Vivienne Westwood — the woman largely responsible for defining what we now call "punk fashion" — has died at 81. According to a statement from Westwood's estate, the designer "died today, peacefully and surrounded by her family, in Clapham, South London."
Westwood was born in the village of Tintwistle, Derbyshire on April 8, 1941. In 1958, she took a jewellery and silversmith course at the University of Westminster, but dropped out after a single term, saying, "I didn't know how a working-class girl like me could possibly make a living in the art world." After several odd jobs — including factory work and studying at a teacher-training college — she became an elementary school teacher, creating and selling her own jewelry on the side.
However, in the mid-'60s, she met Malcolm McLaren, after which she broke off her previous marriage and moved in with him. The two designed clothing together that was then worn by the Sex Pistols, whom McLaren was managing.
Westwood and McLaren changed the face of fashion and punk aesthetics forever with their SEX boutique on King's Road in London, which they ran from 1974–1976. Deeply inspired by the burgeoning scene, Westwood famously described punk as a way of "seeing if one could put a spoke in the system."
Even as London's golden age of punk ended, Westwood went on to become a highly influential and world-famous designer, expanding her business to include merchandise of all kinds and promoting her various political causes, like the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, climate change and civil rights groups.
See some tributes to Westwood below.
Westwood was born in the village of Tintwistle, Derbyshire on April 8, 1941. In 1958, she took a jewellery and silversmith course at the University of Westminster, but dropped out after a single term, saying, "I didn't know how a working-class girl like me could possibly make a living in the art world." After several odd jobs — including factory work and studying at a teacher-training college — she became an elementary school teacher, creating and selling her own jewelry on the side.
However, in the mid-'60s, she met Malcolm McLaren, after which she broke off her previous marriage and moved in with him. The two designed clothing together that was then worn by the Sex Pistols, whom McLaren was managing.
Westwood and McLaren changed the face of fashion and punk aesthetics forever with their SEX boutique on King's Road in London, which they ran from 1974–1976. Deeply inspired by the burgeoning scene, Westwood famously described punk as a way of "seeing if one could put a spoke in the system."
Even as London's golden age of punk ended, Westwood went on to become a highly influential and world-famous designer, expanding her business to include merchandise of all kinds and promoting her various political causes, like the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, climate change and civil rights groups.
See some tributes to Westwood below.