The Design World Mourns The Passing of the Extraordinary Dame Vivienne Westwood
Image Courtesy of Wikipedia
Vivienne Westwood, who died yesterday, was an English fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream.
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 synthesise clothing and music shaped the 1970s UK punk scene, which was dominated by McLaren's band, the Sex Pistols.
She viewed punk as a way of "seeing if one could put a spoke in the system".
Westwood opened four shops in London and eventually expanded throughout Britain and the world, selling an increasingly varied range of merchandise, some of which promoted her many political causes such as the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, climate change and civil rights groups.
Westwood was born in the village of Tintwistle, Derbyshire, on 8 April 1941, as 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.
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.
In 1958, her family moved to Harrow, Greater London, and Westwood took a jewellery and silversmith course at the University of Westminster, then known as the Harrow Art School, but left after one term, saying: "I didn't know how a working-class girl like me could possibly make a living in the art world".
After taking up a job in a factory and studying at a teacher-training college, she became a primary-school teacher. During this period, she created her own jewellery, which she sold at a stall on Portobello Road.
Westwood's marriage ended after she met Malcolm McLaren. Westwood and McLaren moved into Thurleigh Court in Balham, where their son Joseph Corré was born in 1967. Westwood continued to teach until 1971 and also created clothes which McLaren designed. McLaren became manager of the punk band the Sex Pistols, and subsequently the two garnered attention as the band wore Westwood's and McLaren's designs.
Westwood was one of the architects of the punk fashion phenomenon of the 1970s, saying "I was messianic about punk, seeing if one could put a spoke in the system in some way".
The store that she co-managed with McLaren, SEX, was a meeting place for early members of the London punk scene.
Westwood also inspired the style of punk icons, such as Viv Albertine, who wrote in her memoir, "Vivienne and Malcolm use clothes to shock, irritate and provoke a reaction but also to inspire change. Mohair jumpers, knitted on big needles, so loosely that you can see all the way through them, T-shirts slashed and written on by hand, seams and labels on the outside, showing the construction of the piece; these attitudes are reflected in the music we make. It's OK to not be perfect, to show the workings of your life and your mind in your songs and your clothes."
In 1992, Westwood was awarded an OBE, which she collected from Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.
At the ceremony, Westwood wore nothing but sheer tights with reinforced bikini top under her skirt. This was later captured by a photographer in the courtyard of Buckingham 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."
Westwood advanced from OBE to DBE in the 2006 New Year's Honours List "for services to fashion", and has earned the award for British Designer of the Year on three occasions.
In 2007, Westwood was awarded a Fellowship at King's College London and in 2008 she designed 20 new academic gowns and hoods for King's students to wear at their graduation ceremonies. In 2008, Heriot-Watt University awarded Westwood an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters for her contribution to the industry and use of Scottish textiles.
A panel of seven academics, journalists and historians named Westwood among a group of 60 people in the UK "whose actions during the reign of Elizabeth II have had a significant impact on lives in these islands and given the age its character".
A tartan outfit designed by Westwood featured on a commemorative UK postage stamp issued by the Royal Mail in 2012 celebrating Great British Fashion.[90]
Westwood had two children. Ben Westwood (born 1963), her son with Derek Westwood, is a photographer of erotica.
Joseph Corré (born 1967), her son with Malcolm McLaren, is the founder of lingerie brand Agent Provocateur.
She married her former fashion student, Andreas Kronthaler, in 1992.
For 30 years, Westwood lived in an ex-council flat in Nightingale Lane, Clapham, until, in 2000, Kronthaler convinced her to move into a Queen Anne style house in Clapham, that was built in 1703, and which once belonged to the mother of Captain Cook.
She was a keen gardener and a vegetarian.
