Vivienne Westwood, Queen Of Punk Fashion, Passes Away Aged 81
English fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, famed for introducing punk style to the high fashion world, has passed away at age 81.
“Vivienne Westwood died today, peacefully and surrounded by her family, in Clapham, South London. The world needs people like Vivienne to make a change for the better,” wrote her eponymous brand on Twitter.
29th December 2022.
— Vivienne Westwood (@FollowWestwood) December 29, 2022
Vivienne Westwood died today, peacefully and surrounded by her family, in Clapham, South London.
The world needs people like Vivienne to make a change for the better. pic.twitter.com/YQwVixYUrV
Westwood’s counter-culture style first garnered attention in the 1970s when she co-owned a boutique—dubbed Sex—alongside Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren. The punk store quickly became the go-to destination for bands, rockers, and alternative style seekers.
According to Variety, the iconic designer introduced a new form of dressing that included pinned-together scraps of clothing, rubber and plastic outfits, an abundance of zippers and tartan, and of course, the classic graffiti t-shirt.
The fashion maven moved onto the runway in 1981, where Pirates, a joint collection she created with McLaren, received critical acclaim for its departure from the constricting silhouettes often seen in the decade prior.
She then branched out on her own, as per Vogue, going against the then-beloved masculine shoulder pads and tapping into a more sensual, fitted look that highlighted one’s curves.
Westwood eventually received an Order of the British Empire for her services to fashion in 1992, when she made headlines once again for not donning any undergarments when receiving the award from the Queen at Buckingham Palace.
In the 90s, the designer’s style shifted to merging historical references and modern proportions, creating some of the most memorable runway moments of the time. Who can forget the nine-inch platforms at the A/W 1993 show, or when corsets made an appearance the year after?
Staying true to her roots, Westwood continued to buck trends after the millennium, most notably when she presented Unisex, an androgynous collection, in 2015. This show was widely regarded as one of the first to showcase unisex looks to a mainstream audience.
Apart from lighting up the fashion industry, Westwood was also a political activist who spoke out against blatant consumerism and the climate crisis, and was a champion for causes such as wage inequality.
She is survived by her husband, Andreas Kronthaler, and her two sons.
