Legendary British fashion designer and activist Vivienne Westwood died today (December 29) at the age of 81, it has been confirmed.
Westwood was integral to the British punk movement of the 70s, helping shape the scene through clothes. Early in her career, she made clothes for the Chelsea Boutique that she ran with Malcolm McLaren.
Westwood's eponymous fashion house announced her death on social media platforms, saying she passed away peacefully. A cause of death was not mentioned in the statement.
Westwood's fashion career began during the punk movement of the 1970s when her radical take on urban street style took the world by storm. But she went on to enjoy a long career, starring in a string of successful fashion shows in London, Paris, Milan and New York.
Westwood's name has become synonymous with style and attitude, but her focus changes yearly. Her scope is huge, and her work is never predictable.
As her fame grew, she seemed to transcend fashion, and museums collected her designs around the world. The young woman who once defied the British establishment ended up becoming one of its leading figures.
Westwood has also committed her fashion house to reducing their climate-change impact. In 2020, her spring/summer collections featured clothing made from organic cotton and natural flax, using yarn that was sourced from trees grown in managed forests.
"They gave the punk movement a look, a style, and it was so radical it broke from anything in the past," said Malcolm McLaren. "The ripped shirts, the safety pins, the provocative slogans. She introduced postmodernism. It was so influential from the mid-70s. The punk movement has never dissipated -- it's become part of our fashion vocabulary. It's mainstream now."
Contradictions have marked Westwood's long career: she was a lifelong rebel, repeatedly honored by Queen Elizabeth II. In her 60s, she dressed like a teenager and became an outspoken advocate against global warming, warning that the planet would perish if climate change were not curbed.
Comments