Words and Artwork by: Edie Hopgood 

As a fashion lover, in my eyes, there is no one more iconic in the fashion industry than the late Dame Vivienne Westwood.

Her passing came as heartbreaking and shocking news to the fashion world — nay the whole world. We have lost yet another fashion icon, among the likes of Andre Leon Tally, Thierry Mugler and Issey Miyake, who have also tragically passed recently.

Westwood, quite literally, built her brand from the ground up, and has cemented herself within history as one of fashion’s most innovative figures. Her designs pushed the limits of fashion, politics and gender — never fearful of challenging the status quo. Best known for her punk iconography during the 1970s, Westwood integrated the aesthetics and values that shaped punk music and the punk movement, into fashion. To this day, her designs are all incredibly sought after pieces and have paved the way for many trends, subcultural styles and couture looks over the years.

In my opinion, one of the craziest parts about Vivienne Westwood’s design career is that she was completely self-taught — she was a school teacher before she tried her hand at fashion design¹. Westwood first started her fashion career by opening a stall selling second hand 1950s vintage clothing and records, with her then partner, Malcom McLaren. From there, she went on to own her own infamous (and ever changing) store in London with McLaren. This store began as ‘Let it Rock’ and it was then rebranded with skulls and crossbones as ‘Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die.’ During this time, the two were prosecuted under the 959 Obscene Publications Act for producing provocative t-shirts, to which they responded with even more provocative t-shirts, in their newly rebranded store, now titled ‘Sex.’ This store was described as “unlike anything else going on in England at the time,” and sold itself as, “rubber wear for the office.”²

Following this, McLaren began managing the ‘Sex Pistols’, and when their song, ‘God Save the Queen,’ hit number one on the music charts, the shop reopened once again as ‘Seditionaries.’ While owning this store, and famously dressing the ‘Sex Pistols’, Westwood created pieces that “transformed the straps and zips of obscure sexual fetishism and bondage into fashion, and inspired a D.I.Y. aesthetic.”² In 1980, the shop was again renamed to ‘Worlds End’. This name remains to this day, and is now one of many boutiques that was opened under the Vivienne Westwood brand. Her passion to create was never driven by making money or having a brand that was deemed popular — she was passionate about championing for conversations surrounding underrepresented issues. This led her designs to be provocative, erotic and political.

Westwood is best known for her avant-garde designs which worked to define the fashion scenes of both punk and new romanticism. These respective styles transitioned over the years, in which she started out using iconographies of punk and street style — such as raw, deconstructive designs. Later, she moved on to things such as Savile Row tailoring techniques, British fabrics, draped dresses, boned corsets and exaggerated bust or hip garments and 17th and 18th century art within her designs.³ Another iconography, that is now considered an iconic Westwood feature, is tartan and Harris Tweed. Vivienne even went as far as to create her own tartan and clan, named MacAndreas, for her ‘Anglomania’ Autumn–Winter 1993/94 collection. This clan was acknowledged by the Lochcarron of Scotland, the process of which usually takes 200 years.⁴

I have decided to dedicate this piece to Westwood, because alongside so many others in the world, I see her as one of my biggest idols. She dedicated her career to changing how fashion operates in many ways, and remains a constant advocate for social justice even after her passing. This was central to her brand, with her clothes communicating messages surrounding sustainability in fashion, climate change, and even criticising capitalism. Political messages were interwoven into her pieces, accessories, campaigns and runways, and she was a regular facilitator and attendee of protests.

Westwood was an incredibly outspoken public figure — despite her high profile — and never shied away from using fashion as a form of rallying for change and rebellion. This was unusual for her time, and especially for a brand of such notoriety. These actions have encouraged modern day brands to think similarly, and take on sustainable practices and values within their own production, rather than just preaching about it on the surface. She was a true pioneer.

Since moving to Melbourne, I now have so many more sources for inspiration and opportunities that have allowed me to hone my love for fashion more and more. Living in a city known for its creativity and style has been invigorating and has allowed me to grow into my skin when it comes to how I express myself through my clothes. I have always known of Westwood and her designs, and have always been inspired by them, but I think now that I live in Melbourne, I have grown to understand her messages and ethos on a deeper level.

Westwood’s unapologetic attitude, lack of desire to simply ‘fit in’, in an industry that places so much value on superficial looks, was something that I consider incredibly influential within my journey of finding my own style (a journey that I am admittedly still on). Growing up in a smaller country town for most of my life, I often found that having an expressive taste and/or appearance was typically frowned upon. Little old me almost felt caged into a style and appearance that I never truly felt comfortable or 100% myself in. I had always aspired to be a stylish and effortlessly dressed city dweller (which I think was jump started through my too early introduction to Tumblr). However, being in an environment where I felt I was going to be judged for this really stunted the rate at which I began to explore my own style. Beyond this, the values that I have learnt through Westwood have also helped me to have a deeper understanding of and appreciation for ethics and sustainability within fashion. There are things that I am proud to say that I make a conscious effort to think about with every purchase that I make. Especially for when I enter the industry myself, I will definitely aspire to, like Vivienne, keep sustainability and ethics at the forefront of my practice and consumption, always.

We have lost an incredible woman in Vivienne Westwood, someone who reshaped the fashion industry completely. She started from humble beginnings and built an empire for herself. She never sold herself or her ethics out to be recognised alongside other big names of the industry. She instead built her own success on her terms, and that is something that I find so admirable. If only more people thought the way she did, the world, and the fashion industry, would be a better place.

References

1) Encyclopaedia Britannica. ‘Vivienne Westwood British fashion designer’. https://blog.viviennewestwood.com/history/1971-1980/

2) Vivienne Westwood. ‘430 Kings Road: 1971-1980.’ https://blog.viviennewestwood.com/history/1971-1980/

3) Vivienne Westwood. ‘The Early Years: 1981-1987.’ https://blog.viviennewestwood.com/history/1981-1987/

4) Vivienne Westwood. ‘Anglomania: 1993-1999.’ https://blog.viviennewestwood.com/history/1993-1999/