FASHION & STYLE
HONORING VIVIENNE WESTWOOD
A Global Icon
Vivienne Westwood began designing in London in 1971 along with
her then partner, Malcolm McLaren. At the time, they used their
shop at 430 Kings Road to showcase their ideas and designs. With
their changing ideas of fashion came the change of not only the
name of the shop, but also the décor. It was in 1976 when Vivienne
and Malcolm defined the street culture of “punk” with Seditionaries.
By the end of the 1970s, Vivienne was already considered a symbol
of the British avant-garde, and for autumn/winter 1981, showed her
first catwalk presentation at Olympia in London. She then turned to
traditional Savile Row tailoring techniques, using British fabrics and
17th and 18th century art for inspiration.
In 1989, Vivienne met Andreas Kronthaler, who would later become
her husband and long-time design partner, as well as creative
director of the brand. In 2004, London’s Victoria and Albert
Museum hosted a Vivienne Westwood retrospective exhibition
to celebrate her 34 years in fashion – the largest exhibition ever
devoted to a living British fashion designer. In 2006, her contribution
to British fashion was officially recognized when she was appointed
a Dame of the British Empire by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and
in 2007, was awarded the Outstanding Achievement in Fashion at
the British Fashion Awards in London.
Vivienne Westwood is one of the last independent global fashion
companies in the world. At times thought provoking, this brand is
about more than producing clothes and accessories.
Vivienne continues to capture the imagination and raise awareness
of environmental and human rights issues. With a design record
spanning over 40 years, Vivienne Westwood is now recognized as
a global brand, and Vivienne herself as one of the most influential
fashion designers and activists in the world today. She recently
received the André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award from
Savannah College of Art and Design.
Photo by Juergen Teller, courtesy of SCAD
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SAVVY I SOPHISTICATED I SASSY