Vivienne Westwood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dame
Vivienne Westwood
DBE RDI
|
|
|---|---|
Westwood in 2008
|
|
| Born |
Vivienne Isabel Swire
8 April 1941 Tintwistle, Cheshire, England
|
| Died | 29 December 2022 (aged 81) London, England
|
| Alma mater | University of Westminster |
| Occupation |
|
|
Label(s)
|
Vivienne Westwood |
| Spouse(s) |
|
| Children | 2, including Joseph Corré |
| Awards | British Fashion Designer of the Year (1990, 1991, 2006) |
Dame Vivienne Isabel Westwood (born Swire; 8 April 1941 – 29 December 2022) was a famous English fashion designer and businesswoman. She is widely known for bringing modern punk and new wave styles into mainstream fashion.
Westwood first became well-known when she designed clothes for a shop she ran with Malcolm McLaren on King's Road in London. Their unique way of mixing clothes and music helped shape the 1970s UK punk scene. This scene was strongly influenced by McLaren's band, the Sex Pistols. Vivienne saw punk as a way to challenge the usual rules.
Over time, Westwood opened several shops in London and then expanded worldwide. She sold many different kinds of items, often using her designs to support important causes. These included fighting climate change and supporting civil rights groups.
Contents
Life and Fashion Journey
Early Life and Education
Vivienne Westwood was born in a village called Tintwistle, Cheshire, on 8 April 1941. Her parents were Gordon and Dora Swire. Her father worked in an aircraft factory.
In 1958, her family moved to Harrow. Vivienne started a course in jewellery and silversmithing at the University of Westminster. However, she left after just one term. She felt it would be hard for a working-class girl like her to make a living in the art world. After working in a factory and studying at a teacher-training college, she became a primary school teacher. During this time, she also made her own jewellery and sold it at a market stall on Portobello Road.
In 1962, she met Derek Westwood and they got married. Vivienne even made her own wedding dress. In 1963, they had a son named Benjamin.
Working with Malcolm McLaren
Vivienne's marriage to Derek ended after she met Malcolm McLaren. Vivienne and Malcolm moved to Balham, where their son Joseph Corré was born in 1967. Vivienne continued teaching until 1971. She also created clothes that Malcolm designed.
Malcolm McLaren became the manager of the punk band the Sex Pistols. Vivienne and Malcolm gained a lot of attention because the band wore their unique designs.
The Punk Fashion Era
Vivienne Westwood was a key figure in creating the punk fashion style of the 1970s. She said she was "messianic about punk," seeing it as a way to challenge the system. The shop she ran with McLaren was a popular meeting spot for early members of the London punk scene.
Westwood also inspired the look of many punk icons. For example, Viv Albertine wrote that Vivienne and Malcolm used clothes to "shock, irritate and provoke a reaction." Their designs, like loosely knitted mohair jumpers and slashed T-shirts, showed that it was okay to be imperfect.
Developing Fashion Collections
Vivienne Westwood's designs were very original and showed her personal beliefs. She sometimes worked with Gary Ness, who helped her find ideas and names for her collections.
McLaren and Westwood's first fashion collection shown to the public was called Pirate. They continued to work together, showing collections in Paris and London. These collections had themes like Savages, Buffalo/Nostalgia Of Mud, Punkature, Witches, and Worlds End 1984. After her partnership with McLaren ended, Westwood showed one more collection under the Worlds End label, called "Clint Eastwood."
From 1981 to 1985, she called her style "New Romantic." From 1988 to 1991, it was "The Pagan Years." During this time, her inspirations changed from punks to more upper-class styles. Between 1985 and 1987, Westwood designed the mini-crini. This was a shorter version of the Victorian crinoline, inspired by the ballet Petrushka. Its short, puffy shape influenced other designers.
In 2007, Vivienne Westwood was asked to design academic gowns for King's College London. She unveiled these designs in 2008. She said she tried to connect the past, present, and future through her designs.
In 2011, Westwood's collections were shown at a fashion event in Barcelona. She also worked with Richard Branson to design uniforms for Virgin Atlantic flight crew. The women's uniform was a red suit, and the men's was a grey and burgundy three-piece suit. Both Westwood and Branson wanted to use sustainable materials, so they used recycled polyester.
Vivienne Westwood's Companies
Vivienne Westwood's company, Vivienne Westwood Ltd, grew to have many stores. In 2013, the company's profits increased significantly. However, in 2014, sales dropped slightly.
In 2013, Westwood announced she would not expand her business further. She wanted to focus on environmental and sustainability issues. By 2015, Vivienne Westwood Ltd had 12 stores in the UK and 63 worldwide.
Westwood was a supporter of the Green Party. She later changed her company's tax arrangements to align with the Green Party's policies.
Famous Clients and Commissions
Many famous people wore Vivienne Westwood's designs:
- Dita Von Teese wore a purple Westwood wedding gown when she married Marilyn Manson in 2005.
- Marion Cotillard wore a red Westwood dress at a film premiere in 2009. She also wore a pink and ivory striped dress in Cannes in 2013.
- Princess Eugenie wore three Westwood designs for the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton events in 2011.
- Pharrell Williams wore a unique Westwood Buffalo hat to the 2014 56th Annual Grammy Awards. This hat became very popular.
- In the video game Final Fantasy XV, a character's wedding dress was designed by Westwood.
Sex and the City Film
Vivienne Westwood's designs were also featured in the 2008 film Sex and the City. In the movie, the character Carrie Bradshaw plans to get married. She models wedding dresses for Vogue, including a design by Westwood. This dress is later sent to Carrie as a gift, and she decides to wear it for her wedding. The dress became one of the most memorable parts of the movie.
Vivienne Westwood's Activism
In 1989, Vivienne Westwood appeared on the cover of Tatler magazine dressed as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The suit she wore had actually been ordered for Thatcher. The cover, with the words "This woman was once a punk," became very famous.
In 2005, Westwood worked with the civil rights group Liberty. They launched T-shirts and baby clothes with the slogan "I AM NOT A TERRORIST, please don't arrest me." She supported this campaign to defend basic freedoms.
Westwood was a strong supporter of the Green Party. She believed they were best for the country and the economy. In 2008, she joined a large protest against nuclear weapons.
In 2013, Westwood dedicated one of her collections to Chelsea Manning. At her fashion show, she and her models wore badges of Manning with the word "Truth." The next year, she cut her hair to raise awareness about climate change. She also appeared in an ad campaign for PETA to promote vegetarianism and saving water.
Westwood created a manifesto called Active Resistance to Propaganda. In this manifesto, she talked about art, human problems, and climate change. She believed that people could become more cultured and solve problems, or continue on a destructive path. She also said that if people had money for her clothes, they should buy them, but not too much.
Supporting Julian Assange
Westwood was a long-time supporter of Julian Assange and called for his release. In 2012, she used her appearances at London Fashion Week to promote "I am Julian Assange" T-shirts. She visited him several times while he was in the Ecuadorian Embassy and later in prison. In 2020, she protested outside a London court against Assange's possible extradition. She wore a yellow pantsuit and hung herself in a giant birdcage, saying she was like a "canary in the coal mine" warning about government corruption.
Books by Vivienne Westwood
Vivienne Westwood also wrote or co-wrote books. One book, Fashion in Art: The Second Empire and Impressionism, explored the connections between fashion and art.
Another special book, Vivienne Westwood Opus 2008 limited edition, was published for London Fashion Week. It documented her work and was a unique art piece itself. The book was very large and heavy, containing 97 big Polaroid photographs of Westwood, her friends, and famous models like Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss.
Awards and Recognition
In 1992, Vivienne Westwood was awarded an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. She famously wore a sheer outfit under her skirt, which was captured by photographers. She later said she wanted to show off her outfit and that the Queen was amused by the picture.
She was later made a DBE in 2006 for her contributions to fashion. She also won the British Designer of the Year award three times.
In 2007, she received a special award from King's College London. In 2008, Heriot-Watt University gave her an honorary degree for her work in the fashion industry.
In 2012, Vivienne Westwood was chosen as one of the "New Elizabethans" to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. She was named among 60 people who had a big impact on life in the UK during the Queen's reign. A tartan outfit she designed was even featured on a commemorative UK postage stamp in 2012.
In 2018, a documentary film about her life, called Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist, was released.
Personal Life
Vivienne Westwood had two children. Her son Ben Westwood, with Derek Westwood, is a photographer. Her son Joseph Corré, with Malcolm McLaren, founded the lingerie brand Agent Provocateur.
In 1992, she married her former fashion student, Andreas Kronthaler.
For 30 years, Westwood lived in a former council flat in Clapham. In 2000, Kronthaler convinced her to move into a historic Queen Anne style house in Clapham. This house was built in 1703 and once belonged to the mother of Captain Cook. She enjoyed gardening and was a vegetarian.
80th Birthday Celebration
To celebrate her 80th birthday, Vivienne Westwood created a new video for the Piccadilly Lights screen in Piccadilly Circus, London. In the ten-minute film, she sang a rewritten version of "Without You" from My Fair Lady. She used the song to warn people about environmental problems and the arms trade. She said, "I have a plan 2 save the World. Capitalism is a war economy + war is the biggest polluter, therefore Stop War + change economy 2 fair distribution of wealth at the same time: NO MANS LAND."
Death
Vivienne Westwood passed away in Clapham, London, on 29 December 2022, at the age of 81.
See also
In Spanish: Vivienne Westwood para niños
