Dame Vivienne Westwood, the fashion designer who has been a leader of punk style for decades, has died at the age of 82. After suffering from ill health for some time she passed away peacefully at home with her family by her side. Although she is most famous for designing clothing, she was also heavily involved in the politics of fashion throughout the 60s and 70s. She was an environmentalist and activist throughout her life, which is evident in her designs. The Vivienne Westwood Memorial Collection was launched in 2010 as a platform to showcase young emerging designers whose ideas were inspired by Vivienne's ethos. In 2012 she was awarded an OBE in recognition of services to fashion and business before being promoted to Dame Commander (DBE) in 2016. Dame Vivienne was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by The University of Abertay Dundee in June 2018 after a lifetime dedicated to creativity and empowerment through fashion and activism."
Vivienne Westwood, the fashion designer who has been a leader of punk style for decades, has died at the age of 82.
Vivienne Westwood, the fashion designer who has been a leader of punk style for decades, has died at the age of 82.
Benjamin Westwood, confirmed her death on Twitter. "It is with great sadness that I can confirm that Vivienne Westwood passed away peacefully at home last night," he wrote in a tweet posted Wednesday night.
Westwood was born in Tintwistle, England on November 8th 1941 and began designing clothes at age 15 while still in school after being inspired by fashion magazines such as Vogue and Harper's Bazaar (which she also worked for). After graduating from London College of Fashion in 1964 with an MA degree in Textile Design & Illustration she opened Biba - Britain's first boutique dedicated solely to young designers - where she sold her own designs alongside those by other young artists including Zandra Rhodes and Ossie Clark among others."
The news broke in December when her son, Benjamin Westwood, confirmed her death on Twitter. After suffering from ill health for some time she passed away peacefully at home with her family by her side.
Dame Vivienne Westwood was 82 years old when she passed away peacefully at home with her family by her side after suffering from ill health for some time.
Her son, Benjamin Westwood, confirmed the news on Twitter: "It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our mother Dame Vivienne Westwood CBE DBE FASHION DESIGNER & ACTIVIST," he wrote in a tweet that has since been deleted. "She died peacefully at home with her family around her."
Dame Vivienne founded the fashion house which bears her name in 1966 and became known for creating designs that were highly political and often used animal rights imagery in their collections. She also helped launch Punk Rock as part of her Sex Pistols collection; she designed all four members' outfits for their first gig at The 100 Club on November 6th 1976.
Although she is most famous for designing clothing, she was also heavily involved in the politics of fashion throughout the 60s and 70s. She was an environmentalist and activist throughout her life, which is evident in her designs.
Vivienne Westwood was a designer, an activist and an environmentalist. She was heavily involved in the politics of fashion throughout the 60s and 70s. She was awarded an OBE for services to fashion and business in 1996.
Vivienne's activism was evident in her designs: she wanted to make people aware of social issues through clothing. Her most famous piece is probably her T-shirt with an anti-war message printed on it which said "The Emperor Has No Clothes". She also designed many dresses with political slogans on them including one which read "Coca Cola Kills" (the brand logo had been altered slightly).
The Vivienne Westwood Memorial Collection was launched in 2010 as a platform to showcase young emerging designers whose ideas were inspired by Vivienne's ethos.
The Vivienne Westwood Memorial Collection was launched in 2010 as a platform to showcase young emerging designers whose ideas were inspired by Vivienne's ethos.
The collection was founded on the belief that fashion should be accessible, affordable and fun. It works with talented designers who have been trained at various institutions around the world, but do not yet have their own labels or are just starting out on their careers in fashion design. The aim of this collaboration is to provide them with an opportunity for their ideas to reach a wider audience than they would otherwise receive through traditional shows at London Fashion Week - especially those from outside Europe (or indeed outside London).
In 2012 she was awarded an OBE in recognition of services to fashion and business before being promoted to Dame Commander (DBE) in 2016. Dame Vivienne was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by The University of Abertay Dundee in June 2018 after a lifetime dedicated to creativity and empowerment through fashion and activism.
You may have heard of her. She's a fashion designer, businesswoman, environmentalist, activist and feminist who has been at the forefront of the punk movement since it began in London in 1976.
She founded Vivienne Westwood Ltd with Malcolm McLaren that same year and together they opened their flagship store Sex (Sexy) on King's Road which became iconic for its provocative window displays featuring bondage gear and S&M imagery as well as slogans like "Destroy stereotypes" or "Eat The Rich". The shop also sold clothing from their own label; Vivienne Westwood Designs alongside other brands including Zandra Rhodes' Zandra Rhodes Designers Limited and Gaultier 2 (Jean Paul Gaultier). In 1982 she opened Browns: The Shop For Men which featured men's designs created exclusively for Browns by herself along with others such as John Galliano
DAME VIVIENNE WESTWOOD
Dame Vivienne Westwood is a British fashion designer, activist and businesswoman. She co-founded the company that would become known as "Vivienne Westwood Ltd" in 1973 with her then husband Malcolm McLaren, who managed the Sex Pistols.
In 2012 she was awarded an OBE for services to fashion and philanthropy by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace and promoted to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2016 for her contributions to arts education as well as being awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Abertay University later that year.
Dame Vivienne Westwood was a true trailblazer and an inspiration to generations of designers. She was a visionary who understood the power of fashion as a tool for change and made sure that her beliefs were reflected in every piece she created.
Victoria Beckham and Kate Moss were among the famous names to attend a memorial service held for Dame Vivienne Westwood on Thursday in London