An Ode to a pioneer of punk style and new wave, Dame Vivienne Westwood
Vivienne Westwood has been credited for transforming the face of fashion throughout her stellar career spanning nearly six decades. She was widely known for introducing modern punk and new wave influences into British fashion and bringing the movement to a mainstream audience. Westwood’s work also incorporated elements of rebellion, historic and modern, which has been an important influence on emerging fashion cultures around the world. Despite her advanced age, Westwood’s influence is still visible in modern fashion trends, as evidenced by the continuing relevance of her classic designs.
Westwood is credited with single-handedly reshaping the face of the contemporary fashion industry. Prior to her career, fashion was traditionally diametrically opposed to punk and new wave cultures, which relied on DIY styling and utilised existing clothing items to create something entirely new. Westwood’s bold attitudes and daring designs brought punk and new wave movements to the forefront of fashion. Her designs were often heavily embellished and often reworked from previously existing clothing items, to which she applied her own unique flavor. From the urbanized punk style of England, Westwood’s styles spread to the US and other parts of the world, inspiring a generation of young artists and designers.
Westwood’s influence can still be seen in today’s fashion designs. Many of the designers who followed in her footsteps cite her as a major influence, and her work continues to inspire new designs in different countries. Her classic styles can still be seen in the form of vintage garments being remade or copied, and current designers continue to use her iconography to create unique designs. Her bold use of color and size, her approach to styling and her views on disrupting boundaries of fashion are still very much alive in modern-day designs.
Westwood’s legacy has carved out an enduring place for her in the fashion world. She managed to make a name for herself despite coming from a small town in England and competing against the established fashion royalty. An authoritarian figure in the industry, Westwood has been credited with making fashion a safe place for nontraditional styles, shapes, colors and textures. The legacy she has left behind is still evident in modern fashion, with her designs and iconography still inspiring other designers and providing a valid foundation for emerging trends. Long after her career in fashion has ended, her influence continues to be felt as her pioneering of punk and new wave fashion will live on long after her passing.
Vivienne Westwood passed away peacefully at her home in Clapham aged 81.
