Vivienne Westwood: Designer of the Week

There are many, many reasons why we love Vivienne Westwood. Her creation of punk fashion, business ability and wacky style, make her the ultimate London fashion designer. And, we mustn’t forget her designs were modelled by the gorgeous Sarah Jessica Parker in the Sex and the City movie!

Who? What? Where? When?

Vivienne’s talent was first spotted when she made clothes for Malcolm McLaren’s boutique in the King’s Road. By 1972 the designer’s interests had turned to biker clothing, zips and leather. The shop was re-branded with a skull and crossbones and renamed Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die. Westwood and McLaren began to design t-shirts with provocative messages leading to their prosecution under the obscenity laws. Their reaction was to re-brand the shop once again and produce even more hard core and controversial images. By 1974 the shop had been renamed Sex, a shop ‘unlike anything else going on in England at the time’ with the slogan ‘rubberwear for the office’.

In the late 80s, Vivienne rebranded her designs and her heros changed from punks and ragamuffins to ‘Tatler’ girls wearing clothes that parodied the upper class. A chance encounter inspired one of her most important and influential collections, the Harris Tweed collection of Autumn/Winter 1987.

Today, Vivienne’s handbags vary. From the classic Derby-print office handbags for the professional lady to the crocodile and snake skin clutches for the Trendsetter, Vivienne’s bags can capture anyone’s heart. Her designs may have evolved since the punk days of the seventies, but Vivienne’s work still stays close to her roots, and that’s why we love it!