Vivienne Westwood
Founder of the Vivienne Westwood fashion house
Vivienne Westwood was a British designer who helped define punk fashion in the 1970s and went on to build an internationally recognised fashion house drawing on British history and tailoring. She died in December 2022; the company continues under creative director Andreas Kronthaler.
| Role | Founder |
|---|---|
| Organisation | Vivienne Westwood |
| Born | 1941 |
| Died | 29 December 2022 |
| Creative director today | Andreas Kronthaler |
| Honours | OBE (1992), DBE (2006) |
Who was Vivienne Westwood?
Dame Vivienne Westwood (1941 to 2022) was a British fashion designer and activist. Born in Derbyshire, she worked as a schoolteacher before turning to fashion. She became internationally known for shaping the look of punk in the 1970s and later for collections that reinterpreted historical dress, tartans and British tailoring. She died in London on 29 December 2022.
Career
With Malcolm McLaren she ran a series of shops at 430 King's Road in London, renamed several times: Let It Rock in 1971, Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die in 1972, Sex in 1974, Seditionaries in 1976, and Worlds End from 1980, the name it still carries. Their clothing was closely tied to the punk music scene, including the Sex Pistols.
Her first catwalk collection, Pirate, was shown in 1981. The professional partnership with McLaren ended in the mid 1980s, and from the 1985 mini crini onwards she drew increasingly on 18th century painting and historic British dress. She was named British Designer of the Year in 1990, 1991 and 2006, was appointed OBE in 1992 and DBE in 2006, and was the subject of a major V&A retrospective in 2004.
- 1971: Let It Rock opens at 430 King's Road
- 1976: shop renamed Seditionaries
- 1981: first catwalk collection, Pirate
- 1992: OBE
- 2004: V&A retrospective
- 2006: DBE
Influence on the fashion business
Westwood showed that subcultural style could become the foundation of a lasting international fashion business. Her designs, from bondage trousers to the orb logo and corsetry, remain commercially important, and the King's Road shop still operates under the Worlds End name. Andreas Kronthaler, her long time creative partner, leads the creative direction of the house.
She was also an outspoken campaigner on climate and environmental issues, notably through her Climate Revolution campaign. The brand continues to communicate the principle "Buy Less, Choose Well, Make It Last" and works with heritage textile makers such as Harris Tweed and Lochcarron of Scotland.
Why it matters
For the industry, Vivienne Westwood stands for the commercial strength of an authentic, provocative point of view and for one of the earliest explicit calls from a major designer to consume less. Her house is an example of how a founder's values can continue to anchor a brand's positioning after the founder's death.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Vivienne Westwood?
Vivienne Westwood was a British designer, born in 1941, who helped define punk fashion in the 1970s and built an international fashion house. She died in December 2022.
Who runs Vivienne Westwood now?
Andreas Kronthaler, her long time creative partner, leads the creative direction of the house. The company continues to operate stores internationally, including the original shop at 430 King's Road.