VIVIENNE WESTWOOD

Vivienne Westwood began her journey to becoming one of the greatest British designers in the 1960s in London. Vivienne and her lover, Malcolm McLaren, were inspired by rebellion and had a particular interest in 1950’s clothing, memorabilia and music.

In 1971 the pair opened their shop Let it Rock in London. The designers’ interests quickly turned to looks inspired by biker clothing, zips and leather. With this new aesthetic came new designs of t-shirts featuring provocative messages and a re-branding of the shop displaying a skull and crossbones.

In 1974 the shop underwent a new re-branding and became SEX, described by Westwood as a shop ‘unlike anything else going on in England at the time’ with the slogan ‘rubberwear for the office’ the change of style coincided with the success of the Sex Pistol’s God Save the Queen (under McLaren’s management) and featured printed slogan t-shirts and the straps and zips of obscure sexual fetishism. The shop once again reopened as Seditionaires and featured a slightly more accepted fashion, inspiring a D.I.Y. aesthetic that was named ‘Punk Rock’ by the media.

Westwood’s first catwalk show (The Pirate Collection, 1981) displayed a romantic look that attracted the attention of the masses and earned its place in London fashion history. Westwood’s new muses featured ‘Tatler’ girls wearing mock aristocratic clothing.

Westwood has always sparked controversy and amazement with her unique look that combines chic style with an attitude. Her work is associated with a sense of social, environmental and political awareness