bright colors.
In her provocative but often contradictory and controversial designs, she “blended” historical references, corsets and lingerie
for regular clothes, the classic Scottish tartan, strict tailoring.
Her aim was to challenge conventional standards of beauty and femininity.
3. The challenge was the second nature of
She always found ways to shock, such as when she posed for the cover of Tatler magazine as Margaret Thatcher in 1989,
entitled “This woman was once a punk”.
In 1992 she was awarded the Medal of the Order of the British Empire by Elizabeth II and she revealed
to the photographers that she wasn’t wearing any underwear.
In 2015 he drove a tank outside the home of then British Prime Minister David Cameron to protest fracking,
the highly environmentally damaging method of oil and gas extraction.
4. Her fashion has always had a political agenda
Even though her house has grown into a huge multi-billion empire, Vivienne Westwood has never lost her way.
her activist and revolutionary vision and always used fashion to promote her ideas.
“The only reason I’m in fashion is to destroy the word obedience,” he said.
The phrases “Save the Arctic” or “Buy less, choose well”,
became slogans on eco-friendly t-shirts made from organic cotton.
The tireless fashion revolutionary was a staunch defender of environmental protection and campaigned for climate change, a ban on real fur and nuclear disarmament.
5. He had special spiritual concerns
Vivienne Westwood practiced Taoism.
She had explained about the Tao that it is a spiritual system that we need today more than ever.
“It makes you feel like you belong to the universe and gives your life meaning. It gives you a sense of identity and power,
to know that you are living the life you can and therefore should be living.”
That is why she urged those around her to make the most of all aspects of their character and their life on earth.
Punk, uncompromising, unique.
A priestess of fashion who left her mark on this world then and certainly changed the history of fashion.
Or rather, it “wrote” its own history.
When a man has so much to give, only through creation can he achieve it.
We can only be inspired, taught and exemplified by such personalities.
about the path of creation we must follow.
Have you been inspired by a designer or creator?
I look forward to your comments on social media, Instagram & Facebook.
I kiss you,
Maria Dretaki
