Vivienne Westwood, born Vivienne Isabel Swire, was born in Glossop, Derbyshire in 1941 and has since become best known for her provocative clothing and has been credited for extending the influence of the 1970s punk music movement into the world of fashion.
On Dec. 29, 2022, Westwood died peacefully in her home in London at 81 and today, a year after her death, take a look at her life and achievements in fashion.
According to The Met, Westwood is often credited with introducing the idea of “underwear as outerwear,” reviving the corset and, most notably, creating the “mini-crini.” Still, before she became one of the world’s most influential fashion designers, Westwood was a schoolteacher in London.
In 1958 Westwood’s family moved to Harrow, Greater London where Westwood began taking courses in jewelry-making at the University of Westminster, then known as the Harrow Art School.
In 1962 Vivienne Swire met Derek Westwood while he was a Hoover factory apprentice in Harrow. The two married on July 21, 1962, Westwood designed and created her wedding dress, and in 1963 they welcomed their son Benjamin Westwood into the world.
Their marriage ended shortly after the birth of their son, in 1965 when Vivienne Westwood met Malcolm McLaren. The pair moved to Thurleigh Court in Balham, Greater London where their son Joseph Corré was born in 1967.
According to The Times, at this point in her life, Westwood continued to work as a schoolteacher but also loved to create clothes that McLaren designed. It was when McLaren became manager of the punk band Sex Pistols that the two garnered attention for the clothing they designed and created for the band.
In 1974, Westwood opened her first boutique, SEX, in London. The boutique, originally managed by McLaren, was known to be a meeting place for the London punk scene.
Throughout the years the boutique changed its name and interior design but to this day the boutique is still open at its original location at 430 King’s Road under the name Worlds End.
In 1981, Westwood and McLaren debuted their first partnered collection to the media and potential buyers. The collection was called “Pirate” and it was first seen on the catwalk later the same year in Olympia.
Westwood and McLaren continued to create and produce clothing in Paris and London with collections including “Savages” in late 1981, “Buffalo/Nostalgia Of Mud” in spring 1982, “Punkature” in late 1982, “Witches” in early 1983 and “Worlds End 1984,” later renamed “Hypnos,” in late 1983.
After Westwood and McLaren dissolved their partnership, Westwood showed one more collection under the Worlds End label. Titled “Clint Eastwood” the 1984-85 collection featured fluorescent and logoed pieces inspired by the neon lights in Tokyo.
According to Vogue, Westwood eventually dubbed this period between 1981-85 “New Romantic,” during which she worked alongside McLaren in creating many famous looks for the pop group Adam and the Ants.
From 1988-91, the “Pagan Years,” Westwood’s inspiration shifted away from punk as she discovered her more feminine side.
From 1985 to 1987, Westwood took inspiration from the ballet Petrushka to design the infamous mini-crini, an abbreviated version of the Victorian crinoline featuring a mini-length, bouffant silhouette-inspired skirt.
In 2007, Patricia Rawlings, the chair of King’s College London, approached Westwood to design an academic gown for the college after it had successfully petitioned the Privy Council for the right to award degrees.
In 2008, Westwood’s designs were featured in the film adaptation of the television series “Sex and the City.” In the film, Carrie Bradshaw gets engaged to her long-term boyfriend and as she prepares for the wedding she models many wedding dresses, including a design made by Westwood. The gown was sent to Bradshaw as a gift with a handwritten note from Westwood herself and eventually, it is the gown that Bradshaw decides to wear.
According to the Victoria and Albert Museum, it was in March 2016 when Westwood handed over the reigns of her Gold Label to her husband, Andreas Kronthaler, who had been working alongside her for many years. The two continued to design the main line together, though the Gold Label became officially called “Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood.”
