Dame Vivienne Isabel Westwood (Swire; 8 April 1941 – 29 December 2022) was an English fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream.[6] In 2022, Sky Arts ranked her the 4th most influential artist in Britain of the past 50 years.[7]
Westwood came to public notice when she made clothes for the boutique that she and Malcolm McLaren ran on King's Road, which became known as Sex. Their ability to synchronise clothing and music shaped the 1970s UK punk scene, which included McLaren's band, the Sex Pistols. She viewed punk as a way of "seeing if one could put a spoke in the system".[8]
Westwood opened four shops in London and eventually expanded throughout Britain and the world, selling a varied range of merchandise, some of which promoted her political causes such as the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, climate change and civil rights groups.[9][10]
Life and career
Early years
Westwood was born in Hollingworth, Cheshire,[11][12] on 8 April 1941.[13][14] She grew up in nearby Tintwistle, and was the daughter of Gordon Swire and Dora Swire (née Ball), who had married two years previously, two weeks after the outbreak of the Second World War.[15] At the time of Vivienne's birth, her father was employed as a storekeeper in an aircraft factory; he had previously worked as a greengrocer.[15]
Vivienne Westwood companies
In March 2012, Vivienne Westwood Group reached agreement to end a long-standing UK franchise relationship with Manchester-based Hervia, which operated seven stores for the fashion chain. The deal brought to a conclusion a legal dispute, which included Hervia issuing High Court proceedings for alleged breach of contract, after Westwood sought to end the franchise deal before the agreed term.[44] The subsequent transition of some of the Hervia stores to Westwood, along with cost-savings, was credited for a jump in Vivienne Westwood Ltd's pre-tax profits by nearly a factor of 10, to £5 million from £527,683 the previous year.[45]
The next year, the company announced: "Over the last year margins have been under pressure due to the nature of wider retail conditions."[46] Shortly after, Westwood announced she would cease further expansion of her business as a way of tackling environmental and sustainability issues.[47]
In March 2015, the company announced that it would open a three-story outpost in midtown
Notable clients and commissions
In 1993, Westwood designed many of the colorful suits and outfits Duran Duran wore during their tour for The Wedding Album, as well as those that appeared in the three videos for that album: "Ordinary World", "Come Undone" and "Too Much Information".
Dita Von Teese wore a purple Westwood gown for her formal wedding ceremony when she married Marilyn Manson in 2005.[57]
Marion Cotillard wore a Westwood red satin strapless dress at the London premiere of her film Public Enemies in 2009.[58] In 2013, she wore a Westwood Couture pink and ivory striped dress at the Chopard lunch in Cannes.[59]
In 2011, Princess Eugenie wore three Westwood designs for the pre-wedding dinner, the wedding ceremony and the after-wedding party at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.[60]
Political involvement
In April 1989, Westwood appeared on the cover of Tatler dressed as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The suit that Westwood wore had been ordered for Thatcher but not yet delivered.[67] The cover, which bore the caption "This woman was once a punk", was included in The Guardian list of the best ever UK magazine covers.[68]
In September 2005, Westwood joined forces with the British civil rights group Liberty and launched exclusive limited design T-shirts and baby wear bearing the slogan I AM NOT A TERRORIST, please don't arrest me. She said she was supporting the campaign and defending habeas corpus. "When I was a schoolgirl, my history teacher, Mr. Scott, began to take classes in civic affairs. The first thing he explained to us was the fundamental rule of law embodied in habeas corpus. He spoke with pride of civilisation and democracy. The hatred of arbitrary arrest by the lettres de cachet of the French monarchy caused the storming of the Bastille. We can only take democracy for granted if we insist on our liberty", she said.[69] The sale of the £50 T-shirts raised funds for the organisation.
Books
Westwood was also a noted author or co-author of books, such as Fashion in Art: The Second Empire and Impressionism,[97] in which she explored the worlds of fashion and the arts and the links between them.
Vivienne Westwood Opus 2008 limited edition was published for London Fashion Week 2008, documents Westwood's work and is also a unique work of art. The book measures 35.4 x, weighs 44 lb, with a total limited edition of 900. There are 9 different covers and titles each numbered 1 to 100: manifesto, cockroach propaganda, pirate squiggle, propaganda eyes, I am expensive, AR-Vivienne Westwood, innocent, active resistance to propaganda and union jack. The Opus contains 97 large-format Polaroid photographs, each measuring 19.7 x. The subjects include Westwood, her friends and models, including Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Jerry Hall, Georgia May Jagger, the Sarah, Duchess of York, Tim Burton, Sir Bob Geldof, Jasmine Guinness, and Helena Bonham Carter.[98][99]
Recognition
In the 1992 Birthday Honours, Westwood was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to fashion design.[100] She received her medal from Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace; at the ceremony, Westwood wore nothing but sheer tights with a reinforced bikini top under her skirt, which was later captured by a photographer in the courtyard of the Palace. Westwood later said, "I wished to show off my outfit by twirling the skirt. It did not occur to me that, as the photographers were practically on their knees, the result would be more glamorous than I expected," and added: "I have heard that the picture amused the Queen."[101] Westwood advanced from OBE to Dame Commander of the same Order (DBE) in the 2006 New Year Honours "for services to British fashion",[102] and earned the award for British Designer of the Year on three occasions.
She was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA).[103]
Personal life
Westwood had two children. Ben Westwood (born 1963) is her son with first husband Derek Westwood; he is a photographer of erotica. Her second son, Joseph Corré (born 1967) with second husband Malcolm McLaren, is the founder of lingerie brand Agent Provocateur.[118] Cora Corré, activist and model, is her granddaughter.[119]
Westwood married her former fashion student, Andreas Kronthaler, in 1992.[120]
For 30 years, Westwood lived in an ex-council flat on Nightingale Lane, Clapham.[121] In 2000, Kronthaler convinced her to move into a Queen Anne style house in Clapham built in 1703.[122]
Portraits of Vivienne Westwood
The National Portrait Gallery holds 18 images of Westwood taken between 1990 and 2014, including those by Mario Testino, Jane Bown, Juergen Teller, Anne-Katrin Purkiss, and Martin Parr.[145]
External links
References
- Andre Rhoden-Paul, Adam Durbin. Vivienne Westwood: Tributes for 'Queen of British Fashion' after her death BBC News, 30 December 2022, retrieved 30 December 2022^
- Saxony Dudbridge. Vivienne Westwood catwalkyourself.com, retrieved 30 December 2022^
- Allen McDuffee. Inside Vivienne Westwood And Malcolm McLaren's Abusive Relationship