Vivienne Westwood

Vivienne Westwood (born Swire) was born in Derbyshire, England in 1941. Her father was a shoemaker and her mother a cotton weaver. When she was just aged 16, her family moved to London and Vivienne attended the Harrow School of Art. After spending just one term there, she left to become a primary school teacher. Whilst working there, she met her first husband Derek Westwood in 1962  and got married to him. They then had a son which they called Ben. In 1965, she met Malcolm McLaren who became her partner in fashion as well as in life. Vivienne Westwood is known as the most eccentric and influential of Britain's fashion designers. Every season, she puts out on the runway the most amazing, original and spectacular clothes. Her House's Logo is the royal ORB with a cross on top, bejewelled and impressive as befits the Queen of British fashion.

In 1971, Vivienne Westwood started a shop with her husband called "Let it Rock" on London's trendy Kings Road. She would spent all night stitching rock-inspired clothes, visiting punk clubs and grunge bars. Three years later, the couple opened another boutique which they called "Sex", selling pornographically printed T-shirts and garments with sexual slogans printed on them. In 1977, they changed the name of their boutique to "Seditionaries" and sold garments with a bondage look made of leather. Three years afterwards there was yet another change of name to "World's End" and Vivienne introduced her Pirate collection, including frilly shirts and romantic swashbuckling styles. It was all extremely successful.

In 1982 Vivienne Westwood introduced the first collection bearing her own name which proved very popular. Her collections were called Buffalo, Savage, and Punkature. A year later,  she gave a fashion show in Paris, the first British designer to do so since Mary Quant in the 1960's. People remember it as one of the best shows ever, but chic Parisiennes were horrified by the riotous behaviour and punky London garments. The collection was called "Punkature".

When her relationship with McLaren ended, Vivienne Westwood's shops closed but her talent could not be withheld. She then opened a studio in London's Camden area. In 1984, her new collection was called Hypnos and was the first sports collection with fluorescent fabrics on the catwalk. Other collections included such fabrics as crinoline, tweed, Greek drapery and fig-leaf tights.

Vivienne Westwood won her first British Designer of the Year award in 1990 and then a second one the year after. In 1992, Vivienne Westwood was also awarded an O.B.E. and received it from the Queen in a see-through blouse, and a skirt which when swirled around displayed her invisible underwear. She is ever since known as one of the British fashion designers who shocked the world.

Vivienne Westwood called her very successful new collection "Anglomania" (in 1993) and used for it some tartan suits, ball gowns, fake fur corsets, etc.

The Cosmopolitan Fashion awards rank her 4th in the British ready-to-wear designers rank.


Vivienne Westwood's lines include Gold Label (her demi couture line of ready-to-wear and made to measure pieces, Red Label (her cool tailoring, knits and shirts) and Man (her menswear line).

Westwood also supplies 550 stores in 30 countries which is all solely owned by Vivienne herself. Her managing director is named Carlo D'Amario.

The Style of Vivienne Westwood

Vivienne Westwood is fashion's chief architect of revolt. She was once the queen of punk and is no stranger to the forms of sabotage that can pave the way for the next upheaval in style or taste. Her clothes are known to be always revolutionary and controversial. Vivienne Westwood's designs include intentionally twisted seams, intentionally badly cut clothes, designs intended to shock, deliberate contradictions of colour. She ignores conventional fashion directions and always likes to go her own way. She is known as Queen of the original: bustiers, mens kilts, cone-shaped bras as day wear; classical paintings on underwear; the mini crinoline, fake fur trains, woolly royal crowns and so much more.
 
 

Find fashion by Vivienne Westwood @ the following eshops: