subject: Vivienne Westwood - A British Design Icon [print this page] British designer Vivienne Westwood was born in 1941 in the town of Tintwhistle, in Derbyshire. She is credited with mainstreaming punk and new wave fashion.
Vivienne studied briefly at the Harrow School of Art, but left after just one term, unsure that someone of her modest upbringing could actually succeed in the art world. She accepted a job in a factory, and began training for a teaching career. While working as a teacher, she also began creating her own jewelry and selling it on the side.
Vivienne met her first husband, Derek Westwood, in 1961. They married the following year and had a child in 1963.
Vivienne's life completely changed when she met Malcolm McLaren. McLaren, who would later go on to manage the Sex Pistols, helped Vivienne open a boutique in London. Vivienne left her teaching career -- and Derek Westwood -- and moved in with McLaren. The name of the boutique, which opened in 1971, was originally called "Let it Rock." It has undergone a number of name changes over the years, and is now called "World's End."
McLaren designed the clothes for the boutique, inspired by the fashions of bikers, prostitutes and fetishists, and Vivienne brought his art to life. When the punk scene broke, Vivienne was right in the middle of it, and it fascinated her. She looked at all the elements featured in punk style and found innovative ways to incorporate them in her fashions. Some punk elements that found their way into her line of clothing include bondage gear, safety pins, bicycle chains and spiked dog collars.
Vivienne also stood out from her contemporaries thanks to her innovative method of cutting cloth. She devised a modified version of a technique used historically in the 17th and 18th centuries, creating a radically different cut that some found shocking.
She presented her first catwalk show in 1981, a pirate-themed collection. In 1985, she began focusing primarily on her Vivienne Westwood lines. Retrospectives of her work have been shown in museums, such as London's Victoria and Albert Museum and the National Gallery of Australia. Her styles have ranged from punk-themed T-shirts to elaborate historically-themed evening wear.
In 2006, Vivienne became Dame Vivienne Westwood, awarded the honor for services to fashion. She has been named British Designer of the Year three times. Vivienne is quite active politically, supporting the causes of nuclear disarmament and civil liberties. She has raised funds for organizations by creating and selling specially designed clothing.
The Vivienne Westwood line released its first fragrance in 1998, Boudoir, a scent that captures both the strength and femininity of women, with a powerful hint of sex. Notes of jasmine and rose float above a sensual base of patchouli, sandalwood and cinnamon. Other scents in the Vivienne Westwood line include Anglomania, Cheeky Alice and Let it Rock.
