Vivienne Westwood, the Queen of Punk, the red-haired maverick of British fashion who was always herself, never that of anybody else. A nonconformist, an activist, an individualist. A woman of true punk spirit. In her heartbreaking loss, Vivienne leaves behind a great legacy, through which she will certainly live forever.
SLEEK takes a look at 5 things the Queen of Punk taught us throughout her career and life.
Images Courtesy of Getty Images.
Patience is a virtue
Westwood’s career as a fashion designer didn’t begin until she was 30 in 1971. Even then, she didn’t officially show her collections at fashion week until she was 40 in 1981, when her Pirate Collection took to the runway. Up until the point of becoming a designer, Westwood had been working as a school teacher. It wasn’t until a chance meeting with Malcom McLaren, an art student and future manager of the Sex Pistols, that Westwood released the power art and fashion could hold within the political landscape. Soon, her designs filled the prominent SEX boutique on the Kings Road in Chelsea – and the rest is history.
This is such a valuable thing to remember from Westwood’s career. In the age of Instagram, where we’re constantly comparing ourselves and our successes to those of others, it’s very easy to forget that achievement and growth takes time. “The age in which we live,” said Vivienne, “this non-stop distraction, is making it more impossible for the young generation to ever have the curiosity or discipline… because you need to be alone to find out anything.”
Rules are made to be broken
Vivienne once said: “the only reason why I’m in fashion is to destroy the word ‘conformity’”. Throughout her career, Vivienne was forever challenging the status quo. From wearing no knickers when receiving her OBE from the Queen, to having Kate Moss walk down the runway with nothing but a mini skirt, a Napoleon-style hat and a Magnum ice cream. Westwood was constantly breaking conformity in her punk-rock, anti-establishment spirit.
Be yourself, don’t follow the trend
Westwood never followed the trend. She believed that “popular culture is a contradiction in itself. As soon as something becomes popular, it is no longer culture.” She was always attracted to and fascinated by people who are “really true to themselves somehow, and who are always trying to do something that makes their life more interesting.”
By 1981, 10 years into her designing career, Westwood presented her debut shock-and-awe debut collection Pirates. Entirely anti-dynasty, this collection dominated 80s subcultures and challenged the mainstream. This set the tone for how the designer would continue to revolutionise fashion for years to come.
“Buy less, choose well, make it last”
If there’s anything you should take away from Westwood and her career, it’s this. Buy less, choose well, make it last. Over the years, the designer and activist has supported PETA, Aids Research, Oxfam as well as working to champion more sustainable materials in an attempt to put a stop to unethical supply chains.
To be in a constant state of consumption, is to conform to societal habits and expectations. “We are so conformist; nobody is thinking,” she once said. “We are all sucking up stuff; we have been trained to be consumers, and we are all consuming far too much.”
Fashion is about so much more than endless consumption. It’s about expression, individuality, belonging, not belonging, curiosity, rebel, excitement, delight, discovery.
Fashion is always a political statement
Across the top of the show notes at Westwood’s Red Label AW15, the designer urged her attendees to “VOTE GREEN”. Always using fashion as a vehicle for political activism, the manifesto embedded within the show notes explained that our society is “controlled by the 1% of the world population who are in power. They preach consumption, and they preach war, and they’re taking us into disaster. We are in incredible danger. There is no point in voting for the others.” During the show, models stormed the runway with painted, bruise-like faces as though coming straight from battle. Not long after the show, it was reported that Westwood was donating £300,000 to the Green Party.
But Westwood’s activism transcended the runways, entering non-fashion social spheres and events in order to maximise impact, including street protests and advertisements for PETA. Climate Revolution launched in 2012 at the London Paralympics closing ceremony. Skipping dress rehearsals in an attempt to hide her intentions, the designer took centre stage with her giant “CLIMATE REVOLUTION” banner.
In an interview with Dazed, Westwood said “climate revolution is the ultimate revolution; if we don’t win that, there won’t be many of us left.”