Dame Vivienne Westwood, pioneer of punk, dies at 81

LONDON — Dame Vivienne Westwood, responsible for launching the 70s punk fashion phenomenon and whose Later creations, from pirates to crinolines, also had a major influence over the following decades, died Thursday at the age of 81.

During Westwood's decades-long career, she defined British fashion with her eccentric designs , his style and his environmental activism.

The brand revealed Westwood's passing on Instagram, stating that she passed away peacefully surrounded by her family, in Clapham, South London.

"Vivienne kept doing the things she loved, until the last moment, designing her , her working art, writing her book and changing the world for the better. She's led an incredible life. Her innovation and impact over the past 60 years has been immense and will continue into the future," continued the message.
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"Vivienne considered herself a Taoist. She wrote: "Tao spiritual system. never needed the Tao more today. Tao gives you a sense of belonging to the cosmos and gives meaning to your life; it gives you such a sense of identity and strength to know that you are living the life that you can live and therefore should live: make full use of your character and life on earth."

"I will continue with Vivienne in my heart. We worked through to the end and she gave me a lot to do. Thank you darling,” Westwood husband and creative partner Andreas Kronthaler said.

Westwood was born in 1941 in Tintwistle, in the East Midlands of England. In 1958 her family moved to Harrow in the London Borough of Harrow and it was then that she showed an interest in fashion by enrolling in a course in jewelery and silversmithing at Harrow Art School, now known as the University of Westminster, but dropped out after one term. .

Vivienne Westwood at the WWD Spring/Summer 2018 show

She had a short stint as a schoolteacher while simultaneously creating her own jewelry and making it selling at a stall on Portobello Road.

Westwood met her first husband Derek Westwood in 1962 and married him the same year in a dress wedding she got when she was 21.

The couple divorced when they met Malcolm McLaren in 1965, the manager of the Sex Pistols and the driving force behind punk with Westwood.

Fashion Dec 31, 2022 0 37 Add to Reading List

Dame Vivienne Westwood, pioneer of punk, dies at 81

LONDON — Dame Vivienne Westwood, responsible for launching the 70s punk fashion phenomenon and whose Later creations, from pirates to crinolines, also had a major influence over the following decades, died Thursday at the age of 81.

During Westwood's decades-long career, she defined British fashion with her eccentric designs , his style and his environmental activism.

The brand revealed Westwood's passing on Instagram, stating that she passed away peacefully surrounded by her family, in Clapham, South London.

"Vivienne kept doing the things she loved, until the last moment, designing her , her working art, writing her book and changing the world for the better. She's led an incredible life. Her innovation and impact over the past 60 years has been immense and will continue into the future," continued the message.

Related Galleries

"Vivienne considered herself a Taoist. She wrote: "Tao spiritual system. never needed the Tao more today. Tao gives you a sense of belonging to the cosmos and gives meaning to your life; it gives you such a sense of identity and strength to know that you are living the life that you can live and therefore should live: make full use of your character and life on earth."

"I will continue with Vivienne in my heart. We worked through to the end and she gave me a lot to do. Thank you darling,” Westwood husband and creative partner Andreas Kronthaler said.

Westwood was born in 1941 in Tintwistle, in the East Midlands of England. In 1958 her family moved to Harrow in the London Borough of Harrow and it was then that she showed an interest in fashion by enrolling in a course in jewelery and silversmithing at Harrow Art School, now known as the University of Westminster, but dropped out after one term. .