The Life and Legacy of Fashion Designer Vivienne Westwood

No one trailblazed her way through the fashion world quite like Vivienne Westwood. “Vivienne does, and others follow,” English designer Jasper Conran once exclaimed. She not only came up with revolutionary designs, but she also used her platform to advocate for many political issues. Many of her years were spent speaking up about the effects of overconsumption and climate change. 

She began rising to fame in 1971, when her designs were featured in a shop that was an important fashion center for the punk movement. In following years, as the punk movement was coming to an end, Vivienne Westwood was only getting started. 

She came out with the Pirate collection: a completely opposite direction to what she had come out with before. This collection featured lots of frills and tulle; a hard contrast from her iconic punk styles. 

In her personal life, Westwood lived a bit of a frugal lifestyle. Even though she had made her fortune and fame for more than 30 years, she resided in a small South London apartment. She paid only $400 a month, and rode her bike to her studio each day. 

She continued to bring new and unconventional designs to the fashion world as well as demonstrate fearlessness with her outspokenness. It is impossible to deny the influence she had: she was twice awarded the British designer of the year as well as the O.B.E. (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in 1992. 

Vivienne Westwood was a force to be reckoned with. Despite her passing in December 2022, the imprint she left on fashion is indisputable. 

“She was at the heart of it all, the designer that every single designer wanted to meet at the gala. She was a provocateur, and one with a deep understanding of what made her homeland tick: that peculiarly British blend of history,...romanticism, and tradition, which she worked up into the most magical and imaginative of clothes.” – Anna Wintour

Written by Annabeth Freuh

Edited by Ruthann Daniel

Photos from Pinterest